Book description
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.
Captain Eric Brown was born in Edinburgh and educated at Edinburgh
University, where he undertook an Honours Degree in Modern Languages.
From Edinburgh University Air Squadron, he joined the Royal Navy in 1939
as a Fleet Air Arm pilot. After operating as a fighter pilot in
protection of Atlantic convoys, he was assigned to test flying duties in
1942, and in 1944, was made Chief Naval Test Pilot at RAE Farnborough
where he commanded the High Speed Flight and prestigious Aerodynamics
Flight. Awarded CBE, OBE, MBE, DSC, AFC, QCVSA.
