Handley Page Type W

The Handley Page W.8, W.9 and W.10 were British two- and three-engine medium-range biplaneairliners designed and built by Handley Page.

The W.8 (also known as the H.P.18) was the company's first purpose-built civil airliner although it was a development of the wartime Handley Page Type O/400 bomber via the O/7, O/10 and O/11 transports. It had an enclosed cabin for (in most versions) 12 passengers, along with two crew in an open cockpit, and has the distinction of being the world's first airliner to be designed with an on-board lavatory. The prototype first flew on 4 December 1919, shortly after it was displayed at the 1919 Paris Air Show at Le Bourget. The W.8 was subsequently revised to give the W.8b, W.8e (H.P.26), W.9 (H.P.27) and W.10 (H.P.30). It was also the basis for the W.8d (H.P.24), the Handley Page Hyderabad bomber.

Prototype, holding 15 passengers, powered by two 450 hp (336 kW) Napier Lion engines. The original company designation was to have been Handley Page W/400.

To meet an Air Ministry ruling, the capacity was reduced to 12 passengers and the fuel tanks were moved from the engine nacelles to above the top wing. The engines were changed from the Napier Lion to the less powerful but more economical Rolls-Royce Eagle IX. In 1921 the Air Ministry ordered three aircraft, built as the W.8b, for use by Handley Page Transport, and later by Imperial Airways, on services to Paris and Brussels.^[1][2] Another aircraft was delivered to Sabena in 1924 and three more were license built by SABCA in Belgium.

Planned but unbuilt 1923 alteration of W.8b for 1923 with the same engines but seating 16 passengers in a cabin lengthened by removal of the radio compartment and a reduction of freight capacity. The fuel tanks would have been moved to the underside of the top wing and slotted ailerons fitted.^[3]

The W.8d was the initial designation for the Handley Page Hyderabad heavy bomber.

To reduce the risks involved with engine failure, the W.8e was developed with one 360 hp (270 kW) Rolls-Royce Eagle IX in the nose and two 240 hp (180 kW) Siddeley Pumas in the normal position. The first W.8e was sold to Sabena, which had 10 more built in Belgium by SABCA.^[4]

One three-engine W.8f was built with cabin heating (derived from air circulated around the hot engine exhausts). The W.8f was modified in 1929 as the W.8g with an improved tail and rudder design from the W.10 and the third engine was removed and the other two replaced with 480 hp (360 kW) Rolls-Royce type F.XIIA engines.^[5][6][7]

Was a three-engined version with more powerful 385 hp (290 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IV radial engines. It was operated by Imperial Airways and created a record on the London-Paris route of 86 minutes. In 1926, the engines were replaced by three 420 hp (310 kW) Bristol Jupiters. The aircraft was moved to Australia but was destroyed in an accident after nine months.

A twin-engined variant with the 450 hp (340 kW) Napier Lion for Imperial Airways (four built).

When Imperial Airways introduced the Handley Page HP.42 in 1931, the W series aircraft were retired. Aircraft were used by private operators for display and joy riding, but the most important development concerned the two surviving W.10s which were converted to tanker aircraft by Sir Alan Cobham.

• On 10 July 1923, W.8 G-EAPJ Duchess of York of Handley Page Transport crashed at Poix, Marne, France.^[8] Flying from Croydon to Paris it made a forced landing due to engine problems, after landing it ran into a sunken road and was destroyed, the pilot and mechanic were thrown clear and none of the seven passengers were injured.^[9]
• On 21 October 1926, W.10 G-EBMS of Imperial Airways ditched in the English Channel 18 nautical miles (33 km) off the English coast. All 12 people on board were rescued by FV Invicta.^[10]
• El 15 de febrero de 1928, el W.8b G-EBBG Princess Mary de Imperial Airways se estrelló en Abbeville , Francia. ^{[ 8 ]}
• El 17 de junio de 1929, el avión W.10 G-EBMT City of Ottawa de Imperial Airways amerizó en el Canal de la Mancha durante un vuelo de Croydon a París, con la pérdida de siete vidas.
• El 31 de mayo de 1930, el W.9a VH-ULK de la Ellyou Goldfields Development Corporation se estrelló contra una montaña cerca de Salamaua , Papúa Nueva Guinea . ^{[ 8 ] [ 11 ]}
• El 30 de octubre de 1930, el W.8g G-EBIX City of Washington de Imperial Airways sufrió problemas en el motor y se estrelló en Neufchâtel-Hardelot , Pas-de-Calais , Francia, cuando se dirigía de Boulogne a Croydon. ^{[ 8 ]} Tres personas murieron y tres resultaron heridas. ^{[ 12 ]}
• El 14 de mayo de 1932, el W.10 G-EBMR City of Pretoria transportaba a un grupo de 16 pasajeros, incluyendo al alcalde, la alcaldesa y una mujer de 102 años, como parte del Circo Aéreo de Alan Cobham. Mientras la aeronave aterrizaba en Mansfield , "sus ruedas se hundieron en el suelo y se desprendieron". ^{[ 13 ]} No hubo heridos graves, y la pasajera anciana pensó que todo era parte del espectáculo y dijo que con gusto volvería a volar. Evidentemente, el daño fue reparado rápidamente, ya que el 29 de mayo, con 15 pasajeros a bordo, realizó un aterrizaje forzoso en el campo de recreo de Row Heath en el distrito de Bournville de Birmingham , aparentemente debido a la falta de combustible. ^{[ 14 ]}
• El 22 de septiembre de 1934, el W.10 G-EBMM Youth of New Zealand (renombrado de City of Pretoria según el periódico, ^{[ 15 ]} pero la matrícula indica que era City of Melbourne ) de las Exhibiciones Nacionales de Aviación de Sir Alan Cobham se estrelló en Aston Clinton , Buckinghamshire , Reino Unido . ^{[ 8 ]} El avión de pasajeros había sido utilizado recientemente para un reabastecimiento en vuelo de un avión Airspeed Courier que Cobham utilizaba para un intento de vuelo sin escalas a la India. Después de esto, regresó al aeródromo de Ford (cerca de Arundel) para que se le retiraran el tanque de combustible adicional y las tuberías, ^{[ 15 ]} luego volaba de regreso vía Portsmouth a Coventry y se detuvo para repostar en el aeródromo de Heston . Aproximadamente 30 minutos después del despegue se estrelló en un campo, muriendo los cuatro tripulantes. El Inspector de Accidentes concluyó que la causa probable fue una fractura de un perno principal que aseguraba los cables de refuerzo del larguero delantero al plano de cola. La falla del perno probablemente se debió a fatiga del metal y habría causado una pérdida de control de vuelo. La aeronave había estado involucrada en un accidente anterior cuando se intercambió el estabilizador horizontal con uno de otra aeronave, pero después de 50 horas de vuelo desde la reparación, no se consideró que el perno hubiera sido manipulado. ^{[ 16 ]}

 Australia

• Corporación de Desarrollo de los Campos de Oro de Ellyou

 Bélgica

• Sabena

 Reino Unido

• Handley Page Transport
• Imperial Airways
• Exhibiciones Nacionales de Aviación

Datos de aeronaves civiles británicas desde 1919 Volumen 2 ^{[ 17 ]}

Características generales

• Tripulación: 2
• Capacidad: 12 pasajeros
• Longitud: 60 pies 1,5 pulgadas (18,326 m)
• Envergadura: 22,91 m (75 pies 2 pulgadas)
• Altura: 5,18 m (17 pies 0 pulgadas)
• Superficie del ala: 1456 pies cuadrados (135,3 ^m² )
• Peso en vacío: 8600 lb (3901 kg)
• Peso bruto: 13 000 lb (5897 kg)
• Planta motriz: 1 × motor de pistón Rolls-Royce Eagle IX V-12 refrigerado por agua, 360 hp (270 kW) en la parte delantera del fuselaje.
• Planta motriz: 2 motores de pistón en línea Siddeley Puma de 6 cilindros refrigerados por agua, de 240 hp (180 kW) cada uno, situados entre las alas.
• Hélices: Hélices de paso fijo de 4 palas

Actuación

• Velocidad máxima: 103 mph (166 km/h, 90 nudos)
• Velocidad de crucero: 85 mph (137 km/h, 74 nudos)
• Techo de servicio: 13.000 pies (4.000 m)
• Carga alar: 8,93 lb/pie cuadrado (43,6 kg/ ^m² )
• Potencia/masa : 0,065 hp/lb (0,107 kW/kg)

• Barnes, CH Handley Page Aircraft Since 1907 . Londres: Putnam & Company, Ltd., 1987. ISBN 0-85177-803-8.
• Clayton, Donald C. Handley Page, an Aircraft Album. Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Ltd., 1969. ISBN 0-7110-0094-8.
• Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 2. Putnam & Company, Ltd., 1973 (2nd Edition). ISBN 0-370-10010-7
• Warner, Edward P. (May 2008). "Les avions de ligne au banc d'essai en 1921" [Airlines on the Test Bench in 1921]. Le Fana de l'Aviation (in French) (462): 44–55. ISSN 0757-4169.