The Southern Martlet was a single-engined, single-seat biplane sports aircraft. Six were built, including the rather different and unsuccessful Metal Martlet.
The Southern Martlet was the first aircraft designed by teams led Frederick George Miles, whose company was Southern AircraftofShoreham. It was a modified Avro Baby, differing in the tail unit, undercarriage and engine, the 85 hpA.B.C. Hornet air-cooled flat four. Like the Baby, it was a single-bay staggered tractor biplane, with fixed two-wheel main and tail-skid undercarriage. The undercarriage was a combination of "oleo and coil-spring shock absorbing gear" designed by Basil Henderson of Hendy Aircraft, Shoreham. The prototype G-AAII made its first public appearance on 30 August 1929 at London Air Park, Hanworth, and proved to be a very manoeuvrable sports machine.[1]
Five production aircraft were built at Shoreham, differing chiefly in the choice of engine. Three of them had 80 hpArmstrong Siddeley Genet II and one a 100 hpArmstrong Siddeley Genet Major. These were five-cylinder uncowled radials. One aircraft had, at different times, a de Havilland Gipsy I or II (100 hp and 120 hp respectively), upright in-line air-cooled engines.[1]
The Martlets were not very successful as racers but served a succession of private owners as aerobatic mounts.[1]
Only one Martlet, the Genet Major engined G-AAYX survived the war. This aircraft was owned for a number of years by F G Miles who used it as a personal mount while based at Woodley near Reading. The aircraft is now part of The Shuttleworth Collection based at Old Warden Aerodrome and underwent an extensive restoration, with return to flight in September 2000. The aircraft is now on permanent display as part of The Collection and is flown at home air displays during the summer months.[2]
