The Miller Tern is an American single-seat,

high wing A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

glider Glider may refer to: Aircraft and transport Aircraft * Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight ** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of glidin ...

that was designed by William Terrance Miller and offered as plans for amateur construction.Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory,

Soaring Magazine ''SOARING'' is a magazine published monthly as a membership benefit of the Soaring Society of America. It was first published in 1937. The headquarters is in Hobbs, New Mexico. The magazine's article topics include safety issues and accounts of ind ...

'', page 15. Soaring Society of America, November 1983. USPS 499-920

Design and development

Named for the

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

, the Tern was the product of Miller's desire to design a sailplane specifically for homebuilding, providing ease of construction and good performance for its day. The first Tern was completed in 1965 and at least 36 more were completed in the US,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and other countries. Plans are no longer available. The Tern is constructed from a combination of wood and

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...

. It has a fixed monowheel landing gear,

dive brake Dive brakes or dive flaps are deployed to slow down an aircraft when in a dive. They often consist of a metal flap that is lowered against the air flow, thus creating drag and reducing dive speed.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, ...

s and an optional tail-mounted

drag chute A drogue parachute is a parachute designed for deployment from a rapidly-moving object. It can be used for various purposes, such as to decrease speed, to provide control and stability, or as a pilot parachute to deploy a larger parachute. V ...

. The cantilever wing uses a Wortmann 61 series

airfoil An airfoil (American English) or aerofoil (British English) is the cross-sectional shape of an object whose motion through a gas is capable of generating significant lift, such as a wing, a sail, or the blades of propeller, rotor, or turbine. ...

. The basic Tern has a wingspan that gives a

glide ratio In aerodynamics, the lift-to-drag ratio (or L/D ratio) is the lift generated by an aerodynamic body such as an aerofoil or aircraft, divided by the aerodynamic drag caused by moving through air. It describes the aerodynamic efficiency under give ...

of 34:1 at , while the longer span Tern II, with its wingspan, has a glide ratio several points higher.

Operational history

In March 2011 there were 14 Terns on the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

register, including 4 Tern IIs and one Tern 17M. All Terns are registered in the US as ''Experimental - Amateur-built'' In March 2011 there were two Terns registered with

Transport Canada Transport Canada (french: Transports Canada) is the department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of road, rail, marine and air transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportati ...

, both amateur-builts.

Variants

;Tern :Initial version with a wingspan and a glide ratio of 34:1 at ;Tern II :Improved version with a wingspan, retractable landing gear, trailing edge airbrakes, and a reported 40:1 glide ratio. Gross weight of 852 lbs. Modifications designed and built by John and William Ree, who also collaborated with Miller on the

Cherokee RM The Hall Cherokee II is an American high-wing, single seat glider that was designed by Stan Hall and introduced in 1956 as plans for amateur construction.Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine'', pages 8-9. Soaring Society of ...

. First flown in 1968. Destroyed in unrecoverable spin in 1970. ;Tern 17M :Version with a wingspan, one built

Aircraft on display

National Soaring Museum The National Soaring Museum (NSM) is an aviation museum whose stated aim is to preserve the history of motorless flight. It is located on top of Harris Hill near Elmira, New York, United States. The NSM is the Soaring Society of America's officia ...

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Specifications (Tern)

References

{{reflist

External links

Photo of a Tern
1960s United States sailplanes Aircraft first flown in 1965