WesWorld

Quoted

half a pint of free milk daily provided to all pupils under the age of 18 in state schools across the United Kingdom

That's generous. In OTL it was only a third of a pint.

I can remember in winter the bottles being frozen solid when they were taken in from outside and then put on radiators to thaw them out. The warm milk tasted vile, and was probably at the optimum temperature to encourage the breeding of bacteria. Ah, Schooldays, the happiest days of your life.

1 September

The Daily Mirror
Over Hampshire the clear skies were briefly shattered by a loud bang. Some concerned locals telephoned the police but no accidents were reported.
The cause however was a phenomenon of physics.
Lieutenant Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown on the first official record-breaking high-speed run had successfully taken the tubby-razor like Miles M.52 aircraft past Mach One, the speed of sound. The Miles M.52 is the first aircraft ever to achieve "supersonic" speeds. Post-flight analysis of the instrumentation data indicated the speed had been Mach 1.02. Brown did report some pitch trimming issues will need to be solved before further flights are undertaken.
One can only dream of the new era of aviation this may open, faster and higher airliners connecting the global and a means to defeat the bomber menace? We can only wonder and watch and wish the very best of British luck to Lieutenant Brown.

10 September
On the Metropolitan Line of the London Underground, electrification of the overland line from Chesham north to Aylesbury has been completed and the line officially went into operation today with new rolling stock.

12 September
The opening day of the Britain Can Make It exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The exhibition, promoted by the Council of Industrial Design and the Board of Trade to show off good domestic and industrial design, will run until 31 October. This is a national exhibition of design in all the main range of consumer goods British manufacturers are producing for home and export markets. The first press reviews have termed the exhibition "Britain Can Have It" in response to growing consumer purchases.

16 September
The BBC Light Programme introduces a new radio quiz show ‘Have a Go!’ hosted by Wilfred Pickles.

Society of British Aircraft Constructors SBAC Show, Farnborough

Britain’s aviation companies displayed their latest aircraft and equipment at this annual event held by the Society of British Aircraft Constructors.

The Hawker Siddeley stands again dominated Farnborough week. Pride of place for Hawker was the prototype P.1040 jet-fighter, VP401, which only flew for the first time on 2 September 1946 at Boscombe Down under the control of Hawker’s Chief Test Pilot Bill Humble. This sleek fighter is powered by the new Rolls-Royce RB.41 Nene and is being developed as the Fleet Air Arm’s first purpose-built jet-powered fighter. Two further prototypes will fly next year. Hawker also had all three Hawker P.1030 Cyclone prototype fighters on display, one of which flew each day of the event. Designed to meet Spec F.4/43 for an advanced day fighter, the P.1030 is an enlarged Tempest using the 24-cylinder 3,500hp Rolls-Royce Eagle piston engine. The Cyclone will enter frontline service with the RAF by next summer. Also on display was a production Hawker Tempest TT.Mk.IV target-tug converted by Armstrong Whitworth with a Malcolm G type winch under the port wing. These fast target tugs entered RAF service earlier this year. A production Hawker Sea Fury T.Mk.II trainer was also flown on the trade days.


Gloster’s stand was an all-jet affair with several Meteors on display and flying, including a full squadron flypast on the public days. Several Meteor F.Mk.III fighters were shown, one painted in half Argentine and half Belgian colours to show the two first export nations to buy the type. Also flown were new Meteor F.Mk.IV fighters with reduced wingspan and 3,500lb Derwent V engines which recently entered RAF service. The prototype two-seat Trainer private-venture was also shown as were the first four G.45 Sea Meteor FSN.Mk.VI carrier-borne propeller-turbine powered fighter-bombers. These were ceremoniously handed over to the Fleet Air Arm during the week.


Avro displayed the prototype Avro 696 Shackleton long-ranged maritime patrol aircraft. VW126 has been flying since March and it few on three days this week. A full scale model of the propeller-turbine-powered 701 Athena trainer was also on display. Also shown were several Lancaster bombers, two engine test-beds featuring jet-engines and a modified Lancaster fitted with Flight Refuelling Limited air-to-air refuelling receiver equipment to enable it to receive fuel while airborne was also on display. These conversions are now being undertaken for the RAF. Civil aircraft included an Avro 700 Ashton, an Avro 711 Tudor III and two production Avro 711A Traders for Airwork Limited.
Saro has acquired the responsibility of Weir’s rotary-winged aircraft research programmes. The world’s largest helicopter, the Weir W.11 Air Horse powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin with three rotors flew several times and drew much interest. Weir showed proposals for cargo carrying and crop-spraying variants. Also displayed was a mock-up of the W.14 two-seat helicopter which should fly next month. Saro displayed a mock-up cabin section for their giant transcontinental 220-seat SR.45 Princess flying boat which should fly next year.


The members of BCAC, Bristol, Vickers and Westland, shared a large display area with a multitude of aircraft on show.
The prototype Spiteful F.Mk.III fighter with a 2,500hp Rolls-Royce Griffon V V-12 engine fitted with contra-rotating propellers was shown, this model is now entering production. Two Sea Fang FN.Mk.I naval fighters fresh off the production line were also present. These fighters were overshadowed however by the appearance of the prototype Type 497 Westminster ‘Giant Bomber’, SR650. Living up to its name, this innovative canard-wing design has a span of 210 feet and is designed to fly 2,500 miles with a 15 ton bomb load. It is powered by six 5,000hp Bristol Twin Centaurus radial engines, the middle nacelles also housing twin 20mm cannon remote-control barbettes. The first prototype made its maiden flight on 14 June and the first of a hundred production aircraft should enter service in 1948. It made one public flight. Two Type 447 Windsor heavy bombers were also alongside and flown at the event. The prototype Type 381 Seagull single-engined amphibious flying boat was aso flown alongside the Type 607 Valetta military transport variant of the VC.1 Viking. A BEA VC.1 Viking was also shown but not flown. The Type 178 Argus maritime patrol aircraft based on the Britannia airliner and developed for Australia, was also displayed.
Civil aircraft comprised two Type 170 Freighters and the prototype Type 167 Britannia Series 200, G-AGPW, which just missed last year’s show. Powered by four 5,000hp Bristol Twin Centaurus radial engines, this aircraft has a range of 4,828 miles and can carry up to 90 passengers. Also attending was the Type 618 Nene-Viking, a conversion of a Viking airliner with two Rolls-Royce Nene I turbojets for a research programme into civil jet-powered airliners. The aircraft set a new record between London Airport and Villacoublay, Paris of 34min 7sec at a mean speed of 384mph in July.


The Airco companies had a complete range of aircraft too, but were behind BCAC’s diverse offerings this year. The de Havilland stand had numerous types on show. Four D.H.100 Vampire Vampire F.Mk.I fighters flew several aerobatic displays during the week. The prototype Vampire F.Mk.III with more fuel in extended wing tanks was on display, it should enter RAF use next year. Making a stir were two prototypes of the swept-wing tailless D.H.108 Swallow based on the Vampire. Both these research aircraft flew briefly during the week. Four Hornet FR.Mk.III fighter-reconnaissance aircraft made a flypast appearance. A standard Hornet F.Mk.I on loan from the RAF was displayed both statically and flown several times. Civil types included a production DH.97 Ambassador, four D.H.104 Dove twin-engined aircraft and two early production D.H.114 Heron four-engine feederliners.


Fairey displayed two Fox II light bombers and the Spearfish Clyde testbed powered by Rolls-Royce’s new powerful RB.39 Clyde I propeller-turbine.
Handley Page had a commercial H.P.70 Halton aerial tanker operated by Flight Refuelling Ltd. on hand to demonstrate the refuelling process to the crowds on the public day and twice to military and airline visitors during the show. It refuelled an Avro Lancaster, also operated by Flight Refuelling Ltd. Also on show were a H.P.89 Hastings C.Mk.II based on the stretched H.P.74 Hermes II airliner with the addition of a ventral door which opens as ramp for easier loading from truck beds. A H.P.74 Hermes II also flew several displays. A world-beating design represented in scale model form, was the propeller-turbine powered H.P.77 34-seat airliner developed to meet a BEA requirement. The prototype should fly within the next few months, powered by two 2,200hp Bristol Theseus II propeller-turbines. The most advanced aircraft on the stand was the H.P.77 Hampton propeller-turbine powered airliner. First flown November 1945, this prototype is now powered by improved 2,500shp Bristol Theseus III engines. It can seat 24-34 passengers.

Auster displayed their new A.2/43 light spotter aircraft developed to meet the needs of the RAF. Other new types included the J-1B Aiglet, a further improved Autocrat for the agricultural role with three seats and a DH Gipsy engine, and the four-seat Auster J-5 Autocar.

Blackburn had on display, and flew, two production B.48 Firecrest naval strike-fighters.
Cunliffe-Owen’s private-venture Concordia feederliner was present and made two flights at the show. The General Aviation (UK) Ltd. Aerocar twin-boom light aircraft, designed for need of the airline Portsmouth, Southsea & Isle of Wight Aviation, was also flown several times.

Miles Aircraft had several new types on display. The most exotic was a full-scale model of the M.52 which had only just broken the sound barrier. A M.60 Marathon airliner in BEA colours was flown and other types included; the Miles M.57 Aerovan, a small cargo carrying aircraft of the pod and boom configuration, the similar M.68 Boxcar designed to carry a removable transport container, M.71 Merchantman based on the M.60 with clamshell loading doors for cargo.


Percival had four Prentice T.Mk.I trainers on display and all were flown as an aerobatic display. The P.48 Merganser 5-seat feederliner was also on display as was the larger 8-seat P.50 Prince.
A Shorts Sunderland MR.Mk.V of the RAF made three flying visits to Farnborough this year followed by a production S.35 S-Class transoceanic flying boat operated by BOAC.

Flight
Following another successful Farnborough news of two concurrent jet sales tours has been released.
Gloster is about to embark on a sales tour of Eastern and Central Europe with its two bright-red prototypes, Meteor F.Mk.IV G-AIDC and its two-seat trainer G-AKPK. Gloster feels it has the marketing edge in having the only purpose-built jet conversion trainer in the world.
The plan is to fly both aircraft, with a brand-new Avro 711A Trader cargo aircraft charted from Airwork Ltd., to the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia (where a new jet-fighter requirement has been released), Greece, Romania, Poland and then home. At each stage of the tour local pilots will have the chance to fly in the Meteors and a technical team from Gloster and Rolls-Royce will be on hand.



Not to be left behind, de Havilland is sending two production Vampire F.Mk.I fighters, on loan from the RAF, on a sales tour stopping at Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Greece and Egypt before heading to the Sudan for two weeks of tropical trials.
de Havilland envision sending a D.H.114 Heron as a support aircraft.

In other aviation news this week, it has been announced by BEA that they are going to create a 'Turbine Evaluation and Trials Unit' based at Croydon to evaluate the use of new propeller-turbine powered airliners in commercial service. The trials will be held over commercial routes carrying service payloads to determine efficiencies, operating costs and maintenance requirements. BEA announced an order for six Handley Page H.P.77 Hampton Series 2 aircraft to equip the unit, with deliveries likely to begin trials early next year.

Quoted from "Hood"

Gloster feels it has the marketing edge in having the only purpose-built jet conversion trainer in the world.

While Gloster may confidently assert this, it is really quite far from the truth. France built almost a hundred dual seat / dual control versions of the Arsenal VG.640 Graoully (the VG.640T or VG.640 Biplace) for use as jet conversion trainers. (The entire VG.640 run, for that matter, is pretty much being used by the Armee de l'Aire in jet conversion roles.) There's also the upcoming MS.660 Aquilon, which has a dedicated two-seat trainer variant.

Missed that, oh well Gloster can add small print *In Britain.

Depending on negotiations and interest, Gloster might reveal its new product being developed to Argentine specifications, a single-engine fighter with a 1,000 mile range. [OOC knowledge only at this time, this is the OTL CXP-1000 but built by FMA for Argentina rather than Nationalist China]

27 September
In a tragic crash today, de Havilland chief test pilot Geoffrey de Havilland Jnr was killed when his experimental D.H.108 Swallow jet-aircraft broke up in mid-flight over the Thames estuary at Egypt Bay, Gravesend, Kent. Search teams are now recovering the wreckage and investigators will begin work to determine what caused the structural failure. The aircraft, serial TG306, was first flown on 23 July this year.

1 October
Mensa, a society with members with high IQs, is founded in Oxford by Roland Berrill and Lancelot Ware.

2 October
A Ministry of Supply owned production facility has been opened at Risley, Lancashire. It is believed to be a new Royal Ordnance Factory.

4 October
The Coptic Museum in Cairo has accepted the ancient scrolls of the Nag Hammadi library into its permanent collection. Twelve complete manuscripts and eight pages of a thirteenth had been buried in a sealed jar in the 4th century AD and remained hidden until their discovery during an archaeological dig last December.

7 October
The BBC Light Programme transmits the first episodes of two new programmes, a daily radio magazine programme ‘Woman's Hour’, presented by Alan Ivimey and of the daily adventure serial ‘Dick Barton - Special Agent’. The serial follows the adventures of Captain Richard Barton MC (played by Noel Johnson) who, with his mates Jock Anderson (Alex McCrindle) and Snowy White (John Mann) solve all sorts of crimes, escape from dangerous situations and save the nation from disaster.
The first story aired today is 'Dick Barton and the Secret Weapon'.

9 October
Skelmersdale in Lancashire has been officially designated a New Town. Its location lies on high-ground on the River Tawd, 6 miles to the west of Wigan, 13 miles to the northeast of Liverpool and 15 miles south-southwest of Preston. The first recorded use of the name Skelmersdale appears in the Domesday Book. The town will house overspill population from the north Merseyside conurbation.

Once again at Earl's Court Britain's car manufacturers displayed the latest and newest models which are currently on the market and new models which will appear in showrooms and garages next year.

Auto Carriers Ltd.
This small company is readying a new production model for next year, the AC 2 Litre.
The AC 2 Litre is an exclusive and stylish 2-door saloon and future plans see possible drophead coupé and tourer models to folow. The car's six cylinder 1991cc engine was first offered in the AC 16, back in 1922. However, the engine is now fed by 3 SU carburettors and has a power output of 74hp. The aluminium panelled body on a wood frame is fitted to a conventional steel chassis with rigid axles front and rear with semi elliptic leaf springs with, for the first time on an AC, hydraulic dampers. It has a hybrid braking system with hydraulic at the front and cable at the rear with 12in drums. The 2 door saloon has a top speed of 80 mph and can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 19.9 seconds. Fuel consumption is 23 miles per imperial gallon. The price is £1,277 including taxes.


Alvis
Alvis displayed the new TB 14 two-seat open-top sports car based on the running gear of the TA 14 saloon which went on sale earlier this year.The car can reach 80 mph and it has a price of £1,276.

Armstrong Siddeley Motors
Among the cars on display on the Armstrong Siddeley stand, there were details of an improved Lancaster saloon, Hurricane drophead coupe and Typhoon coupe with the engine upgraded to 2309cc and 75hp by increasing the cylinder bore from 65 to 70 mm. All three models fitted with the new engine will go on sale next year.

A brand new model for 1947 will be the Armstrong Siddeley Whitley large sports saloon. Based on the Lancaster, Hurricane, Typhoon series, the Whitley will be the last of the range to enter production. The Whitley uses the new 2309cc 75hp engine (with a tax rating of 18hp) coupled with a choice of synchromesh or pre-selector gearbox. The front suspension is independent using torsion bars while at the rear is a live axle and leaf springs. A Girling hydro-mechanical braking system is fitted with the front drums hydraulically operated while those at the rear are cable operated.


Austin Motor Company
The large Austin stand featured all the new models currently on sale. The small Austin 16, the Austin 28 limousine, the new A40 Devon, including the new Countryman estate version, and the A110 Sheerline luxury saloon. Austin has revealed plans to launch a limousine version of the A110 to replace the Austin 28 next year, and also a new 3995cc 125hp engine for the baseline A110 which will become the A125.


Daimler Motor Company Ltd.
Daimler revealed it is working on a new model, the Consort, which is an updated DB18. The updates include the integration of the firewall into the body, Girling-Bendix hydraulic front and rod operated rear braking system, head lights incorporating into the front guards, and providing a badge plate behind the front bumper with a more curved radiator grille. The engine is unchanged. It should go on slae early next year.


Ford Motor Company Ltd.
On display was the 1946 model Ford Anglia, a makeover of the previous model with some styling updates. The price is £309 including taxes.

Also on display was a prototype Ford Pilot, a large four-door saloon which will go on sale next August. It will be fitted with a 3622cc 90hp sidevalve V8 engine with single Solex carburettor. The gearbox will have three forward ratios and one reverse. The front brakes will be hydraulically-controlled with cable-operated rear brakes. An estate version is also planned. The car will be capable of 80 mph with a 0 to 60 mph time of 21 seconds and 18 miles per imperial gallon fuel consumption.


Frazer Nash
Their main display this year was the new Fast Tourer full width body variant of the High Speed with identical engine and transmission.


Donald Healey Motor Company Ltd.
The young Healey company had two new models this year currently on sale.
The Healey Westland Roadster is a two-seat sports car powered by a 2443 cc Riley 4 cylinder engine.

The Healey Elliott is a saloon introduced in 1946 powered by a 2443 cc Riley 4 cylinder engine. When it was introduced the Elliott saloon was claimed to be the fastest production closed-body car in the world and was timed at 104.7 mph over a mile. The body was tested in a wind tunnel to refine its aerodynamics.


Humber
Humber's new Super Snipe Mk II drew crowds this year. The Mark II body is updated with headlights fitted into the wings and running-boards re-introduced. Transverse-spring independent suspension continues to be used. A drophead coupé made by Tickford will appear in 1947.


Morris Motor Company
Morris has launched a new car at the Earls Court Motor Show, London. The Morris Minor is billed as an 'economy car'. It was designed under the leadership of Alec Issigonis. Initially available as a 2-door saloon and tourer (convertible), the range will be subsequently expanded to include a 4-door saloon and a wood-framed estate (the Traveller), panel van and pick-up truck variants. Alec Issigonis' concept was to combine the luxury and convenience of a good motor car at a price affordable by the working classes. The Minor is a roomy vehicle with superior cornering and handling characteristics. The front torsion bar suspension is shared with the larger Morris Oxford, as is the almost-unibody construction. The engine is a 918 cc side-valve straight-4 producing 27.5hp for a top speed of 64 mph and 40 miles per imperial gallon.


The new Oxford MO was also on show. It replaces the Ten Series. The design is shared with Nuffield Organisation stable-mate the Wolseley 4/50. Designed by Alec Issigonis, the Oxford, along with the Morris Minor, introduces unit construction techniques to Morris. Torsion bar front suspension is another novelty and hydraulically operated 8 inch drum brakes are fitted all around. It uses a side-valve straight-4 engine with a single SU-carburettor displacing 1.5 litre and with an output of 40.5hp. Top speed is 72 mph. The four-speed gearbox has a column gearchange and steering is by rack and pinion. The MO is sold as a 4-door saloon and a 2-door Traveller estate with exposed wood. The price is £805 including taxes.
Next year a new subsidiary, Nuffield Malaya Ltd., will begin licenced local assembly of the MO as the ML Series II without heater and with mould-resistant seat covers and interior roof linings for the Far Eastern market.
A commercial vehicle version of the Oxford MO is produced as a van, pickup, or chassis cab model. It uses some of the bodywork of the Oxford MO but with a chassis underneath. This is marketed as the Morris Cowley MCV.


Rover
Among the Rover cars on display the new Land Rover was making a stir, especially since reports have been coming back from Africa where it is now in use by several companies, and rumoured also in Ubangi Shari.


Triumph Motor Company Ltd.
The Triumph 1800 Town & Country Saloon is now on sale. It has a 1776cc, 65hp engine and the gearbox from the Standard Flying Fourteen. The chassis is fabricated from tubular steel and is a lengthened 108 inch Roadster chassis, the transverse leaf spring front suspension also coming from the Roadster. The cars are well fitted out with leather seats and a wooden dashboard. The price is £1,425 including tax.

The new Roadster was designed shortly before Triumph was bought by the Standard Motor Company and the Managing Director, Sir John Black, wanted a sports car to take on Jaguar. Frank Callaby was selected to style the new car. The body is built from aluminium and the chassis is hand welded with steel tube. The engine is based on a 1.5 Litre, four cylinder Standard design. A four speed gearbox with synchromesh on the top three ratios is used. The tubular steel chassis features transverse leaf sprung independent suspension at the front and a live axle with half elliptic springs at the rear. The brakes are hydraulic. Passenger accommodation is on a bench seat with the car's 64 inch width it can seat three. The car's unusual width also makes it necessary to fit three screen wipers in a row. Top speed is 75 mph and 0–60 mph takes 34.4 seconds.

Healey Westland and Humber Super Snipe images aren't showing.

Ta, fixed now.

26 October
Tonight saw the first performance of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, formed by Sir Thomas Beecham, at the Davis Theatre, Croydon. The conductor Sir Thomas Beecham had founded the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 1932. Beecham left to conduct in Australia in 1944 and on his return rejoined the orchestra but he was no longer its chief. He set about creating a new orchestra and under agreement with the Royal Philharmonic Society his new orchestra would replace the LPO at all the Society's concerts. He thus gained the right to name the new ensemble the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, an arrangement approved by the King. Press reviews have been highly favourable; the Times spoke of "a hall filled with golden tone which enveloped the listener".

1 November
Tonight saw the First Royal Command Performance at the Empire, Leicester Square for the premiere of the new Powell and Pressburger film A Matter of Life and Death starring David Niven. The performance was in aid of the Cinematograph Trade Benevolent Fund and £30,000 was raised.

4 November
Cwmbrân in Monmouthshire has been designated a New Town to provide new employment opportunities in the south eastern portion of the South Wales Coalfield. Cwmbrân means Crow Valley in Welsh and refers to a local stream named Y Brân (The Crow). The New Town will be based around the villages of Old Cwmbrân, Pontnewydd, Upper Cwmbrân, Croesyceiliog, Llantarnam and Llanyrafon.

10 November
Today the ornithologist, conservationist, painter and sportsman Peter Markham Scott opened the Slimbridge Wetland Reserve in Gloucestershire. This 120 acre site is open to the public and will help preserve many wetland species, including several wetland birds.

16 November
In an article in Flight, Miles Aircraft confirmed that their Miles M.52 has now achieved a speed of Mach 1.07 in its incremental build-up during recent trials.

17 November
Eight British Army servicemen are killed in Jerusalem by Jewish terrorists.

29 November
BBC Television premieres Pinwright's Progress, the world's first regular half-hour situation comedy. Pinwright's Progress is written by Rodney Hobson, produced and directed by John Glyn-Jones and the script editor is Ted Kavanagh, who also wrote the BBC radio comedy series It's That Man Again.

1 December
Nutts Corner officially opened today as Northern Ireland’s principal civil airport, replacing Belfast Harbour.

6 December
A pneumoconiosis research unit has been established at Llandough Hospital near Cardiff, in recognition of the damage being caused to miners' health.

8 December
Isma'il Sidqi has resigned as Prime Minister of Egypt following a failure during talks with Britain to acquire a guarantee that the Sudan would remain part of the territory administered from Cairo upon any full independence of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. He returned to power only with mandate to gain this concession. He has been succeeded by Mahmoud an-Nukrashi Pasha.

The Air Ministry began looking at the concept of a jet-powered research plane to reach supersonic speeds in early 1943. The contract, awarded to Miles Aircraft Ltd. in October 1943 under tight secrecy, was for an aeroplane capable of flying over 1,000 mph (1,600 km/h) in level flight. The specification was intended counter French research, being carried out by the Leduc ramjet-powered aircraft programme and to form the basis of the Royal Aircraft Establishment's own High Speed Programme. No existing jet-powered aircraft in Britain had the kind of aerodynamic features to enable a serious study to be undertaken. Their round noses, thick wings and hinged elevators, gave them critical Mach numbers well below the speed of sound, and were less suitable for research into high subsonic speeds (in dives). The Supermarine Spitfire with its thin elliptical wings proved to be about the best aircraft for these early tests. RAE tests with the Spitfire in 1943 had proved that drag was the main factor to be addressed in high speed aircraft.

A huge number of advanced features have been incorporated into the M.52 design calling on the RAE’s knowledge of supersonic aerodynamics. The design features a conical nose and sharp wing leading edges, as it was known that round-nosed projectiles could not be stabilised at supersonic speeds. The design uses very thin wings of biconvex section, proposed by Jakob Ackeret, for low drag. These wings are so thin that they are known to test pilots as 'Gillette' wings. The wingtips are clipped to keep them clear of the conical shock wave generated by the nose. The fuselage has the minimum cross-section possible around the engine with saddle fuel tanks over the engine. Another radical innovation is a power operated stabiliser, also known as the all-moving tail. Conventional control surfaces become ineffective at the high subsonic speeds due to the aerodynamic forces caused by the formation of shockwaves at the hinge and the rearward movement of the centre of pressure, which together can override the control forces applied mechanically by the pilot. The fuselage is cylindrical and constructed of high tensile steel with alloy covering. The pilot is housed in a small cockpit inside the shock cone in the nose, and in an emergency the entire nose can separated from the aircraft using explosive bolts. The M.52's design underwent many changes during development due to the uncertain nature of the task. The thin wing could be made thicker if required, or a section added to increase the span. As the project progressed an increase in total weight led to concerns that power would be insufficient and rocket assistance or extra fuel tanks were considered, as was high altitude air-launching from a bomber.

A Miles M.3B Falcon Six was fitted with a full size wooden model of the M.52 wing, test instrumentation and a new undercarriage. Owing to the wing's thinness and sharp leading and trailing edges, the aircraft was nicknamed the "Gillette Falcon". It was first flown on 11 August 1944. Compared with a standard Falcon Six, wing area was reduced by about 12%, but landing speed was increased by over 50% from 40 mph to 61 mph. For high speed testing, the flying tail was fitted to a Supermarine Spitfire F.Mk.IV. RAE test pilot Lt. Eric Brown tested this successfully during October and November 1944, attaining Mach 0.86 in a dive from high altitude. The flying tail was also fitted to the "Gillette Falcon", low speed tests being flown at Farnborough in April 1945.

The first prototype M.52, serial RT133, is powered by a 5,000lb Rolls-Royce RB.41 Nene II (the world's most powerful production turbojet) for transonic performance. It first flew on 18 March 1946. The aim of the initial programme was to achieve Mach 1.07 by the end of 1946. On 1 September over Hampshire Lt. Eric Brown successfully exceeded Mach One, the speed of sound, for the first time. Post-flight analysis indicated the speed had been Mach 1.02. Some trimming issues were evident and this slowed subsequent progress.

The second and third prototypes (serials RT134 and RT135) are supersonic variants incorporating a reheat jetpipe. Extra fuel is burned in the tailpipe to avoid overheating the turbine blades, making use of unused oxygen in the exhaust. To supply more air to the afterburner than could move through the engine, an augmentor fan powered by the engine is fitted behind the engine to draw air around the engine in ducts. The M.52 also has a shock cone in the nose to slow the incoming air to the subsonic speeds needed by the engine. At least six months of static testbed trials of the system was undertaken by the National Gas Turbine Establishment at Pyestock. The second prototype RT134 first flew on 4 June 1946 and flown by Brown achieved Mach 1.38 on 10 October 1946. The third prototype RT135 first flew on 24 September 1946. The test fleet was dealt a blow however with the loss of RT134 on 24 November 1946. During an attempt to reach Mach 1.50 the trim issues again became a problem, unable to keep the aircraft steady at Mach 0.91, Brown abandoned the run but the vibration quickly increased, control lost and fearing the airframe would soon disintegrate, he operated the cockpit escape system, the bolts fired and although it did not detach cleanly, Brown was able to jump clear and activate his parachute. The aircraft tumbled and spun into the earth, hitting at over 300mph. Flights have been halted pending an investigation into the cause and a solution found. The conversion of two other pilots on the High Speed Flight has also been delayed. It is hoped that flights will resume in early 1947.

Dimensions: span 26 ft 8.75 in; length 35 ft 7 in; wing area 142 sq ft
Powerplant: RT133 1x 5,000 lb Rolls-Royce RB.41 Nene; RT134 1x 5,000 lb (at 36,000ft) W.2/700 with No.4 36in augmenter; RT135 1x W.2/700 with No.5 44in augmenter
Performance: RT133 585 mph at 30,000 ft; RT134 and RT135 700 mph at sea level, 1,000 mph at 60,000 ft; climbing speed 600 mph; service ceiling 60,000 ft, time to 36,000 ft 1 min 30 secs
Maximum loaded weight: 7,861 lb.