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The Midge was evaluated by pilots from Canada, India, Jordan, New
Zealand, and the US Air Force, and was almost universally praised. The Midge had performed a total of 220 flights when it was destroyed in a fatal crash on 26 September 1955, with a Swiss pilot at the controls. However, the Midge had
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supersonic interceptor. Petter had grown suspicious of the trend towards bigger and more expensive combat aircraft, and he felt that a small, simple fighter would offer the advantages of low purchase and operational costs. New lightweight turbojet engines were being developed that would be able to
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The Midge had a number of advanced features, such as hydraulically powered "flaperons", main landing gear that could be used as airbrakes, and a one-piece canopy that hinged over an inner armoured windscreen. Despite the low-powered engine, the little jet could break Mach 1 in a dive and was very
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turbojet with 3,800 lbf (17 kN) thrust. However, the Saturn was cancelled, and so Petter's unarmed proof-of-concept demonstrator for the Gnat was powered by the less powerful
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demonstrated that Petter's lightweight fighter concept had much going for it. Folland went on to develop a full-scale Gnat prototype, also using company funds.
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101 with 1,640 lbf (7.3 kN) thrust. The demonstrator was designated Fo-139 "Midge". The Midge,
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Original film footage of the Midge can be seen in the 1956 British science fiction film
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prototype originally developed as a concept demonstrator for the successful
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at the controls, and proved to be an excellent aircraft.
405:. Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada: Prospero Books, 1998.
469:The initial version of this article was based on a
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Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
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488:Flightglobal 1954 (pdf) Image of Folland Midge,
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131:The Midge and Gnat were the creation of
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425:"The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage"
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174:, first flew on 11 August 1954 from
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638:manufactured in Britain since the
403:The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft
236:20 ft 8 in (6.30 m)
230:28 ft 9 in (8.76 m)
210:The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft
159:. The Gnat was to be powered by a
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242:9 ft 3 in (2.82 m)
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297:40,000 ft (12,000 m)
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1056:Fairey Ultra-light Helicopter
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263:4,500 lb (2,041 kg)
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368:The Folland Gnat / HAL Ajeet
271:Armstrong Siddeley Viper 101
7:
1391:Single-engined jet aircraft
960:British Aerospace Jetstream
377:, Greg Goebel's Vectorsite.
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144:power such small fighters.
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812:Hawker Siddeley Harrier
725:de Havilland Sea Hornet
429:m-selig.ae.illinois.edu
215:General characteristics
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955:Handley Page Jetstream
902:Hawker Siddeley Nimrod
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735:de Havilland Sea Venom
463:Folland Midge and Gnat
127:Design and development
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1257:AgustaWestland Apache
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133:W.E.W. "Teddy" Petter
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940:Boulton Paul Balliol
760:Supermarine Scimitar
755:Supermarine Attacker
661:de Havilland Vampire
387:"The Midge Accident"
373:12 June 2010 at the
196:Satellite in the Sky
161:Bristol BE.22 Saturn
1161:Supermarine Seagull
1111:Saunders-Roe SR.A/1
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1021:Blackburn Firecrest
863:Handley Page Victor
817:Panavia Tornado IDS
802:Eurofighter Typhoon
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696:Panavia Tornado ADV
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656:de Havilland Hornet
340:Northrop T-38 Talon
307:Related development
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666:de Havilland Venom
178:, Wiltshire, with
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1282:Westland Commando
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423:Lednicer, David.
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34:Type of aircraft
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878:Maritime patrol
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169:serial number
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157:"Fo-141 Gnat"
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1194:Auster AOP.9
1189:Auster AOP.6
1121:Short Seamew
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993:experimental
976:Short Tucano
950:Folland Gnat
848:Avro Lincoln
772: /
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432:. Retrieved
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313:Folland Gnat
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79:Number built
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1249:Helicopters
1091:Heston JC.6
1036:Bristol 188
972:/Sea Prince
925:Avro Athena
853:Avro Vulcan
282:Performance
267:Powerplant:
139:bomber and
1375:Categories
1136:Short SC.1
1131:Short SB.5
1126:Short SB.3
1106:Saro P.531
920:Avro Anson
447:References
246:Wing area:
107:swept-wing
1176:Transport
1011:BAC TSR-2
458:Gnat Mk 1
318:HAL Ajeet
234:Wingspan:
208:Data from
141:Lightning
60:Designer
1340:EoN Eton
1006:Avro 707
935:BAE Hawk
912:Trainers
713:fighters
648:Fighters
530:aircraft
434:16 April
371:Archived
302:See also
274:turbojet
113:subsonic
1332:Gliders
1016:BAe EAP
840:Bombers
829:(naval)
582:By name
528:Folland
257:RAE 102
253:Airfoil
240:Height:
228:Length:
186:agile.
110:British
32:Fighter
770:Strike
573:Fo.144
568:Fo.143
563:Fo.142
558:Fo.141
553:Fo.140
548:Fo.139
543:Fo.108
490:Flight
409:
390:Flight
172:G-39-1
115:light
24:Midge
711:Naval
594:Midge
348:Notes
222:Crew:
29:Role
589:Gnat
436:2019
407:ISBN
269:1 ×
101:The
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356:^
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83:1
628:e
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255::
224:1
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