Southern Martlet
Southern Aircraft · United Kingdom · first flew 1929 · light aircraft
The Southern Martlet was a single-engined, single-seat biplane sports aircraft. Six were built, including the rather different and unsuccessful Metal Martlet.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 6.17 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Single-bay staggered tractor biplane
- Fixed two-wheel main undercarriage with a tailskid, using oleo and coil-spring shock absorbers
- Single seat, with uncowled five-cylinder radial engines in most production aircraft
The prototype had an 85 hp A.B.C. Hornet air-cooled flat-four engine. The Metal Martlet had little in common with the Martlet, and only one was completed.
Specifications
- The Southern Martlet has a length of 6.17 m (20 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 7.62 m (25 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 182 km/h (113 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was the first aircraft designed by the teams led by Frederick George Miles of Southern Aircraft at Shoreham, and was a modified Avro Baby with a different tail unit, undercarriage and engine. The prototype G-AAII made its first public appearance on 30 August 1929 at Hanworth and proved a very manoeuvrable sports machine.
Variants
Five production aircraft were built at Shoreham, differing chiefly in engine choice. Three had the 80 hp Armstrong Siddeley Genet II, one a 100 hp Genet Major, and one had at different times a de Havilland Gipsy I or II.
Where you'll see it
The Martlets were not very successful as racers but served private owners as aerobatic mounts. G-AAYX, with the Genet Major, survived the war, was used by F. G. Miles as a personal mount, and returned to flight in September 2000 with the Shuttleworth Collection.
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