its competitors. It was being piloted by Dunkerley when the Sparrowjet won the SBAC Challenge Cup at Yeadon, West Yorkshire on 21 May 1956, having reportedly achieved an average speed of 197.5 mph. On 13 July 1957, the King's Cup Race was also won by the Sparrowjet, having attained a maximum speed of 228 mph (367 km/h) while doing so. This race was a particular triumph for Miles as aircraft built by the firm had achieved first, second, third, fourth and fifth places, a feat that has never been achieved by any other manufacturer according to aviation author Don Brown. For a time, the Sparrowjet was based at British European Airways's (BEA) main engineering base. During the early 1960s, it was transferred to RAF Upton in Wiltshire, England. The Sparrowjet was in storage at RAF Upton when it was severely damaged by a hangar fire in July 1964; at the time, it was only partially assembled, with items such as its engines having been removed. During 2004, the remains of the Sparrowjet were reportedly being rebuilt by a group based in the Bristol area, who were said to be making use of discarded components from the 1950/53 conversion to aid the restoration effort. The rebuild was still ongoing in early 2012. According to aviation author Don Berliner, the Sparrowjet remains the only custom built turbojet-powered racing aircraft to have ever participated in officially recognised pylon racing. Specifications References Citations Bibliography Amos, Peter. and Don Lambert Brown. Miles Aircraft Since 1925, Volume 1. London: Putnam Aeronautical, 2000. . Berliner, Don. History's Most Important Racing Aircraft. Pen & Sword Books Limited, 2014. . Brown, Don Lambert. Miles Aircraft Since 1925. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1970. . Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft 1919–1972: Volume III. London: Putnam, 1988. . Temple, Julian C. Wings Over Woodley - The Story of Miles Aircraft and the Adwest Group. Bourne End, Bucks, UK: Aston Publications, 1987. . External links Miles Aircraft Racing aircraft 1950s British sport aircraft Sparrowjet Twinjets Aircraft first flown in 1953