Aircraft

Handley Page HP.32 Hamlet

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In 1924, the British Air Ministry issued Specification 23/24 for a three-engined six/seven-passenger charter airliner. Handley Page’s design to meet this requirement, the Hamlet, was a high-wing three-engined monoplane with a conventional landing gear and room for six passengers. The wing was fitted with leading edge slots and flaps to give good landing performance.

The only Hamlet was built at Cricklewood in 1926, and registered G-EBNS. It was first flown on 19 October 1926 powered by three 120 hp (90 kW) Bristol Lucifer IV three-cylinder radial engines. The Lucifer gave rise to excessive vibration, particularly in the centre engine, causing the pilot’s instruments to be unreadable, and after a final flight with Lucifer engines on 25 October 1926, it was modified with a smaller fin and larger rudder and the engines were changed to two 250 hp (187 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Lynx radial engines, with the nose engine replaced by additional baggage space, first flying in this form on 19 May 1927.

This modification eliminated the vibration, but the twin-engined variant was underpowered. In March 1928 it was re-engined again with three 150 hp (112 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Mongoose five-cylinder radial engines although it flew only once in that configuration on delivery to the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough. The aircraft was scrapped in 1929.

Powerplant: 2 × Armstrong Siddeley Lynx, 220 hp (164 kW) each
Wingspan: 52 ft 0 in (15.85 m)
Length: 34 ft 10 in (10.62 m)
Empty weight: 3,105 lb (1,408 kg)
Gross weight: 5,000 lb (2,268 kg)
Maximum speed: 114 mph (183 km/h, 99 kn)
Crew: two
Capacity: six passengers

Handley Page HP.31 Harrow

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Harrow Mk.II

Two prototypes of the HP.31 Harrow were ordered as competition for a two seat fleet torpedo bomber/reconnaissance aircraft to replace the Blackburn Dart under specification 21/23.
In their initial form a 470 hp Napier Lion was installed.

As a result of experiments with the second machine, N206, the first, N205, was rebuilt as the Harrow Mk.II, initially with a 630 hp Lion XI and then a slightly more powerful Lion XA. These engines had rear mounted carburettors which allowed an improved nose profile.

Harrow Mk.II

Following trials at Martlesham Heath in landplane configuration, N206 was fitted with floats in March 1928 followed by trials at the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment at Felixstowe, and was demonstrated to the Finnish and Argentinian air attaches. It was eventually written off as unfit for RAF service as a seaplane.
The competition was won by the Blacburn Ripon in June 1927. Experiments continued towards a revised Harrow.

H.P.31 Mark I
Engine: 1 x 470hp Napier Lion V 12
Max take-off weight: 3242 kg / 7147 lb
Empty weight: 1998 kg / 4405 lb
Wingspan: 13.41 m / 43 ft 12 in
Length: 10.29 m / 33 ft 9 in
Wing area: 52.30 sq.m / 562.95 sq ft
Max. speed: 171 km/h / 106 mph
Ceiling: 2652 m / 8700 ft
Range: 708 km / 440 miles
Armament: 1 x Lewis gun, 1 torpedo or 3 x 235kg bombs

Handley Page HP.28

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Air ministry specification D of R4B (later revised as 26/23) for a single engined long range bomber led Handley Page to produce the 60 ft span C/7 (HP.28) Handcross, with a Rolls Royce Condor III.
The pilot was located high under the cabane, with the prone bomb aimer’s position beneath him. There was a Lewis gun on a scarff ring in the mid-upper position and another in the fuselage underneath and behind the prone position. The pilot had a fixed forward firing Vickers gun. The 550 lb bombload was recessed into the left side for the fuselage belly faring.
The first of three built, J7498, first flew on December 6, 1924, but the Hawker Horsley won a production order.

Engine: Rolls Royce Condor III
Wing span: 60 ft
Crew: 2

Handley Page HP.22 / HP.23

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In 1923, the HP.22/23 motor glider was designed by W.H.Sayers, three were entered for the Lympne light aeroplane competitions of that year. In an attempt to improve the HP.22/23 performance, Harold Boultbee lowered the wing to a shoulder position, increased its incidence, faired the 397cc ABC into the nose, moved the wheels forward, and put a hinged lid over the cockpit.
The second machine, No.25, managed to fly nearly three laps of the Lympne course at full throttle on 11 October 1923, piloted by Gordon Olley, but loss of power forced its retirement.
On a second attempt on 13 October, No.25 was blown to the ground after take-off and its wing was smashed. The third machine was not ready in time.

Handley Page Handcross

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Three prototypes, first flown on 6 December 1924. No production.

Engine: 1 x 650hp Rolls-Royce Condor III
Max take-off weight: 3405 kg / 7507 lb
Empty weight: 2368 kg / 5221 lb
Wingspan: 18.29 m / 60 ft 0 in
Length: 12.19 m / 39 ft 12 in
Wing area: 73.21 sq.m / 788.03 sq ft
Max. speed: 193 km/h / 120 mph
Ceiling: 5867 m / 19250 ft
Range: 805 km / 500 miles
Armament: 3 x 7.7mm machine-guns, 1 x 250kg or 2 x 100kg bombs
Crew: 2-3

Handley Page HP.24 Hyderabad

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The Hyderabad was a military derivative of the W.8 which first flew in December 1919 as one of the first purpose-designed airliners. The Hyderabad was the company’s response to a 1922 bomber specification, and when it took to the air in October 1923 it was the world’s first large aeroplane with automatic leading-edge slats. Such slats were not incorporated into the Hyderabad Mk I production type, which was also the RAF’s last all-wooden heavy bomber. Delivery of the 38 aircraft was slow, No. 99 Squadron receiving its Hyderabads from December 1925 but No. 10 Squadron re-equipping only from January 1928. Hyderabads were also flown by two Auxiliary Air Force units, Nos 502 and 503 Squadrons. The bomber was withdrawn from first-line service in 1930 and from AAF service in 1933, and the type was declared obsolete in 1934.
Three were later converted into Hinaidis.

Handley Page Hyderabad Mk I
Engines: 2 x 450hp / 338.5kW Napier Lion IIB or V
Wingspan: 22.86 m / 75 ft 0 in
Length: 18.03 m / 59 ft 2 in
Height: 5.11 m / 16 ft 9 in
Wing area: 136.66 sq.m / 1470.99 sq ft
Max take-off weight: 6164 kg / 13,590 lb
Empty weight: 4045 kg / 8918 lb
Max. speed: 94 kts / 175 km/h / 109 mph at sea level
Ceiling: 4267 m / 14000 ft
Operational Range: 432 nm / 805 km / 500 miles
Armament: 3 x 7.7mm (0.303-in) machine-guns, 500kg (1,100 lb) bombs
Bomb load: 500kg
Crew: 4

Handley Page HP.22 / HP.23

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In 1923, the HP.22/23 motor glider was designed by W.H.Sayers, three were entered for the Lympne light aeroplane competitions of that year.
The first, No.23, was initially powered by a pylon mounted air cooled 397cc ABC flat twin. It failed to fly, even when repowered with a 500 cc Douglas.
Attempted catapult launches by four men pulling a rubber cord also failed and No.23 was scratched from the competition.

Handley Page HP.21 / Type S / HPS-1

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S-2 (left), S-1 (right)

In 1921 the United States Navy drew up a specification for a single-seat fighter aircraft capable of operating either as a landplane from its aircraft carriers or from the water as a seaplane, seeking designs from both American and European companies. The British aircraft manufacturer Handley Page, which had recently developed the leading edge slot, realised use of slots and flaps could allow a high-speed monoplane to fly at the low speeds needed for carrier operations with a much higher wing loading than a normal biplane, and decided to develop an aircraft to meet this requirement.

The resulting design, given the Handley Page designation Type S (and later retrospectively known as the H.P.21) was a small, low-wing cantilever monoplane, with full-span leading edge slots and full-span slotted flaps. The airframe was a plywood monocoque, with the fuselage capable of being broken into two sections for storage on board ship. It had a tailwheel undercarriage that could be replaced by two floats. Although designed to use engines of up to 400 hp (298 kW), the prototypes were fitted with a much less powerful surplus Bentley BR2 rotary engine.

The US Navy placed an order for three prototypes, designated HPS-1 (Handley Page Scout) in the contemporary US Navy designation system. The first prototype flew on 7 September 1923, but proved to have poor handling, with the rudder proving to be ineffective. The second prototype was built with its wings fitted with six degrees of dihedral, flying in February 1924. It had much improved handling, and showed good speed at low level. However, when undergoing full load trials for the US Navy at Martlesham Heath, it was wrecked when its undercarriage collapsed on landing, and the US Navy cancelled the contract, with the third prototype, intended to be a floatplane, not completed.

Powerplant: 1 × Bentley BR2, 230 hp (170 kW)
Propeller 2-bladed fixed-pitch
Wingspan: 29 ft 3 in (8.92 m)
Wing area: 114.5 sq ft (10.64 m2)
Length: 21 ft 5.5 in (6.541 m)
Height: 9 ft 7 in (2.92 m)
Empty weight: 1,320 lb (599 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 2,030 lb (921 kg)
Maximum speed: 146.5 mph (235.8 km/h, 127.3 kn)
Stall speed: 44 mph (71 km/h, 38 kn)
Endurance: 3 hours
Service ceiling: 21,000 ft (6,400 m)
Rate of climb: 1,800 ft/min (9.1 m/s)
Crew: 1
Armament: Provision for 2× .30 in (7.62 mm) Marlin machine guns

Handley Page HP.19 Hanley

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In response to specification 3/20 for a single seat deck landing torpedo carrier Handley Page built the HP.19 Hanley.
The all wood Hanley had folding wings with full span leading edge slats and a divided undercarriage to fit a torpedo.
Three were powered by a 450 hp Napier Lion IIB, the first, N143, first flew on 3 January 1922. Despite extensive modification trying to improve performance, the type did not enter production.
Two, one prototype and one new airframe were supplied to Russia.