Miles Magister (oz7965)

About this Plan

Miles M14A Magister. Radio control scale model WWII trainer.

Quote: "From England, Dave Platt's award winning Miles M14A Magister is an able competitor in R/C scale circles.

ONE of the surest things to happen to any RC'er is that, sooner or later, the bug to make a scale model will bite. With a great many flyers it never gets past this point due to the work involved and the slice taken out of the season's building time. This particularly applies if the model will be an original design as well, Nevertheless it's an undeniable fact that ALL modellers love to see a good scale ship fly, and even those with no time to build one are quick to stand and watch. The following remarks are applied to Multi Channel Scale models and will not necessarily hold good for single channel.

Just so we are on common ground as to the understanding of these terms we'll explain that, although any number of channels over two could be called multi, when we say Multi-Channel we mean at least 10 channels of reeds or 4 channels proportional. Similarly when we say Scale, we mean just that - not semi-scale with a tilt at one plane in particular.

Those who build scale models all have their own way of choosing a subject to model. This is how we work:

First and foremost we are making a FLYING scale model and we need a subject to have good suitability in an aerodynamic sense. For example, we set a lower limit of 15% of the wing area for the horizontal tail surfaces. Lower than this we reject on stability grounds and look at other aircraft. Bearing in mind our previous remarks about scale, we don't alter the areas to suit.

The difficult problem of undercarriages comes in here. If the subject has a retracting gear so should the model. If this is impractical the design is rejected. Fixed-gear aircraft are obviously easier and conform to our principles. Balance is another number one consideration. Many exciting airplanes are difficult or impossible in this respect. The Sopwith Camel springs to mind. To get the CG in the right place with so short a nose would be a miracle without 3 lbs of lead in the cowl.

Next, we need to consider the availability of good accurate information on the subject. A good scale drawing, several photos, and details of construction and cockpit detail will be needed. Without them we cannot make a start. A bit of patient hunting through authoritative books could be necessary. Museums may assist. A letter to the manufacturer screaming for help is often well worth a postage stamp.

Another consideration is the 'appeal' factor of the subject. We all have our favorites among full size airplanes. Some fellows go for jazzy-colored subjects, others for struts and rigging wires. Some for military planes of the wars, others for pretty home-builts. A Curtiss P40 or a Stitt's Playboy? The choice is all yours and there are thousands upon thousands to look at.

We chose the Magister for many good reasons. It has fixed gear. The layout of the plane is perfect for a flyer, with ample wing area and a generous tail moment. The tail area is quite adequate and the nose length gives a correct CG automatically. The UC is well placed in a useful forward position. It would be hard indeed to find a feature of the Magister which could be put in the 'Disadvantage' side of the scales. While we're about listing the virtues we nearly forgot the totally enclosed motor in a deep cowling, a big help in the UK where we have to use mufflers (You, too, in US soon?)

The full size machine has a span of 33 ft 10 in. Scale chosen was 2in=1ft or 1/6 full size. This gives a span of nearly 68 in and an area of 726 square inches.

In many ways the Miles M14A Magister could be called the British equivalent of the PT19. It was an attractive two place inline ab initio trainer of all-wood construction. Provision was made for instruction in blind flying in the shape of a pull-over hood for the rear cockpit. Designed a few years before WW II the Magister taught thousands of pilots to fly during the entire period of the war. It was also a delightful machine to fly, and after the war the surplus aircraft found ready sales on the civil market, going to flying clubs and schools. It will be seen that a great variety of paint schemes can be used to personal preference. The one we chose is the military scheme used on the war-time aircraft, as follows..."

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, text and pics, thanks to hlsat, JHatton.

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