The Miller WM-2 was a single-seat sport aircraft designed in the United States in the early 1970s and marketed for home building.[1] Although primarily a powered aircraft, the WM-2's high aspect-ratio wings enabled the pilot to stop the engine and soar on thermals as with a sailplane (designer W. Terry Miller's previous projects had been sailplanes).[2]

WM-2
WM-2
Role	Sport aircraft Type of aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Homebuilt
Designer	William Terry Miller
First flight	August 1972

It was a generally conventional, low-wing cantilever monoplane with a cockpit enclosed by a bubble canopy. The undercarriage, however, was a manually retractable monowheel with a tailskid behind it.[2] The fuselage was of wooden construction, covered in plywood and fibreglass, while the wings and tail were built of wood and covered in fabric.[3]

Specifications (prototype)

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1977–78, 548

General characteristics

• Crew: One pilot
• Length: 20 ft 0 in (6.10 m)
• Wingspan: 40 ft 0 in (12.19 m)
• Height: 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
• Aspect ratio: 11.1
• Airfoil: Modified NACA laminar-flow sections
• Empty weight: 775 lb (351 kg)
• Gross weight: 1,050 lb (476 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Continental A65 , 65 hp (49 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 136 mph (219 km/h, 118 kn)
• Cruise speed: 120 mph (192 km/h, 100 kn)
• Range: 336 mi (540 km, 292 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 24,000 ft (7,300 m)
• Maximum glide ratio: 15
• Rate of climb: 890 ft/min (4.5 m/s)

Notes

References

• Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1977–78. London: Jane's Publishing.
• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.