Miles Libellula (M.39B) Aircraft

Production Details

Design Company:

Miles Aircraft Ltd

First Flight:

22 July 1943

M.39B Libellula:

1 - Miles Aircraft Ltd, Woodley

Type Specification

Applies to:

Miles M.39B Libellula

Type:

Experimental aircraft to Miles own specification

Wing:

Tandem wing design. Forward wing mounted on bottom of fuselage level with cockpit. Wing tapers towards the tip and is fitted with flaps and elevators. Rear wing is swept and mounted high at rear of fuselage and is fitted with flaps and ailerons.

Fuselage:

Tapering oval section wooden fuselage

Tail Unit:

No tailplane, fins and rudders mounted at tips of rear wing with additional fin on rear of fuselage

Landing Gear:

Retractable tricycle, nose wheel retracts into fuselage, main wheels retract into engine nacelles

Power Plant:

Two 140 hp de Havilland Gipsy Major IC engines mounted on rear wing

Accommodation:

Single seat for pilot in enclosed cockpit in nose

Span:

37 ft 6 in

Length:

22 ft 2 in

Height:

9 ft 3 in

Wing Area:

249 sq ft

Tare:

2,405 lb

All-up:

2,800 lb

Max Speed:

164 mph

Rate of Climb:

1,100 ft/min

Preserved in British Museums

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