Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Four-seat light twin-engine cabin monoplane

Power Plant:

Two 75 kw (100 hp) Blackburn Cirrus Minor 2 four-cylinder in-line air-cooled engines

Specifications:

History:

The Miles Gemini was the last aircraft to be built in quantity by the famous Miles Aircraft Ltd at Woodley, UK. It was designed as a successor to the Falcon / Messenger series of aircraft, but incorporated twin-engine reliability, and accommodation for four persons. The prototype of the series (G-AGUS – c/n 4701) was flown for the first time by G H Miles on 26 October 1945, fitted with a temporary fixed undercarriage in order to expedite flight testing. Production immediately commenced, with the first series of aircraft built being known as the Gemini Mk 1A.

A number of variants were built, including the Gemini 2, 3, 3A, 3B, 3C, 7, 8, and the Aries. A variety of engines was installed, mainly the Gipsy Major or the Blackburn Cirrus, although one was fitted with the 93 kw (125 hp) Continental O-290-3/1 engine. When production of the type ceased in 1950, a total of about 150 examples had been produced. The type was known for its good performance and examples were entered in a number of air races in the United Kingdom in the 1950s, including the Kemsley Trophy, the Air League Challenge Cup. In 1949 in the King’s Cup G-AKDC (c/n 6496 – ex U-23, G-21-2) won at a speed of 264.32 km/h (164.25 mph), this aircraft being fitted with Gipsy Major 10 engines. Many were operated by large companies of the time, including Flight magazine, Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Co Ltd, and Shell Oil, which had one for use by Sir Douglas Bader.

In all ten Gemini 1As were registered in Australia. These aircraft, with the registrations they carried, were: VH-AAS/-BJP/-BDC (c/n 6326 – ex G-AISO), which crashed on 21 June 1962 at Albany, WA; VH-BJZ (c/n 6453 – ex G-AUKJ) withdrawn from service in March 196; VH-ALP (c/n 6473 – ex VR-SDC, G-G-AKEH) retired due to DCA policy in March 1963; VH-ALJ (c/n 6467 – ex G-AJZL) retired in March 1963; VH-BLN (c/n 6468 – ex G-AJZM) withdrawn from service in March 1963; VH-BTP/-GBB (c/n 6486 – ex G-AKEN); VH-AKV (c/n 6497) withdrawn from use in March 1963; VH-BMW (c/n 6504 – ex G-AKGB) retired in March 1963; and VH-BMT (c/n 6521 – ex G-AKHT), built as a Mk 1A, later converted to Mk 3A configuration, and also retired in March 1963. VH-BMV/-WEJ/-WEK/-BOB (c/n 6522 – ex G-AKHU) retired in March 1963.

This latter Gemini operated by W E James of Bankstown, NSW (c/n 6522) was at one stage fitted with Lycoming engines. With the exception of the aircraft which were lost in accidents, all the others were withdrawn from service on 31 December 1963 due to the Department of Civil Aviation’s policy regarding the use of glues in wooden wings at the time of manufacture, and most were scrapped.

A few are known to have been placed in storage. VH-GBB, VH-BOB and VH-BJZ were obtained by a collector in Western Australia and it was expected one and perhaps two would be restored to airworthiness using parts from the third. In the event this did not occur and eventually the collection of Gemini parts was exported to the United Kingdom to help keep a couple of examples flying there.

Five Gemini 1As were imported to New Zealand: ZK-ANT (c/n 6322) was imported for the Wellington Aero Club and was first registered on 31 July 1947. Ownership was changed to Mr A B Baker who operated it for a period until it was retired in 1964 and donated to the Museum of Transport & Technology in Auckland where it was placed on display. ZK-ANU (c/n 6471) was first registered on 15 December 1947 and was operated by the Ministry of Works. It was destroyed in a crash near Bankside on 29 March 1951 on a flight from Ashburton.

ZK-AQO (c/n 6472) was registered to the National Airways Corp on 16 December 1947 and operated until withdrawn from use at Timaru on 11 May 1967. It is believed to have been destroyed by fire. ZK-AUA (c/n 6300 – ex G-AKDL) was first registered on 24 July 1950 and is recorded as having been written off in June 1956 at Whangerei. The registration ZK-KHW was reserved for an aircraft imported from the United Kingdom (c/n 6524 – ex G-AKHW) but the aircraft was placed in storage at North Shore Aerodrome and the registration was not taken up.

In 2013 a further Gemini was imported to Australia. This Gemini 1A G-AISD (c/n 6285) was first flown on 27 March 1947. It left on 3 April 1947 for Nairobi in Kenya in the hands of Supermarine Spitfire test pilot Alex Henshaw, flying via Marseilles, Tunis, Castel Benito, El Adem, Almaza, Wadi Halfa, Atbara, Khartoum, Juba and Entebbe, arriving in Nairobi on 9 April. After demonstration flights it was flown to Dar es Salaam for further demonstrations, then on to Lusaka. It was purchased by Noon & Pearce Air Charter in Kenya and became VP-KDH, becoming one of six examples operated by that company. It made a wheels-up landing in 1952 and was shipped to the manufacturer, F G Miles Ltd at Redhill, UK for repairs. It then became OO-PRD to a new owner in Florennes, Belgium until placed in storage in November 1968. It was rebuilt in the United Kingdom at Exeter and flew again in 1987. It then became SE-BMG to a new owner based at Hatunaholm in Sweden having 2,329 hrs on the airframe before being shipped to Australia where, after some restoration work, it became VH-BMN being based in Melbourne.