The Handley Page Hendon was a British torpedo bomber of the 1920s. A two-seat development of Handley Page's earlier single-seat Hanley, the Hendon was a single-engine biplane. While six aircraft were purchased by the British Air Ministry for evaluation and trials purposes, no further production ensued and the Hendon did not enter squadron service.
While the single-seat Handley Page Hanley had lost to the similar Blackburn Dart in fulfilling the requirements for a carrier-basedtorpedo bomber to equip Britain's Fleet Air Arm, it was recognised by both Handley Page and the Air Ministry that a two-seat aircraft would be more useful both for operational purposes and for experimental work. An order was therefore placed on 27 November 1923 for six two-seat derivatives of the Hanley III, designated the Type Ta (later known as the H.P.25) or Handley Page Hendon to meet the requirements of Air Ministry Specification 25/23 for an interim torpedo bomber.[1]
The first of the six aircraft to fly, (serialN9724) flew on 7 July 1924, with the remaining five flying by September. It had a longer fuselage to accommodate the observer, who was provided with a .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Gun on a Scarff ring mounting, but initially, was similar to the Hanley III. Tests showed that it was tailheavy when carrying a torpedo, the outer wings being swept back by six degrees to avoid this.[2]
Operational history
The six Hendons were used for extensive trials to investigate various configurations of leading edge slots/slats. These allowed one aircraft to successfully land on HMS Furious while carrying a torpedo and without using arrestor gear.[3] No further production occurred, the development of automatic slots in October 1927 making the Hendon obsolete.
Variants
Hendon I
Initial configuration. Leading edge slots as Hanley III. Six built.
Barnes, C.H. Handley Page Aircraft since 1907. London:Putnam, 1976. ISBN0-370-00030-7.
Mason, Francis K. The British Bomber since 1914. London:Putnam, 1994. ISBN0-85177-861-5.
Lewis, Peter. The British Bomber since 1914. London:Putnam, Third edition, 1980. ISBN0-370-30265-6.
"The Handley Page “Hendon”". Flight. 29 July 1926. Page 459–461.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Handley Page Hendon.
H.P.25 Hendon
February 14, 2023
handley, page, hendon, british, torpedo, bomber, 1920s, seat, development, handley, page, earlier, single, seat, hanley, hendon, single, engine, biplane, while, aircraft, were, purchased, british, ministry, evaluation, trials, purposes, further, production, en. The Handley Page Hendon was a British torpedo bomber of the 1920s A two seat development of Handley Page s earlier single seat Hanley the Hendon was a single engine biplane While six aircraft were purchased by the British Air Ministry for evaluation and trials purposes no further production ensued and the Hendon did not enter squadron service HendonRole Torpedo bomberNational origin United KingdomManufacturer Handley PageFirst flight 1924Retired 1927Status PrototypesNumber built 6Developed from Handley Page Hanley Contents 1 Development and design 2 Operational history 3 Variants 4 Specifications Hendon 5 See also 6 References 6 1 Notes 6 2 Bibliography 7 External linksDevelopment and design EditWhile the single seat Handley Page Hanley had lost to the similar Blackburn Dart in fulfilling the requirements for a carrier based torpedo bomber to equip Britain s Fleet Air Arm it was recognised by both Handley Page and the Air Ministry that a two seat aircraft would be more useful both for operational purposes and for experimental work An order was therefore placed on 27 November 1923 for six two seat derivatives of the Hanley III designated the Type Ta later known as the H P 25 or Handley Page Hendon to meet the requirements of Air Ministry Specification 25 23 for an interim torpedo bomber 1 The first of the six aircraft to fly serial N9724 flew on 7 July 1924 with the remaining five flying by September It had a longer fuselage to accommodate the observer who was provided with a 303 in 7 7 mm Lewis Gun on a Scarff ring mounting but initially was similar to the Hanley III Tests showed that it was tailheavy when carrying a torpedo the outer wings being swept back by six degrees to avoid this 2 Operational history EditThe six Hendons were used for extensive trials to investigate various configurations of leading edge slots slats These allowed one aircraft to successfully land on HMS Furious while carrying a torpedo and without using arrestor gear 3 No further production occurred the development of automatic slots in October 1927 making the Hendon obsolete Variants EditHendon I Initial configuration Leading edge slots as Hanley III Six built Hendon II Improved slot gear Three converted Hendon III Slotted Flaps One converted from Hendon II Specifications Hendon EditData from Handley Page Aircraft since 1907 4 General characteristicsCrew 2 Length 36 ft 6 in 11 13 m Wingspan 46 ft 0 in 14 02 m Height 13 ft 8 in 4 17 m citation needed Wing area 562 sq ft 52 2 m2 Empty weight 4 350 lb 1 973 kg 5 Gross weight 6 970 lb 3 162 kg Powerplant 2 Napier Lion IIB W 12 water cooled piston engine 450 hp 340 kW each Propellers 2 bladed fixed pitch propellerPerformance Maximum speed 110 mph 180 km h 96 kn Stall speed 55 mph 89 km h 48 kn Service ceiling 9 500 ft 2 900 m Wing loading 12 4 lb sq ft 61 kg m2 Power mass 0 065 hp lb 0 107 kW kg Armament Guns 1 303 in 7 7 mm forward firing Vickers machine gun and 1 303 in 7 7 mm Lewis gun in rear cockpit Bombs 1 18 in 457 mm torpedo or 2 230 lb 105 kg bombsSee also EditRelated development Handley Page HanleyAircraft of comparable role configuration and era Blackburn VelosReferences EditNotes Edit Barnes 1976 p 223 225 Barnes 1976 p 225 Mason 1994 p 158 Barnes 1976 p 229 Lewis 1980 p 420 421 Bibliography Edit Barnes C H Handley Page Aircraft since 1907 London Putnam 1976 ISBN 0 370 00030 7 Mason Francis K The British Bomber since 1914 London Putnam 1994 ISBN 0 85177 861 5 Lewis Peter The British Bomber since 1914 London Putnam Third edition 1980 ISBN 0 370 30265 6 The Handley Page Hendon Flight 29 July 1926 Page 459 461 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Handley Page Hendon H P 25 Hendon Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Handley Page Hendon amp oldid 1065999133, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
