Miles M57 Aerovan

Hi, I can remember the Aerovan at Stapleford which was stored in the top hanger. G-AMYC AND G-AMYA were both stored there, the wings were hung on the walls of the hanger and the rest pushed into the back right-hand corner. Can’t remember the Tawney Owl though.

Yes, the one-piece wooden wing is great for strength, but worthless for economical repairs (although from an engineering point of view the repairs are usually pretty basic stuff, just very timeconsuming). Also one of the reasons why Fokker’s pre-war designs went out of date very fast. Any wing damage was very labour intensive to repair, and with the out-of-date Aerovans it was just not worthwhile either I would think. Would you happen to know if they were old school wooden spar and ply, or the fancier monocoque sandwich skin wing with stringers? Just interested…

Hi eric -Yes I can see that, but from other Aerovans that tipped on a wing, it usually caused internal damage causing them to be scrapped. anyway – since it was already WFU, we’ll never know. I do remember the guy bringing it to Southend & meeting OJM.

The Aerovan had a one piece wing so, I feel, lightly damaged was a little optimistic.

The way the wings have come off is not storm damage. They have been cut off.

Peter Amos will cover this properly in the forthcoming Vol.3 of his Miles history.

So: it’s early 1944: let us put ourselves in the shoes of Blossom, George and Fred. Brabazon has declined various exotic blended-wing X-craft; Monitor TT is quaint, but no basis for business after the present unpleasantness. Nor was M.52: all those conspiracies…but it was an experiment, FTB. No market – we were fighting the War to end all Wars. Messenger coming along, nicely. What else to try…all these big fellas – bomberists etc – will go for Civil Air Transport.

They came up with a Jeep/Land Rover. Well, the UK auto version has just gone out of production – Now! 2016! So: good idea.

Nice little production run, 1947, despite feeble power – Cirrus/Gipsy Major. Clearly needed a stretch and a Lycoming (1 Aerovan 6 did fly). But…8/47 UK went bankrupt…or to be precise: suspended £ convertibility, blocking UK industry’s access to…Lycomings or anything bought for $. BOAC must make a Case for each Connie, Stratocruiser, displaying that it would self-finance its $. No £ customers for $ engines. Oh, and the Miles family got into business problems, (which may not have been Aero-related – wait for Amos), leading to liquidation, 19/11/47.

Sir Fred HP enjoyed taking over Woodley and other assets (he had fallen out with Geo. and Fred. in 1940, when appointed by Minister Beaverbrook to organise acceleration of all Trainers’ output) but had no interest in using the production resources for anything except chunks of bigger things from Cricklewood.

If…none of the above had occurred, G.H might still have put a Hurel Dubois wing on an Aerovan, then sketched HDM.106…for 1950s’ production at Woodley. Not sold to become Short SC.7 Skyvan, 1963.

(I don’t know of any subsidy by Stafford Cripps at MAP to Launch Aerovan. At Board of Trade, 1946/47, Cripps did subsidise the Launch of Land Rover).

The Aerovan had a one piece wing so, I feel, lightly damaged was a little optimistic.

And more pics and a great story (Google translate) on its operation as an aerial advertiser here: http://oud16hoven.nl/vliegtuigtypes/miles-aerovan

Let’s dispel a few myths
…
PH-EAB was wrecked by a storm in Holland early 62

Indeed. EAB had been stored at Rotterdam-Zestienhoven for some time when it was relatively lightly damaged in a storm 13Nov1961. It was cancelled 5Jul1962 as ‘sold to foreign owner for parting out’. After spares recovery it served for a number of years as an eyecatcher along the Gouda-Rotterdam highway before being broken up.

Pictures of the damage here: http://hdekker.info/Nieuwe%20map/1961.htm

Aerovan in the 1957 film ‘The Hostage’

Here are some screen grabs from the above film,obviously shot at the old Ramsgate Airport (not Manston) with its very distinctive terminal/tower – which was criminally demolished ….

The other aircraft probably operated by Air Kruise who were based there at the time….

Sorry
ZK-AWW became the Caravan
and yes OO-ERY was of course at Chivenor but I missed out the word Regn – it was not restored to UK Register.

Let’s dispel a few myths
…
ZK-AWU pod became a caravan(somewhat better than G-AGOZ)
…

ZK-AWU was a Taylorcraft Auster 5

[QUOTE=RPSmith;1307288]

…….my first visit to Stapleford in February 1967 – remember that trip in an old maroon “Dormobile” Roger? ….QUOTE]
Not this Roger Gordon? We didn’t meet until mid-1967. 🙂

Roger Smith

Passage of time mate! Ah … The Sky Blue Inn one fateful evening! … Jim T would remember the trip!

[QUOTE=G-ORDY;1307239]…….my first visit to Stapleford in February 1967 – remember that trip in an old maroon “Dormobile” Roger? ….QUOTE]
Not this Roger Gordon? We didn’t meet until mid-1967. 🙂

Roger Smith

Let’s dispel a few myths
G-AMYC Pod & boom was stored in LcMarmol hangar on Stapleford western boundary(clearly visible) until burnt 26Nov68.

I remember it there – covered in dust – on my first visit to Stapleford in February 1967 – remember that trip in an old maroon “Dormobile” Roger? What was the i/d of the Airspeed Horsa fuselage & cockpit in external store at that time and where did they end up?

Funny to think I learned to fly there ten years later. 🙂

The reason OO-ERY is on the fin is because it was never restored to G-AJOG. It was burnt by the owners because the ARB could offer no way forward

Barry Clay has ok’d for me to post his pic of G-AJOG/OO-ERY at Chivenor November, 1963 – the latter registration can just be discerned on the port fin/rudder.

Roger Smith.

. . . and presumably failed the tests.

I’m seem to remember about 20 yrs ago in Aeroplane Monthly, a photo of one standing on its nose crushed to the rear of the cockpit, after a “taxying” accident. Anybody?

I suspect that it was Aerovan V G-AISJ. The photo is at p.295 of ‘Miles Aircraft since 1925’ by Don Brown. Its truncation and demise was a result of a nosewheel collapse, during accelerate-stop tests, at Woodley on 15.07.47.

Indeed, as I said in post 10, Barry Clay’s photo (posted on his Forum) was taken in the blister hangar at Chivenor very soon before the axe fell Nov. ’63.

Roger Smith.

R’ford: (G-AJOG) OO-ERY never returned to UK I saw it 8/62, sad, u/s in lean-to open-end hangar other side of RAF Chivenor.

That ties in with my understanding. I believe that I have seen a photograph of it in that hangar but, as is so often the way, you can never find such things when you want them!