In the aftermath of the
Second World War, the
Air Ministry relinquished much of its wartime control over the British aircraft manufacturing sector; one such manufacturer,
Miles Aircraft, was particularly keen to rapidly pursue its own endeavours that were largely orientated towards the civil aviation market. On 26 October 1945, the prototype Gemini performed its
maiden flight; it was initially flown with a temporary fixed
undercarriage, unlike future aircraft that featured a retractable arrangement instead. Such was the company's confidence that the prototype was first used to perform flying demonstrations to potential customers only days following its first flight. The Gemini was put into large scale production straight away; it was also recognised that the superior performance of the type had eliminated for the
Miles Mercury, thus production plans for the latter were abandoned in favour of concentrating the company's resources on the Gemini. Miles, recognising the value of the Gemini in its lineup, sought to further develop and improve the type. However, even as the company was finalising work on numerous improvements, including the adoption of new engines, the firm was forced to declare
bankruptcy due to the poor state of its finances. Following the collapse of the company during 1947 and the subsequent purchase of the Reading aircraft factory and other assets by rival aircraft manufacturer
Handley Page, eight aircraft that had not been completed were assembled; two by Handley Page at Woodley in 1950, five by Wolverhampton Aviation at Pendeford Aerodrome in 1951, and one by
F. G. Miles Limited at
Redhill Aerodrome. ==Design==