Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Commercial airliner

Power Plant:

Three 313 kw (420 hp) Bristol Jupiter VI nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engines

Specifications:

History:

The prototype of the Handley Page W series of commercial airliners G-EAPJ (c/n W8-1) was first flown on 2 December 1919. Later that month it was taken to Paris, France for exhibition at the VI Exposition Internationale de Locomotion Aerienne (as the Paris Air Show was then known). Later again it set a British record by carrying a payload of 1,673 kg (3,690 lb) to 4,267 m (14,000 ft).

The W series of airliners was equal-span three-bay biplanes of wooden structure with fabric covering, with a single fin and rudder, a four-wheeled undercarriage, with accommodation for a crew of two and 16 passengers. The type became very popular and served with Imperial Airways and Sabena on routes throughout Europe, the latter airline having three examples built by SABCA.

The W.8 series was the variant most built and, although initially it was to be fitted with Cosmos Jupiter radial engines, it was fitted with 336 kw (450 hp) Napier Lion engines. It was awarded a public transport Certificate of Airworthiness with maximum load restricted to 12 passengers.

The type entered service on the London-Paris route on 21 October 1921 but, after a double engine failure, Rolls Royce Eagle VIII engines were installed. Production aircraft, known as the W.8b, fitted with Eagle VIII engines of 269 kw (360 hp), were built for Handley Page Transport and Sabena. Later the British aircraft passed to Imperial Airways. Production continued to the W.8d, which was the Hyderabad night bomber; the W.8e, which had a nose mounted Eagle IX engine and two 179 kw (240 hp) Siddeley Pumas on the wings; and the W.8f, of which only one was built, for Imperial Airways.

The W.9 (HP.27) was designed to be a three-engine civil and military transport for operation in the Middle East. When first flown it had three 287 kw (385 hp) Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IV 14-cylinder radial engines; but in 1926 these were replaced by Bristol Jupiter VI nine-cylinder radials which improved performance.

This W.9 aircraft, first registered to Handley Page as G-EBLE (c/n W9.1), made its first flight on 1 October 1925, and was named ‘City of New York’ with Imperial Airways on 19 October 1925. Early in 1929 the aircraft was shipped to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. It was imported for operations with Ellyou Goldfields Development Corporation, which operated as New Guinea Gold, arriving at Port Moresby as G-EBLE on board the ‘Mangola’ on 27 May 1929, being assembled and flown to Lae, PNG. It was accompanied by the Imperial Airways crew which was contracted to fly the aircraft.

The Handley Page Hampstead took some time to assemble, being registered VH-ULK on 5 August 1929 and being first flown on 21 August. It operated cargo flights between Salamaua and Wau in PNG but was not a success as it was very slow, could not carry bulky loads, and was slow loading and unloading. On 2 September 1929 it was flown from Port Moresby to Lae, and later was based at Wau when a hangar for it was completed. On 31 May 1930 the aircraft was loaded with freight at Salamaua and left for Wau but ran into cloud and crashed onto the mountainside at the head of the Kuper Ranges, being destroyed.

Final model in the series was the W.10 with Napier Lion IIB engines, which accommodated 16 passengers, the first flying on 10 February 1926. Four examples were built.

Total production of the Type W for civil service was 12 by Handley Page and 13 by SABCA.