In our newsletter, the featured plane of the month contest was the Miles Gemini M.65.
The Miles M.65 Gemini was a British twin-engined four-seat touring aircraft designed and built by Miles Aircraft at Woodley Aerodrome. It was the last Miles aircraft to be produced in quantity.
Designed as a twin-engined retractable landing gear version of the earlier Miles Messenger the Gemini first flew on 26 October 1945. The Gemini was a low-wing cantilever monoplane of plastic-bonded plywood construction. It had twin vertical tail units. Originally powered by 90 hp (67,5 kW) Blackburn Cirrus Minor engine. The aircraft was put into large scale production straight away and 130 Geminis were sold in the first year. Later variants were fitted with different engines. One version was fitted with 155 hp (116 kW) Blackburn Cirrus Major III engines and was re-designated the Miles M.75 Aries. After the collapse of Miles Aircraft in 1947 eight aircraft had not been completed and they were assembled by Handley Page (Reading) Limited at Woodley (two in 1950), Wolverhampton Aviation at Wolverhampton Aerodrome (five in 1951), and F. G. Miles Limited at Redhill Aerodrome (one). The aircraft was popular with private owners and in the late 1940s and early 1950s they were entered in many air races including the 1949 King’s Cup Air Race at 164.25 mph.
Congrats to Don Aitken for getting it right and winning the contest at the Monday Night Club Meeting!
