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54 | Pilot September 2017 http://www.pilotweb.aero
Books & Gear
Shedding more light on the M.52
Miles M.52 — Britain’s Top Secret Supersonic Research
Aircraft by Tony Buttler http://www.crecy.co.uk £24.95.
Hardback, 156 pages, mixed colour and B & W illustration
After the publication a few years ago of a poorly edited and flawed book written by
‘Winkle’ Brown, who’d flown the ‘Gillette’ Falcon M.52 wing test vehicle, Crecy promises ‘the
definitive, factual story of the Miles M.52 project’ — and we would say this is a fair claim.
The M.52, like the long-lost Martin-Baker MB5 piston-engined fighter (also flown by
Winkle Brown) is one of those intriguing ‘might have been’ stories of British aviation.
Flown only as a rocket-propelled model air-launched by a Mosquito, the M.52 might
have been the aircraft that ‘broke the sound barrier’ before the Americans did it with
the Bell X-1. Quite how far advanced the project was — or was not (a number of people
seem to have confused the mock-up with a part completed prototype) — is revealed in
great detail in this thoroughly researched and nicely designed book. We would say it is
an essential reference for any student of aviation history — and it’s an engrossing read
too for those of us who would profess to be mere enthusiasts. PW
History in a shirt
Black Star Lysander polo shirt £55.95 http://www.blackstarbrands.com
Black Star Brands has launched a new polo shirt in its clothing range with a historical link, aimed
at aviation professionals and enthusiasts. The ‘Lysander’ design commemorates Operation
Battering Ram, a clandestine Lysander mission to drop and recover SOE agents in the Loire Valley
on 12/13 September 1943. Details on the shirt include the names of the three Lysander pilots and a
fold-out map of the secret landing zone with a three-view drawing and aircraft spec box on the
reverse side. The shirt comes in black and sizes ranging from XS to 5XL.