Handley Page H.P.42

infobox Aircraft
name = HP.42 / HP.45
type = Civilian airliner
manufacturer = Handley Page

---

caption = Handley Page H.P.42 G-AAUD "Hanno"
designer =
first flight = 14 November 1930
introduced = June 1931
retired = 1940 (all lost)
status =
primary user = Imperial Airways
more users = Royal Air Force
produced =
number built = 4 HP.42, 4 HP.45
unit cost =
variants with their own articles =

The Handley Page H.P.42 and H.P.45 were British four-engined long-range biplane airliners designed to a 1928 Imperial Airways specification by Handley Page of Radlett in Hertfordshire.

The H.P.42/45 were the land-based airliners of Imperial Airways and along with the company's later flying boats are well remembered. Eight aircraft were built, four of each type; all were named, with names beginning with the letter "H". One was destroyed in an airship hangar fire in 1937 but the remainder survived to be impressed into Royal Air Force service at the outbreak of the Second World War. No lives were lost in civilian service (a record thought to be unique for contemporary aircraft) but by 1940 all had been destroyed.

Design and development

The H.P.42 was designed for the long-range, Eastern routes and the similar H.P.45 was built for the European routes. In Imperial Airways service, the H.P.42 was designated the H.P.42E (E for "Eastern" routes - India and South Africa), while the H.P.45 was called the H.P.42W (W for "Western" i.e. European routes). The H.P.42 and H.P.45 designations were Handley Page's identifiers but this was not commonly known at the time.The H.P.42 was a large unequal-span biplane of all-metal construction except for the fabric coverings of the wings, tail surfaces and rear fuselage. The wings were braced by Warren girders. The tailplane was of biplane configuration with three fins. The H.P.42 was powered by four Bristol Jupiter XIFs of 490 hp (365 kW) each, while the H.P.45 used four Bristol Jupiter XFBM supercharged engines of 555 hp (414 kW), greater fuel consumption being traded for more power. In both cases, two engines mounted on the upper wing and one on each side of the fuselage on the lower wing.

The crew compartment was enclosed, which was a new development and there were two passenger cabins, one fore and one aft of the wings. The H.P.42 carried six (later twelve) in the forward compartment and twelve in the aft. There was substantial baggage room. The H.P.45 seated 18 forward and 20 aft, with reduced baggage capacity.

Operational history

The first flight was on 14 November 1930, by G-AAGX later to be named "Hannibal", with Squadron Leader Thomas Harold England at the controls. The certificate of airworthiness was granted in May 1931, permitting commercial service; the first flight with fare-paying passengers was to Paris on 11 June of that year.

When the H.P.42s were finally withdrawn from civil service on 1 September 1939 they had recorded almost a decade of service without causing any major accidents

Individual aircraft histories

Four H.P.42 and another four H.P.45 aircraft were delivered:

H.P.42

The long-distance H.P.42 was intended for the long-distance Africa and India services. They were based in Cairo.

G-AAGX "Hannibal"

The prototype, "Hannibal's" first flight was on 14 November 1930. The aircraft was named after Hannibal Barca, the Carthaginian military commander. It was lost over the Gulf of Oman in RAF service on 1 March 1940 with eight aboard.

G-AAUC "Horsa"

G-AAUC was originally named "Hecate" after the Greek goddess; it was soon renamed "Horsa", after the legendary conqueror of Britain and brother of Hengest. The aircraft first flew on 11 September 1931. It was impressed into No. 271 Squadron RAF as "AS981". The aircraft burned after a forced landing on uneven ground at Moresby Park, near Whitehaven, Cumberland, on 7 August 1940.

G-AAUD "Hanno"

G-AAUD, production number 42/3, was named after the Carthaginian explorer Hanno the Navigator, who explored the Atlantic coast of Africa in approx. 570 BC. "Hanno" first flew on 19 July 1931 and was later converted to a H.P.42(W) ("Hannibal" class). The aircraft was impressed into No. 271 Squadron RAF and was destroyed in a gale at Whitchurch Airport, Bristol when it was blown together with "Heracles" and damaged beyond repair on 19 March 1940.

G-AAUE "Hadrian"

G-AAUE, production number 42/2, was named after the Roman emperor Hadrian. "Hadrian's" first flight was on 24 June 1931. On the outbreak of the Second World War, "Hadrian" was impressed into No. 261 Squadron RAF as AS982, at RAF Odiham. On 6 December 1940, "Hadrian" was torn loose from its moorings at Doncaster Airport in a gale, cartwheeled, and ended up inverted on a railway track next to the airport. The plane was too badly damaged to be worth repairing.

H.P.45

The H.P.45 carried more passengers but with a reduced range and baggage capacity, and was intended for Imperial Airways' European routes.

G-AAXC "Heracles"

G-AAXC was named after Heracles, also known as Hercules, who was the son of Zeus and Alcmene in Greek mythology and was noted for his extraordinary strength. "Heracles" first flew on 8 August 1931 and was impressed into service with the RAF on 3 March 1940. The aircraft was destroyed in a gale on 19 March 1940 at Whitchurch Airport, Bristol, when it was blown together with "Hanno" and damaged beyond repair.

It stars in Yoko Tsuno’s fifth album, "Message pour l'éternité", and features in Roy Lockwood's 1934 short Documentary film "Airport" (a 'day in the life' of London's Croydon airport).

G-AAXD "Horatius"

G-AAXD was named after Horatius, a legendary Roman hero. "Horatius" first flew on 6 November 1931. It was impressed into RAF service in the Second World War. Returning from France on a transport mission on 7 November 1939, the aircraft could not find its destination of Exeter due to bad weather and was forced to make an emergency landing at Tiverton Golf Course; during this, it hit two trees and was destroyed.

G-AAXE "Hengist"

G-AAXE was originally named "Hesperides", but was soon renamed after Hengist, brother of Horsa and legendary conqueror of Britain. "Hengist" first flew on 8 December 1931. It was later converted from a European to an Eastern aircraft. "Hengist" was caught in an airship hangar fire and burned at Karachi on 31 May 1937, making it the only H.P.42/45 not to survive until the Second World War.

G-AAXF "Helena"

G-AAXF was named after Helena, also known as Helen of Troy. It first flew on 30 December 1931. Like "Hengist", it was converted to an Eastern aircraft. "Helena" was impressed into service with No. 271 Squadron RAF in May 1940 . After a hard landing the aircraft was grounded later that year; post-accident inspection condemned the airframe due to corrosion, and it was scrapped in 1941, except for the front fuselage section which was used as an office by the Royal Navy for several years.

Operators

* Imperial Airways
* Royal Air Force
** No. 271 Squadron RAF

pecifications (H.P.42E)

aircraft specifications

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=
crew=4
capacity= 24 passengers
length main=92 ft 2 in
length alt=28.09 m
span main=130 ft
span alt=39.62 m
height main=27 ft
height alt=8.23 m
area main= 2,989 sq ft
area alt= 278 m²
airfoil=RAF 28
empty weight main= 17,740 lb
empty weight alt= 8,047 kg
loaded weight main=28,000 lb
loaded weight alt=12,700 kg
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
engine (prop)=Bristol Jupiter XIF
type of prop=radial engine
number of props=4
power main=490 hp
power alt=365 kW
max speed main=120 mph
max speed alt=195 km/h
cruise speed main=95-105 mph
cruise speed alt=150-170 km/h
range main=500 mi
range alt=805 km
ceiling main=
ceiling alt=
climb rate main=790 ft/min ,Jackson, A.J. "British Civil Aircraft Since 1919, Volume 2, Second edition". London: Putnam & Company, 1973. ISBN 0-370-10010-7.]
climb rate alt= 4 m/s
loading main=
loading alt=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Barnes, C. H. "Handley Page Aircraft Since 1907". London: Putnam & Company, Ltd., 1987.
* Clayton, Donald C. "Handley Page, an Aircraft Album". Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Ltd., 1969. ISBN 0-7110-0094-8.

External links

* [http://www.imperial-airways.com/Handley_page_hp42.html Handley Page HP42]
* [http://www.handleypage.com/Aircraft_hp42_hp45.html Handley Page Aircraft]
* [http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=229 British Aircraft Directory]
* [http://www.jaapteeuwen.com/ww2aircraft/html%20pages/HANDLEY%20PAGE%20HP42.htm British Aircraft of WWII]

ee also

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