Miles M.52: Gateway to Supersonic Flight

The only personal account of the development of the M.52 and the mystery behind its cancellation.

In December 1943, a top secret contract (E.24/43) was awarded to Miles Aircraft. The contract was to build the world's first supersonic jet capable of 1000mph.

The only reliable source of data on supersonic objects came from the Armament Research Dept and their wind tunnel tests on ammunition. From this, Miles developed an exceptionally thin-winged, bullet-shaped aircraft. the research was inexplicably passed to the Americans in 1944. By December 1945, one prototype was virtually complete. The second, destined for an attempt at the sound barrier was 80 per cent complete. In February 1946, Capt Eric Brown was confirmed as the test pilot and October 1946 was set for the supersonic trials.

However, on 12 February 1946, Miles were ordered to stop production. No plausible explanation was given for the cancellation when Britain was within six months of breaking the sound barrier. Eric Brown and others directly involved including Dennis Bancroft, the Chief Aerodynamicist on the M.52, have now come together to try and finally solve the mystery behind the cancellation.

Author: Captain Eric Brown, Dennis Bancroft
Publisher: History Press
Published: 07/18/2023
Pages: 224
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.14lbs
Size: 8.87h x 6.60w x 0.69d
ISBN13: 9781803991672
ISBN10: 1803991674
BISAC Categories:
- Transportation | Aviation | History
- History | Military | Aviation & Space
- History | Europe | Great Britain | 20th Century

About the Author
Captain Eric Brown, CBE, DSC, AFC, QCUSA, RN, was a former Royal Navy officer and test pilot who is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as holding the record for flying the greatest number of different aircraft.

Dennis Bancroft, C.Eng, MRAeS, was the Miles chief aerodynamicist.