In the late forties, Avions Atalante of Paris signed licence agrements with Miles for the production, in France, of the Gemini and the Aerovan. As can be seen from the attachments below, their wares were regularly advertised in the French aviation press at this time. However, presumably, no (or insufficient) orders were forthcoming and no Geminis or Aerovans were manufactured in France.
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By: avion ancien - 16th March 2019 at 17:14
Another advertisement …..
By: avion ancien - 15th March 2019 at 16:01
… and further to my first post of 17 February, by January 1948 Avions Atalante went the way of the company whose products they proposed to produce under licence.
By: Lingo Dog - 17th February 2019 at 22:49
Muggins here was completely taken in!
By: J Boyle - 17th February 2019 at 22:24
One fun way to practice your French…
By: avion ancien - 17th February 2019 at 22:00
Hence the preface to my post (although I have to admit to having been sucked in until I read the vertical text in the left hand margin).
By: longshot - 17th February 2019 at 21:12
I may be having a sense of humour failure but I hate convincing looking web-pages (in #2?) about subjects I don’t know enough about to instantly realize they’re fantasy without checking…I believe it’s called fake news these days
By: avion ancien - 17th February 2019 at 11:44
I don’t think, Elmdon Boy, that it was a case that the French didn’t like the Gemini. After all, there were fifteen registered in France – which is approaching 10% of the total Gemini production. I suspect that it’s more a case that when the French could buy a Gemini off the UK production line, where was the incentive to buy a licence built example from a company that had only produced four aeroplanes hitherto (the 1938 GB-10)?
I would concede that the Messenger seems to have had less appeal to the French market. Only three were registered in France and all of these were supplied secondhand (which statistic is exactly the same as that for the Aerovan). But in this marketplace the Messenger had to compete with a plentiful supply of secondhand Nord Pingouins and, looking at new aeroplanes, it was pitching against the like of the Nord Norécrin (with its modern retractable tricycle undercarriage as opposed to the dated fixed tailwheel undercarriage of the Messenger).
By: l.garey - 17th February 2019 at 09:48
Thanks for those fascinating data Monsieur Avion. All new to me.
The Messenger has a place in my heart as my very first flight was in G-AKKC from Westwood (Peterborough) aged about 10 I think. I also enjoyed seeing G-AIEK land on Brancaster beach around the same time.
By: Elmdon Boy - 16th February 2019 at 22:45
I cant understand why the French didn’t like the Gemini, in my opinion the must beautiful light aircraft of the time, along with most of the earlier Miles light aircraft, Falcon, Sparrowhawk, Whitney Straight, Nighthawk, Monarch.
I must admit the Aerovan doesn’t come into this category but I guess it was a workhorse design. Would have loved to have seen one though.
I possibly might have had the chance back in 1963 when I spent the day spotting at RAF Chivenor not knowing that one was lurking in a blister hanger nearby.
By: avion ancien - 16th February 2019 at 18:43
….. and if you like having your leg pulled, you may care to read http://www.1940lafrancecontinue.org/pdf.php?fichier=/FTL/1942/annexes/anx-c-y7-avions-miles.pdf concerning the licence production of the Messenger in Algeria between 1943 and 1947! 😉
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February 16, 2019 at 5:58 pm