Miles aircraft for the FAA

Smooth airflow into a radiator is a major issue. Belly radiator scoops ingest air from the turbulent, slow-moving boundary layer. Underwing radiators (aka. Spitfire and Me109) suffered from similar turbulent airflow.

Fortunately, there are two ways to ensure smooth airflow into radiators, carburetors, oil coolers, etc. If intakes are far enough forward, the boundary layer is still smooth. That is why so many WW2-vintage airplanes sported chin radiators. Leading edge radiators (Whirlwind, Mosquito, later Fireflies, etc.) were so far forward that they always ingested smooth air.
The only way P-51 Mustangs' belly radiator could invest smooth air was by "raising" the intake above turbulent boundary layers.
P-51's other advantage was a huge radiator face that transferred heat from slow-moving air. Slow speed equals low drag.
Spitfire and Me 109 tried similar diverging radiator inlets in their wings, but they could never bury large enough radiators inside shallow wings. P-51 radiators were buried in the aft fuselage to reduce profile drag. Finally, Meredith Effect only produces a few percentage points of thrust in one corner of the envelope. In practical terms, P-51 radiators reduced cooling drag to almost zero.
Similarly, later marks of Mosquitos sported chin engine intakes for smoother airflow.
Jet fighter engine intakes resemble P-51 intakes with ramps far enough away from the fuselage that boundary layers are never invested into engines. Those intake ramps vent turbulent boundary layers away from the engine.
Similarly, most modern turboprops use pitot inlets.
 
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Similarly, later marks of Mosquitos sported chin carburetor intakeks for smoother airflow.

They always sported chin carb intakes, consequence of Merlin having the up-draft carb. Mossies outfitted with 2-stage supercharged & intercooled engines got another inlet.
Hornet sported Merlins of new generation, that got down-draft carbs, thus making possible for leading edge intake when engine was attached via underslung nacelle. Shaved some of front area, thus decreasing the drag.
And indeed, nice work above.
 
Monitorz.png


Another view, not often seen.
 
Well-proportioned aircraft both here and in OTL, too bad it didn't emerged as a combat-worthy type with Hercules on-board.
If designed 4 or 5 years earlier it might have, if the Mosquito had failed. As it was it did what it was designed to do, but the need for it had vanished. It happens, sometimes potentially good aircraft are canceled because circumstances change, or the money runs out. With the Monitor it was probably both.
 
Nice looking plane but did it do anything a Beaufighter couldnt do. Wiki says its faster than a Beau but thats obviously without any armament or armour.

In a world of speculative aviation, one can only guess. It did look nicer, and I've never doodled one before, so, there you go. It was ordered in quantities of 600, cut to 200, 50, and 20 which were built. Only 10 entered service with the RN as target tugs, replaced by Mossies. Initial production was delayed because of a lack of engine choices available, solved when some Wright R-2600s appeared by magic. Hypothetically, had R-2800 or Centaurus fell off the wagon instead, performance would have improved. Could it carry a torpedo, RPs or night-fighting radar? Circumstances say: no way. Alternately, with an alternate set of circumstances, who knows? It's still a pretty aircraft which I've waited 50 years to doodle.
 
It's not really in the spirit of this thread but how about having one or two of these on the carriers supporting the landings in Sicily, Italy and the South of France allowing the air group commanders to liaise directly with the commanders of the landings ashore, and pick up downed pilots as well.
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