FlyPast – August 2018

TWO- S E ATE R S

74 FLYPAST August 2018

MADE

FOR TWOFOR TWOFOR TWOFOR TWO

I

t was not until 1941 that

thought was given to a

conversion trainer version of

the Supermarine Spitfire. By that

stage in the war, the advanced flying

syllabus was such that a dedicated

two-seater was not necessary and

indeed could be regarded as a

luxury. Supermarine chief designer

Joseph Smith had so many demands

on his time that it was not long

before the file was moved to the

bottom of the pile.

There was initially no need for

such a version due to the foresight of

Frederick George Miles, the elder of

two brothers who had been building

aircraft in their name since 1931.

Miles recognised that the Bristol

Blenheim, Fairey Battle, Hawker

Hurricane and Spitfire provided the

RAF with a significant performance

leap and an advanced trainer was

needed to bridge the gap.

Miles harnessed the 745hp

(555kW) Rolls-Royce Kestrel XVI

V12-format engine to produce the

supremely elegant private venture

M.9 Kestrel of June 1937. With

retractable undercarriage, variable-

pitch propeller and split flaps the

M.9 had everything to help trainee

pilots come to grips with the new

generation of fighters and bombers.

The Miles Kestrel was intended

to transform pilot tuition. In 1937

the RAF’s advanced trainers were

adapted Hawker Harts and Hinds,

also powered by Kestrels – 525hp

and 640hp respectively. At medium

altitude these two biplanes had

a top speed of around 180mph

(289km/h) while the Kestrel could

manage 296mph.

Reworked to full RAF standards as

the M.9A Master and first appearing

in March 1939, the new type

became the RAF’s springboard to the

high-performance machines entering

service in increasing numbers. With

the adoption of the Bristol Mercury

XX radial from November 1939,

the Mk.II ruined those perfect lines,

but the Master was tough, reliable

and efficient, with 3,450 of all

variants produced.

The view from the instructor’s

position on the Kestrel and the

Master was minimal, particularly

on approach. Miles had thought of

that; the rear seat could be adjusted

upward and the canopy glazing

folded to permit the instructor’s

head to pop out into the slipstream,

giving a marginally better sight

of proceedings.

In December 1938 the first North

American Harvards arrived in small

numbers. By 1945 close on 5,000

were in use in schools in the UK,

Canada and Africa. Between these

two types the advanced training

needs of the RAF were met well

into the 1950s.

SHOEHORNED

There were examples of ‘in-field’

conversions of Spitfires during

World War Two. At Catania in

Sicily, former 4 Squadron, South

African Air Force, Mk.V ES127

was adapted into a two-seater by

personnel from the resident 118

Maintenance Unit in mid-1944.

This was no trainer – it was a

‘joy-rider’. The passenger was

shoehorned into the space also

occupied by auxiliaries, engine

bearers and the lower fuel tank, in

front of the firewall and immediately

behind the pilot’s bulkhead. A

standard Spitfire windscreen

provided some protection in the

open cockpit.

The Soviets had at least one

so-called Spitfire IXUTI –

MORE AND MORE SPITFIRE TWO-SEATERS ARE EMERGING FROM WORKSHOPS.

DANIEL FORD EXAMINES THE ORIGINAL TRAINER VERSIONS

FOR TWOFOR TWOFOR TWO

Above

ARC’s Spitfi re Tr.9 PV202

in a previous colour

scheme representing its

days as Irish Air Corps’

IAI161. ALL VIA AUTHOR

UNLESS NOTED

Above right

Miles test pilot Bill

Skinner in the prototype

Kestrel in June 1937.

The ‘2’ is its ‘new types’

number for that year’s

Hendon display. MILES

AIRCRAFT

Bottom right

The distinctive hood of

Carolyn Grace’s world

famous Spitfi re Tr.9

ML407. DARREN HARBAR