In 1935, Mr Miles produced the Merlin, and aircraft capable of carrying five people and their luggage in comfort.
The Merlin, which was designed to the order of Birkett Airways Limited and Tata Air Lines, fitted with a 200 hp Gipsy Six engine and required to carry five persons, including the pilot, at a cruising speed of 145 mph.
In spite of the fact that no variable pitch airscrew could be obtained by the time the Merlin was completed, the take-off run was only a little longer than that of the Falcon and the specified performance was easily attained, with a maximum speed of 155 mph., which gave an advantage of 20-25 mph over the other types then available.
With a cruising range of some 700 miles the Merlin gave excellent service, the prototype undertaking many interesting and exciting charter journeys, including a flight to the Abyssinian capital at the time of the Italian invasion. Other Merlins were used on passenger and mail routes in India and Victoria, Australia.