There’s always a reason for the axe and often its money – other priorities for finite resources. We are today in a fashion of disparaging “experts”, in part because their turgid Reports can be presented to fit their funders’ wishes.

M.52 had been funded by B.Lockspeiser (BL), D.Scientific Res.(Chairman, MAP Supersonic Cttee.), 29/12/43: its purposes were: as a flying test bed for Whittle’s reheated by-pass W.2/700; to upgrade Miles’ razor wing work; to explore the transonic regime. Miles had no distinct qualification for any such work: “very good at biffing out small cardboard (types, hadn’t) produced (subsonic) let alone supersonic ones” M.Morgan,MoS/DCARD,Turnill/Reed,P108
(prototype metal Monitor in Experimental Shop), but MAP Cripps’ wife Isobel had been entranced by Blossom Miles on a Woodley Factory visit, 10/43: “unusual and enterprising designs” supportive of what BL saw as “fantastic problems” D.Wood,Project Cancelled, P29.

One of the we wuz robbed books gives us the underlying issue: W.Brown/D.Bancroft, M.52-Gateway to Supersonic Flight,Spellmount,2012,P.85: PM, anticipating VJ Day by end-46, 15/1/45 instructed Munitions industry effort to be confined to projects offering “substantial operational” capability by autumn,’46. MAP officials were thus insubordinate/ultra vires in continuing M.52 from that day. And again from 2/9/45 when Miles became unable to draw any material from the Woodley store of US’ Lend/Lease Administration… because the Allies now had no enemy. Supersonics had no civil application.

(By then Sir) Ben., DGSR(A)/MoS 2/46 got round to chopping it a year after PM had instructed, after (incredibly) securing a budget for Aircraft Research (UK was broke and cold). He selected innovations with civil potential – Flying Wing, laminar flow, VG: “funds (to) begin exptl. work” on models (it took until mid-’48 to elicit interest from BOAC’s MD, Whitney Straight. J.E.Morpurgo,Barnes Wallis,Longman,72,P313). He separately extracted funds for Brabazon Committee-inspired civil projects. Well done, that man! May I suggest we here are happy with those achievements, while some wish he could have found yet more of our money for M.52 to continue until Miles’ 19/11/47 bankruptcy (for unrelated, even non-Aero, reasons).

The “pilot risk” issue can be taken as smoke and spin. A reason for cancellation was needed that did not impugn the 12/43 spending decision made by, ah, BL, and, ah, the now President of the Board of Trade, Cripps.