The Miles M.11 Whitney Straight was a 1930s twin-seat cabin monoplane designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Miles Aircraft. It was named after Whitney Straight, a Grand Prix motor racing driver, aviator and businessman. The aircraft was the first to combine a side-by-side seating arrangement with an enclosed cockpit for the general aviation sector. The Whitney Straight was developed after F.G. Miles and Straight recognised that they had similar ambitions to develop modern aircraft suited to flying clubs and private owners alike, and thus decided to collaborate on its production. On 14 May 1936, the first prototype conducted its maiden flight at Woodley Aerodrome; quantity production commenced shortly thereafter. Whitney Straights were used in various roles within the civil market, such as air racing and aerial topdressing. Approaches were also made by Miles to introduce the Whitney Straight into the military market. While not selected as an army cooperation aircraft for the British Army in the pre-war years, numerous civil aircraft were impressed into military service during the Second World War, the type being largely operated as a communications aircraft. While production ended in 1937, several Whitney Straights remained in an airworthy condition into the twenty first century. A total of 50 aircraft were built. The Miles M.11 Whitney Straight was a twin-seat monoplane specifically built for use by flying clubs and private owners. Its construction was primarily composed of wood, including spruce frames and three-ply birch covering. The Whitney Straight featured a fixed main undercarriage complete with aerodynamic fairings, along with a fixed tailwheel. Relatively comfortable accommodation for its pilot, a single passenger and their luggage, was provided within an enclosed 'side-by-side' cockpit. The cockpit was covered by a single-piece canopy comprising molded Perspex. The wings of the Whitney Straight were relatively thick for the era; considerable effort had been put into their design to carefully define their drag properties. The wings were fitted with vacuum-operated split flaps; these were attributed as having enabled the type's relatively low takeoff speed of 50 mph, as well as the aircraft's high rate of climb. An alternative flap arrangement, that was noticeably more efficient and produced less drag while increasing lift coefficient, was experimented with during the later years of the prototype's flying career; it directly influenced the design of several subsequent aircraft. For more details of development, design and operational history, click here. Variants M.11 M.11B the sole M.11B was powered by a 135 hp (101 kW) Amherst Villiers Maya I engine, adding 10 mph (9 kn; 16 km/h) to its maximum speed and 200 ft/min (1.0 m/s) to its rate of climb. M.11C the sole M.11C was powered by a 145 hp (108 kW) de Havilland Gipsy Major II engine driving a variable-pitch propeller.
