The Type G was the first biplane wholly designed by Handley Page. In 1924 the early Handley Page types were give a retrospective design number and the Type G became the H.P.7.
The Type G used wings of the same plan though of unequal span. It was a three bay biplane having slight wing stagger, with two pairs of separate but wire braced interplane struts per wing. Only the upper wings carried ailerons, which were operated via king posts that appeared as extra interplane struts near the wingtips, but extending above the upper wing and carrying the control wires. The details of this arrangement were modified at least once. The slender fuselage was positioned between the wings with struts above and below. It was flat sided, with a curved decking behind the pilot who sat in the rear seat. An early photo shows a single cockpit opening, but later there were two separate open cockpits for passenger and pilot. The pilot’s upward view was assisted by a small V-shaped trailing edge cutout. The horizontal stabiliser and fin were sharply swept at their leading edges. There were separate elevators and a rudder of half-heart shape, the point extending well below the fuselage to about the level of the lower wing.
In its early form the Type G had a two-wheeled single axle main undercarriage mounted by a pair of struts on each side, one forward to the engine bulkhead and one rearwards to the fuselage via the main spar. Initially the wheels were supplemented by a pair of skids to avoid nosing over, but these were later discarded. A long tail strut positioned a sprung tailskid just below the lower tip of the rudder. The aircraft was powered by a 100 hp (75 kW) Anzani 10 radial engine. The prominent pair of semicircular exhaust tubes characteristic of this engine fed a single exhaust pipe which curved away under the aircraft via a silencer, ending near the trailing edge.
The Type G flew successfully and usefully between 1913 and 1915. It was designed to have inherent stability and for a time, early in its life, demonstrated this by flying without its tailfin.
Before the First World war it was bought by a syndicate headed by Rowland Ding. Flown by Rowland Ding, who later became Blackburn’s main test pilot, he took it to various aviation meetings and also made a cross-channel flight with Princess Lowenstein Wertheim as a passenger. He also made many flights between meetings with his wife and six-year-old daughter in the front seat, qualifying the Type G as a three-seater.
At the outbreak of war in 1914 the Type G was bought by the Royal Naval Air Service and was based at Hendon, being used for training and defence. During its service life it carried a Union Jack and the number 892 on the rudder. On one occasion, mistaken by London ground forces for a German Taube because of the wing shape, it was caught in a “friendly fire” incident but survived. It was finally written off in a ground accident at RNAS Chingford in August 1915.
The 1913 Handley Page Type G biplane was priced at £1500.
Powerplant: 1 × Anzani 10, 100 hp (75 kW) Wingspan: 40 ft 0 in (12.2 m) Wing area: 384 sq ft (35.67 m2) Length: 25 ft 1 in (7.64 m) (without skids) Empty weight: 1,150 lb (522 kg) Gross weight: 1,775 lb (805 kg) Maximum speed: 73 mph (117 km/h, 63 kn) Endurance: 4 hours Rate of climb: 286 ft/min (1.45 m/s) to 3,000 ft (914 m) Crew: one Capacity: one or two passengers
Born at Cranham Villa, Kings Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, on November 15, 1885, Frederick Handley was the second son of Frederick Joseph Page and his Wife Arm Eliza, nee Handley. He always used the combination of “Handley Page”. A Cheltenham Grammar School report of 1896 placed him first in his class of 13 boys. He then studied electrical engineering at Finsbury Technical College, and in 1906 became chief designer for electrical machinery manufacturers Johnson & Phillips.
Already interested in mechanical flight, Frederick began experimenting with model gliders and ornithopters, eventually being invited to assist Maj R.F. Moore ,on the “Wings Committee” of the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain (ASGB). In 1908 he was introduced to landscape artist Jose Weiss, who had patented a wing of distinctive shape, but Weiss was no engineer, so his gliders were rather crude. On June 10, 1908, FHP joined the Weiss Aeroplane & Launcher Syndicate. While still at Johnson & Phillips he instituted some unauthorised aeronautical work using the factory track, but his employers took a dim view of this and dismissed him. Undeterred, FHP set up an office in a shed in Woolwich, even taking a stand at the Olympia Aero & Motor Boat Show in 1909, featuring the Weiss gliders and his own canard glider, of better construction but having the Weiss patent wing. He attempted to fly this from marshlands near Barking Creek, Dagenham, but without success. He was also manufacturing Weiss propellers and supplying small parts to budding aeronautical engineers and experimenters.
Frederick floated his new business as a private company on June 17, 1909, registering “Handley Page Ltd” for the express purpose of the design and manufacture of aircraft at Berking Creek, Essex. He always claimed that his was the first such company in the UK, but by this time Short Bros was well established as an aeroplane manufacturer. However, Short Bros was a partnership, not a company.
The first Handley Page factory were some wooden huts on the banks of the Thames at Barking, operating from 1909 to 1912. The company’s aerodrome was a playing field at Fairlop.
Handley Page factory 1911
In September 1912, the H.P. works moved to 20,000 sq.ft of converted riding stables in Cricklewood, north London.
Handley Page Cricklewood 1949
From Cricklewood, final assembly and flying was done from Radlett.
Until the start of the First World War the young company built very few aircraft.
As soon as civil aviation was permitted after the war’s end, FHP formed his own airline, using converted O/400 bombers and flying to France and the Netherlands. It was taken over by Imperial Airways in 1924. He also exported six aircraft to China. A big coup was his acquisition, using a company called the Aircraft Disposal Co Ltd, of some 10,000 government surplus military airframes, 30,000 engines and a huge amount of stores, in 1920. At the end of World War One orders and military work ceased abruptly. FHP weathered the ensuing lean years remarkably well, with a minimal staff. Volkert and his assistant, S.T.A. Richards, produced an inspired series of designs comprising different fuselages combined with a standard set of biplane wings and tail. This was the “W” series of airliners and bombers, built throughout the decade. They also introduced air-cooled engines and metal structures. 24 October 1919 Patent No 157567 is issued for the HP slotted wing.
During the rearmament programme of the mid-1930s the company developed modern monoplane wings for its stopgap Harrow aircraft, and also started designing for dispersed production of components with final “flowline” assembly. The H.R 52 Hampden medium bomber continued this principle, and was the first H.R aircraft to have a retractable undercarriage. Two-thirds of the Hampdens produced were built by other firms. Despite his strong and prescient urging for a change in bombing policy, from large bombers with heavy and draggy defensive armament to smaller unarmed bombers relying on high speed, Volkert designed the Halifax to an Air Ministry specification. Neither the span limitation of less than 100 ft nor the use of watercooled engines were to his liking, and only when Bristol Hercules engines and increased span were introduced in 1942-43 did the aircraft became competitive with the Avro Lancaster. Nevertheless, the “Halibag” proved capable of operation in all theatres, particularly the Far East. The parent firm built only 1,590 of the 6,177 produced, the rest being made in “shadow” factories.
Handley Page (Reading) Ltd was formed on 5 July 1948 to take over Miles Aircraft Ltd of Woodley for production of Marathon four-engined feederliner aircraft.
Handley Page (Reading) produced the aircraft as a navigational trainer for the RAF, and also as a short-haul airliner. The Reading-based company was also responsible for development of the HPR.3 Herald airliner, which flew initially with four piston engines in 1955, and was subsequently manufactured with two Rolls-Royce turbines as the Dart Herald.
January 1951
Sir Frederick died on April 21, 1962
The Handley Page company had completed the move of its headquarters from Cricklewood to its aerodrome at Radlett by 1966. It had facilities at Radlett and at Cricklewood for the manufacture and assembly of major components and the erection of complete aircraft. Total floor space available to the company was 971400 sq.ft and it employed some 4000 people.
Test facilities include a structural test rig for any specimen or structure up to 120 ft long by 70 ft wide and 26 ft high with a total applied load capacity of up to 400 tons; fatigue test equipment for 100 ton fluctuating load; water pressure tanks and a range of equipment for standard mechanical environmental, pneumatic and hydraulic tests, chemical and photoelastic analysis, metallography and radiography, and high- and low-speed wind tunnels. The aerodrome, which occupies more than 400 acres, has two paved runways, the longest being 6990 ft.
Directors of the Handley-Page company in 1966 were Air Chief Marshal Sir Walter Dawson, chairman; J. H. S. Green, managing director; C. F. Joy, chief designer; R. S. Stafford, technical director; G. C. D. Russell; S. L. Hastings; and E. Manley Walker. Senior executives are E. W. Pickston, general works manager; D. F Corbett, works manager at Radlett; K. Pratt chief engineer; E. P. Hessey, sales manager; J. Duthie, secretary; J. W. Allam, chief test pilot; and S. A. H. Scuffham, public relations manager.
The major sources of revenue of the company were aircraft sales, sub-contract manufacture, design and test facilities, aircraft overhaul, aviation equipment, domestic and industrial heating and ventilation equipment, food and chemical processing plant, and factory airconveyance installations. The factories were engaged on military contracts in connection with the conversion of Victor bombers, production and overhaul of the Herald, and the design and development of its new 8/18-seater HP137 Jetstream for which the first production line was being laid down in 1966. The company had sold 58 Heralds and was about to start production of more than 20 “off-the-drawing-board” Jetstream orders.
In 1966 feasibility and market studies revealed a definite market for a medium-sized turboprop mini-airliner for commuter and executive use. The H.P.137 Jetstrearn was launched, attracting nearly 200 orders and options in the first year. it even won the United States Air Force contest for the C- 10A transport. But it was a difficult aircraft for a firm used to large and expensive military designs, and development was prolonged. Its airworthiness category imposed a nominal limit in all-up weight which severely affected range/load performance. This was improved with the advent of higher-power engines and a change in category, which allowed take-off weight to rise to the level for which the Jetstream was designed. But it was too late. Development costs had risen to £13 million, and the backers pulled out; the company went into administration.
The death knell came on August 8,1969, when the company went into receivership. A reprieve seemed at hand when it was bought up by an American consortium, the K.R. Cravens Corporation, in January 1970 and rebranded Handley Page Aircraft Ltd. At the same time, however, the consortium’s head was diagnosed with terminal cancer and all foreign interests were dropped. By the end of February the company had ceased trading and on June 1, 1970, the name of Handley Page was consigned to history – after some six decades of aeronautical achievement.
The Halberstadt D-series of single-seat fighters was developed from the unarmed B II reconnaissance two-seater, inheriting that type’s considerable structural strength. The D I appeared late in 1915 with a single interrupted gun and a powerplant comprising one 75-kW (100-hp) Mercedes D.l inline engine.
A two-bay biplane, the wings were of two-spar construction with fabric covering. The wooden fuselage, with plywood covering forward and fabric covering aft. There were no fixed tail surfaces. The ailerons, elevators and rudder were all fabric covered steel tube structures. Ailerons were on the top wing only.
D.II
The production model, of which few were built, was the D II with the more powerful Mercedes DII engine and a wing radiator in place of the original nose-mounted unit. About 100 were in service in January 1917.
The D.II was not easy to fly on account of the absence of any fixed or tailplane surfaces resulting in extremely sensitive controls.
D.II
These served for a few months from June 1916 before being supplanted by the D III, which differed mainly in its larger horn-balanced ailerons and as powerplant one 89-kW (120-hp) Argus Ash inline.
A few D IVs were produced for Turkey with twin guns and the 112-kW (150-hp) Benz Bz.III, entering service in 1917 as a single seat fighter. The DV of 1917 was a refined type with a more streamlined plywood-covered fuselage and the As.II engine.
Replica D.VI: Swanson Halberstadt D.VI
Halberstadt D.I Engine: l x Mercedes D.I, 75kW(100hp).
Halberstadt D.II Engine: l x Mercedes D.II, 89kW(120hp). Span: 8.8m (28 ft 10.5 in). Length: 7.3m (23 ft 11.5 in). Height: 8 ft 9 in Empty weight: 1237 lb Max T/O weight: 730kg (1,6l0lb). Fuel capacity: 18.5 Imp.Gal Max speed: 93 mph. Operational endurance: 2 hr. Armament: 1 x 7.92-mm (0.312-in) Spandau LMG 08/15 mg.
Halberstadt D.III Engine: l x Argus Ash, 89kW(120hp). Span upper: 28 ft 8 in Span lower: 25 ft 8 in Wing area: 256 sq.ft Length: 23 ft 10 in Height: 7 ft 9 in Max speed: 90 mph at SL Armament: 1-2 Maxim mg Crew: 1
Halberstadt D.IV Engine: l x Benz Bz.III, 112kW(150hp). Armament: 2 x mg.
Engine: 1 x 134kW Argus As III 9-cylinder liquid-cooled radial engine Max take-off weight: 1081 kg / 2383 lb Wingspan: 11.70 m / 38 ft 5 in Length: 7.58 m / 24 ft 10 in Height: 2.80 m / 9 ft 2 in Max. Speed: 165 km/h / 103 mph Ceiling: 7500 m / 24600 ft Crew: 2 Armament: 3 x 7.92mm machine guns
The Halberstadt CL.II was produced in 1917 as a new class of light escort fighter to protest reconnaissance aircraft however its potential as a ground attack fighter was quickly realised. The CL.II was first used to hurl small bombs and hand grenades at advancing British troops in September 1917. They played a major role in the successful German counter attack during the Battle of Cambrai on 30 November 1917.
The crew of two sat in a single elongated cockpit. Their machine guns were supplemented by trays of grenades.
A single-bay biplane, the wings had two spars, with fabric covering, and plywood covered wooden fuselage. Conventional tail surfaces, with wooden fin and tailplane and steel-tube control surfaces, all fabric covered, were fitted. Ailerons of fabric-covered steel-tube construction were on the top wing only.
Engine: 1 x 119kW/160 hp Mercedes D.III water-cooled inline Wingspan: 10.77 m / 35 ft 4 in Length: 7.30 m / 23 ft 11 in Height: 2.75 m / 9 ft 0 in Empty weight: 1755 lb Max take-off weight: 1133 kg / 2498 lb Fuel capacity: 35 Imp.Gal Max. speed: 165 km/h / 103 mph at SL Ceiling: 5100 m / 16750 ft Endurance: 3 HR Armament: 3 x 7.92mm machine-guns, 5 x 10kg bombs Seats: 2.
Deutsche Bristol-Werke was founded at Halberstadt in 1912 to manufacture products of the British & Colonial Aeroplane Company, but severed connection with the parent company in 1914. Subsequently it developed and built its own designs under the name of Halberstadter Flugzeugwerke. Halberstadt’s first aircraft, the C.I reconnaissance biplane, first flew in May 1916, and together with more powerful C.III and C.V developments, was produced in large numbers in the First World War. The CL class two-seat escort fighters were particularly successful in ground-strafing roles during the campaigns of autumn 1917. Halberstadt’s D-class single-seater scouts were strong and maneuverable, but inferior to Allied fighters in speed. A number of D.ll and D.lll scouts were built by Hannoversche Waggonfabrik AG. The Halberstadt D.V, the company’s final scout design, appeared in early 1917.
All Aero 