Miles Satyr - exactly how did it meet its end?

[avion ancien]

Sorry - this is a cut & paste from another thread to which I've contributed. Probably because of its title, it did not receive a response to the question. So I hope that you'll all forgive me for re-instating it under this new banner. The original post was:

In 'Miles Aircraft since 1925' Don Brown recounts the tale as follows:

"The end of the Satyr was unusual and dramatic. One day in September 1936 Mrs Victor Bruce was approaching to land in a small field and, at the last moment, when it was too late to take evasive action, she noticed a large mass of telephone wires dead ahead, so close that there was no time either to climb or dive under them. Thinking what bad luck it would be on all the people whose telephones would be disconnected, she sailed on gaily into the wires expecting to go straight through them. However, she had overlooked the number of wires and the low momentum of the little Satyr. Instead of passing through the wires and landing in the field, the wires stretched but did not break. In a matter of seconds the Satyr was stopped dead in the air and then catapulted backwards into the field over which it had just flown. It was all over in a flash. Mrs Victor Bruce was unhurt but it was the end of the Satyr. This must be one of the few instances in which an aeroplane has landed backwards, although not very successfully."

and subsequent to this was:

I've just finished reading the autobiography of the Hon. Mrs Victor Bruce ('Nine Lives Plus') which, unsurprisingly, deals with the demise of the Satyr - or was it? Both Don Brown ('Miles Aircraft since 1925') and A.J.Jackson ('British Civil Aircraft 1919-72') suggest that the Satyr was destroyed when Mrs Bruce crashed it in August or September 1936. However Mrs Bruce suggests otherwise. In her autobiography, of the circumstances of the crash ("on the green outside Stafford") she says:

"Suddenly there was an almighty crash. I thought that I had hit one of the houses, because the noise was terrific. Then I realised that I had flown into the telephone wires. The Satyr and I must have remained hanging inthe wires for at least half a minute. Then the wires gave way and we fell fifteen feet to the ground with a bang".

She goes on to say that:

"The Satyr, of course, was badly damaged.............."

and then:

"While the Satyr was being repaired I hired a Gipsy Moth to take its place in the show..........".

So did the Satyr survive the crash; and was it repaired; and, if so, what was its ultimate fate? Any suggestions, anyone?

[Phillip Rhodes]

The Miles Satyr was rebuilt and flew again, but was destroyed in a crash in Belgium. The aircraft had been bought by a Japanese pilot, who failed to recover from an unintentional spin. The pilot was killed and the aircraft written off. The Satyr was removed from the G-Register in September 1936.

[avion ancien]

The Miles Satyr was rebuilt and flew again, but was destroyed in a crash in Belgium. The aircraft had been bought by a Japanese pilot, who failed to recover from an unintentional spin. The pilot was killed and the aircraft written off. The Satyr was removed from the G-Register in September 1936.

This is most interesting and completely new to me. What is the source of this information? Where and when did the crash in Belgium occur? Who was the Japanese owner/pilot? What registration marks was the Satyr carrying at the time? Can you provide a post September 1936 chronology for the Satyr?

[Newforest]

There is no record of the plane being registered in Belgium and as for looking for a Japanese register for that period.........

http://www.aviastar.org/air/england/miles_m-1.php

[Badcompany]

This may be of use.

http://www.aviastar.org/air/england/miles_m-1.php

[avion ancien]

I do hope that Phillip Rhodes will justify the statements that he made yesterday. On the assumption that they are justifiable, that justificatication will make a significant contribution to the early history of Miles' aircraft. So come on Phil, come back into the debate!

[OHOPE]

From December 1977 "According to Mrs Burns book , Nine Lives Plus*the Satyr was repaired . In a recent conversation ( she is now aged 81 ) , she told me that the Satyr was " half sold " to a 19 year oldJapanese who took it to Belgium . During a flight in that country it is alleged that he inadvertently entered a spin from which he failed to recover . The pilot was killed and the aircraft was written off . Certainly the Satyr was removed from the civil register in September 1936 , but its ultimate fate needs confirmation . Can any reader help ? "
*Published by Pelham Books Ltd , 52 , Bedford Square , London WC1B price 4.50

[OHOPE]

The second word from my reply is missing it should be aerolane with a capital A.

[paulmcmillan]

If you search for Satyr in flight global archive you get the name Yamomoto as a pilot who flew her at least once in the 1930's Further, searching on the name Yamomoto and Yamamoto will provide a couple of other 1930's hits - I assume this is the Japanese pilot referred to. Now if anyone has a searchable Belgium newspaper archive we would probably find a hit on these 2 names for same time period

[Moggy C]

The second word from my reply is missing it should be aerolane with a capital A.

You can edit your own material even after it has been posted using the handy little 'edit' button that appears bottom right when you view the post.

Moggy
Moderator

[avion ancien]

Moggy, if you and I are going to continue in disagreement and you wish to continue to do so in what I consider to be an acerbic manner, perhaps we can do so via the PM system rather than on an open forum. I doubt that our disagreement is of much interest to other forum members.

I am most grateful to steve_p, OHOPE and Paul McMillan for their contributions to and advancement of this debate. The reference to and quotation from the December 1977 issue of Aeroplane Monthly is most interesting. Can one of the Belgian forum members can say if there is a searchable archive for Belgian newspapers or other periodicals?

AA

[Moggy C]

No, that's fine.

I have no particular interest in discussing it further. I have made my views clear, you are at liberty to disagree.

Moggy