Handley Page H.P.42 / H.P.45
Страна: Великобритания
Год: 1930


Транспортный самолет с экипажем из трех человек
Описание:
Handley Page H.P.42 и H.P.45
Flight, June 1929
BRITISH AIRCRAFT AT OLYMPIA
Flight, November 1932
British Aircraft
Flight, July 1933
THE HANDLEY PAGE "HEYFORD"
Фотографии:

Ч/б фото (93)

Handley Page H.P.42 и H.P.45

Авиакомпания "Imperial Airways" испытывала необходимость в новом самолете для своих авиалиний, призванных связать различные уголки Британской Империи. В начале 1928 года компания "Handley Page" получила от нее контракт на четыре самолета H.P.42E (Eastern - Восточный) и четыре H.P.42W (Western - Западный) для эксплуатации на дальних маршрутах авиакомпании. Через несколько лет обозначение модели H.P.42W было изменено на H.P.45.
   Самолеты являлись бипланами с крыльями разного размаха, связанными массивной ферменной конструкцией Уоррена. Машина была цельнометаллической конструкции, кроме полотняной обшивки крыльев, стабилизатора и задней части фюзеляжа. Самолет имел трехкилевое бипланное хвостовое оперение с рулями направления, шасси с хвостовым колесом и широко расставленными основными стойками. Также машина получила силовую установку из четырех звездообразных ПД Bristol Jupiter (на Н.P.42E - четыре Jupiter XIF мощностью 490 л. с., а на H.P.42W - четыре двигателя с турбокомпрессором Jupiter XFBM), два из которых ставились на верхнем крыле, и по одному - с каждой стороны фюзеляжа на нижнем крыле. Экипаж размещался в закрытой кабине вверху носовой части фюзеляжа, а пассажиры - в двух салонах перед крылом и позади него. Вместимость салонов могла меняться. Самолеты H.P.42E на линиях в Индию и Южную Африку вмещали шесть (затем 12) пассажиров в переднем салоне и 12 в заднем; каждый из самолетов H.P.42W, применявшихся на европейских маршрутах, имел 18 мест в переднем салоне и 20 в заднем, но их багажный отсек был уменьшен. Первый полет самолета H.P.42E, названного Hannibal, состоялся 14 ноября 1930 года.
   Первый самолет для эксплуатации на европейских авиалиниях - Heracles - был поставлен в сентябре 1931 года, остальные авиалайнеры носили имена: для H.P.42E - Horsa, Hanno и Hadrian, а для H.P.42W - имена Horatius, Hengist и Helena. В эксплуатации самолеты заслужили хорошую репутацию за счет высокой надежности и простоты эксплуатации и обслуживания, но скорость машин была, конечно, слишком низкой. Авиалайнеры были сняты с эксплуатации 1 сентября 1939 года, почти десять лет прослужив без единой авиакатастрофы.


ТАКТИКО-ТЕХНИЧЕСКИЕ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИКИ

   Handley Page H.P.42W (H.P.45)

   Тип: транспортный самолет с экипажем из трех человек
   Силовая установка: четыре звездообразных ПД Bristol Jupiter XFBM мощностью по 555 л. с. (414 кВт)
   Летные характеристики: максимальная скорость на оптимальной высоте 204 км/ч; крейсерская скорость на оптимальной высоте 153-169 км/ч; начальная скороподъемность 204 м/мин; практический потолок - нет данных; дальность полета 805 км
   Масса: пустого 8047 кг; максимальная взлетная 12701 кг
   Размеры: размах верхнего, большего крыла 39,62 м; длина 28,09 м; высота 8,23 м; площадь крыльев 277,68 м2
   Полезная нагрузка: см. выше

Flight, June 1929

BRITISH AIRCRAFT AT OLYMPIA

HANDLEY PAGE, LIMITED

   CONCERNING the the Handley Page exhibits at Olympia we are not, unfortunately, able to give our readers any very detailed account, as one of the machines to be shown is a recent production and may only be referred to rather vaguely, while of the other machine, the new large four-engined passenger carrier, the saloon portion only will be shown.
   By far the largest commercial machine ever produced in this country for regular use as a passenger carrier on air routes, the new four-engined Handley Page will have seating accommodation for no less than 40 passengers. The saloon is divided into two separate ones, with a lavatory and a large luggage compartment in between them. The reason, or one of the reasons, for this arrangement is, we understand, that in this manner there is no passenger sitting in line with the propellers, so that should one of the airscrews burst, the pieces might be flung through the fuselage but would not be likely to injure anyone.
   The four-engined Handley Page will be of all-metal construction, and the fuselage portion to be shown at Olympia will have not only its main framework but also the covering of metal. The tail portion of the fuselage, which will not be shown, will have a tubular framework and fabric covering.
   Many unusual features will be found in the general layout of the machine. For example, the attachment of the lower wings to the fuselage is near the top instead of on the lower longerons. This does not mean that the entire lower wing is placed high in relation to the fuselage, as, for example the lower wing in relation to the hull of a flying-boat, but that there is a distinct break in the lower planes as viewed from in front. From the lower engines, which are placed a considerable distance outboard, the lower wings slope upwards considerably until they meet the fuselage, forming, as it were, an anhedral angle, while the outer portions of the wings are set at a dihedral angle. The reason for this unusual arrangement is not, we believe, an aerodynamic but a practical one, the object being to provide a better view for the passengers, who will be able actually to look under the inner portions of the lower wing.
   Apart from the arrangement of the lower plane, the wing bracing will be unusual in that no streamline wires will be employed. The entire structure will be strut braced, the struts forming, with the spars, a Warren girder. "Once rigged always rigged" is the motto which the Handley Page firm uses in this connection.
   The engine arrangement is unorthodox in that all four engines drive tractor airscrews, i.e., no tandem placing of engines is employed. This is achieved by placing two of the as engines immediately under the top plane, as close together as the airscrew clearance will permit, while the two lower engines are mounted on the lower plane, far enough outboard for their propellers to clear the fuselage sides. It may be remembered that the French Bleriot firm produced one or two commercial aeroplanes of this type some years ago, so that there is precedent for such an engine arrangement. The petrol tank will be carried in the top centre-section, and will be high enough above the two top engines to give direct gravity feed to them as well as to the lower engines.
   At the moment it is not, we learn, definitely decided which type of engines will be fitted in the new Handley-Page 40-passenger machine, but they will at any rate be radial air-cooled, and either Bristol “Jupiters” or Armstrong Whitworth “Jaguars.” The new machine, if successful, will be operated by Imperial Airways, Ltd.
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Flight, November 1932

British Aircraft

Handley Page, Limited
Cricklewood, London, N.W.2

   FOR a great number of years the name of Handley Page has been associated in the public mind at home and abroad with two things: Large aircraft and slots. The first large Handley Page machine made its appearance during the war, and was known as the type O/400. Since those early days the Handley Page firm has rather made a speciality of large aircraft, of which considerable numbers and many types have been in service, commercial as well as military' aircraft. Space does not permit of referring here to more than one representative of each class.

H.P. 42

   When Imperial Airways, Ltd., made the decision to concentrate on large aircraft as the most economical type to operate, and the type which promised the greatest degree of comfort for the passengers, Handley Page, Ltd., were awarded the order. The design was for a large four-engined biplane, and showed considerable originality, not only in the aerodynamic layout but in the structural methods adopted. The first order was for eight machines, and it was a bold step for all concerned to embark upon such an ambitious scheme with an as yet untried design. However, the work went forward, and, apart from certain "teething troubles" with the first machine, the "Hannibal," the H.P. 42 class proved a success, and is now one of the most popular types of civil aircraft in Europe.
   Several forms of construction are used in the H.P. 42. The forward and middle portion of the fuselage is a metal-covered structure, while the rear portion is of tubular construction. The wings have Duralumin spars with stainless steel fittings, and are fabric covered. The pilots' cabin is in the extreme nose of the fuselage, whence the view is quite exceptionally good. The cabin is divided into two compartments, and has seating accommodation for 38 or 18 passengers, according to whether the machine is of the "Western" or "Eastern" type. The former is used in Europe, the latter between Egypt and Karachi.
   All who have travelled in the H.P. 42 class of aeroplane are unanimous that the. comfort, and particularly the absence of noise, is far greater than has been achieved before in a similar type of machine. The two cabins are so arranged, with a space between them, that no passenger is in line with the propellers. This has helped materially in reducing noise, as has also, of course, the actual dimensions of the machine, which remove the engines a considerable distance from the cabins.
   The power plant of the H.P. 42 consists of four Bristol Jupiters, of which two are placed close together in the centre of the top plane, while the other two are placed fairly far outboard on the lower wing.
   Some idea of the size of the H.P. 42 can be formed from the following data :-
   Length o.a. 89 ft. 9 in. (27,36 m.)
   Wine span (upper) 130 ft. (39,62 m.)
   Wing area 3,000 sq. ft. (279 m!.)
   Gross weight ("Western") 29,500 lb. (13 400 kg.)
   Pay load ("Western") 8,500 lb. (3 860 kg.)
   Gross weight ("Eastern") 28,000 1b. (12 800 kg.)
   Pay load ("Eastern") 7,000 lb. (3 180 kg.)
   Max speed ("Western") 127 m.p.h. (205 km./h.)
   Cruising speed ("Western") 100 m.p.h. (161 km./h.)
   Max. speed ("Eastern") 120 m.p.h. (191 km./h.)
   Cruising speed ("Eastern") 100 m.p.h. (161 km. h.)
   The "Western" type has Jupiter X.F. BM engines and the "Eastern" Jupiter XI F.

Flight, July 1933

THE HANDLEY PAGE "HEYFORD"
2 Rolls-Royce "Kestrel" Engines

   SINCE the original Handley Page H.P.38 was designed, built and flown, there has been a change in load factors, etc., and the new "Heyford" night bomber, which is in effect the production version of the H.P.38, therefore differs considerably in some respects from the prototype; so much so that it has been given a new works series number, and is identified as the H.P.50. Before the construction of the "Heyfords" ordered by the Air Ministry was undertaken, the Handley Page works at Cricklewood were thoroughly overhauled and reequipped with new and improved machinery. Very extensive use has been made of jigs, and the result of all these improvements, which one suspects to be largely due to Mr. Hamilton, who joined the firm as works manager about the time when the work on the "Heyfords" was begun, is at once evident in the form of vastly improved workmanship and finish. An interesting article could be written on the workshop methods used in producing the "Heyfords," but that would be outside the scope of these notes, which are intended to deal with the finished machine rather than with the methods by which it has been produced. As it is, we have not the space this week to describe the "Heyford" completely, and we have, therefore, decided to divide the article into two instalments, the first, which follows, dealing with the structural aspects of the "Heyford," and the second, which we hope to publish later, to describe the finished machine, its lay-out and general equipment.
   In the notes which follow it is advisable to bear in mind that the "Heyford" is an unorthodox aeroplane in the arrangement of its large components. The fuselage and two engine nacelles are placed immediately under the upper plane, while the lower centre section is uninterrupted by any such large bodies, and is, in fact, used as a receptacle for the bombs. This arrangement has introduced certain changes in structural policy.

The Fuselage

   Structurally speaking, the fuselage is built in four separate sections joined together by bolted joints. Beginning at the nose, there is a forward portion which is of metal monocoque construction. Then follows a single-bay portion, with very stout diagonal strut bracing in the side panels, which is in line with the wings. Aft of that is the main rear fuselage portion, with vertical and horizontal struts and tie rod cross bracing. Finally, the fuselage terminates at the stern in a small unit which carries the tail and castering tail wheel.
   The front, monocoque, portion of the fuselage is of very neat and simple construction. It carries no very heavy weights (crew and their equipment only) and therefore a heavy primary structure has not been necessary. The longerons are built up of an outer curved corner strip and an inner strip of “Omega" section. In the forward half of the monocoque the lower longeron "omegas" are fairly shallow, while in the rear half they are deeper, to meet conveniently the tubular longeron of the rear fuselage portion. The "omegas" of the top longerons are shallow and of uniform depth throughout.
   Top and bottom longerons are connected by vertical formers of small, light-gauge strip of "omega" section. Like the longeron strips they are of Duralumin. The covering is "Alclad," riveted on in fairly large panels. The skin is reinforced by external stringers of shallow channel section, and the side of the rear half of the monocoque is reinforced by an internal diagonal member riveted to the skin and to the vertical formers. The deck and bottom of the monocoque are of a construction similar to that of the sides.
   Two half-bulkheads divide the monocoque into three compartments. The bulkheads are composed of vertical channels from floor to roof, double walls attached to the side skin by L-section strips, and internal channel stiffeners. The front bulkhead, which forms the forward wall of the pilot's cockpit, has a two-fold door which, when closed, keeps the draught from the forward gunner's cockpit from entering the pilot's compartment.
   Aft of the monocoque is the single-bay fuselage portion which carries the wings. This has steel tubular longerons and diagonal struts in the side panels, while the top horizontal panel is braced by swaged rods and the floor panel by streamline wires.
   The rear fuselage main portion, which is really typical of the general construction, has steel tube longerons and struts, with tie rod cross bracing. The joints combine welding, bolting and riveting in a somewhat unusual manner. Welding is used solely as a means of locating the strut fittings on the longerons. Two flat plates have their edges welded to the longeron, or to a sleeve over the longeron, and between the free edges of these plates are inserted the strut ends, secured to the plates by tubular rivets.
   Extensive use is made of sleeve joints for struts and longerons. The ends of struts or longerons are inserted in the sleeve, at the other end of which may be another tube or a fitting. In either case the attachment is by thin studs through tube and sleeve, a large number of studs being used, radially disposed to clear each other. If a damaged strut or longeron is to be replaced, all that has to be done is to undo the nuts of these "spoke studs," when the sleeve can be slid along and the tube removed from the structure.

The Wings

   Owing to the unusual arrangement of the fuselage, engines and bombs, the wing structure of the "Heyford" shows local variations in the type of structure used. The top centre section, upper and lower end portions, are, generally speaking, of one type, while the bottom centre section is of quite different construction owing to the need for accommodating the bomb load.
   Duralumin is the material used in the main wing spars and ribs. The spars are of built-up box section, as shown in our sketches. The ribs are of tubular construction, joints being made by flat plates and tubular rivets. The compression or drag struts are of a section similar to that of the spars, but of slightly smaller overall dimensions.
   In the bottom centre section the spars have bulb-section booms joined by a single thin flat web, reinforced by channel-section stiffeners on front and back. Both booms of the front spar, and the upper boom of the rear spar, are of heavy gauge, and are formed on the draw-bench. The bottom boom on the rear spar is of much lighter gauge, and has its free edges curved for stiffness.
   The ribs of the lower centre section are somewhat more elaborate than those used generally in the wings. The wing section used is fairly deep, to accommodate the bombs, and the concentrated loads are, of course, very much greater. The ribs, therefore, have channel-section flanges of fairly large dimensions, and the tubes of the rib wab are of much larger diameter than those of the normal ribs.
   The engine mountings of the "Heyford" are steel tube structures, using partly welded joints and partly "spoke stud" joints similar to those in the fuselage. The engine mountings are made as complete units, even including the interplane struts, and are built in elaborate jigs. The undercarriage telescopic struts are hinged to the front interplane strut inside the engine mounting. Each wheel is carried on a fork, and the single telescopic strut allows the wheel to rise and fall inside its "spat." A castering tail wheel is fitted.
H.P.42 G-AAGX Hannibal
The Handley Page H.P.42 "Hannibal" (4 Bristol "Jupiters") landing at Croydon. Note “Imperial Airways” lettering along the bottom of the fuselage.
The prototype H. P.42, G-AAGX, was jointly tested by Maj Cordes and Tom Harry England in November 1930 from Radlett, Hertfordshire. Named Hannibal this HP.42 flew with Imperial Airways until it was lost at sea over the Gulf of Oman on March 1, 1940.
Hannibal on a test flight, with crude artificial horizon ahead of the nose. The oleo legs are still unfaired but mudguards are in place.
COMPLETE WITH CERTIFICATE OF AIRWORTHINESS: The Handley Page "Hannibal" (four Jupiters) leaving Hanworth for Croydon.
"Owing to his great size it is difficult to appreciate Hannibal's proportions, except at a considerable distance; as seen from the ground, or preferably from another plane, he appears quite graceful in flight."
Handley Page 42
Хвостовое оперение H.P.42
HANDLEY PAGE 42-SEATER: The photographs show this new large passenger aeroplane on the ground and ni the air. In front of the wings is a saloon for 18 passengers while the rear saloon will accommodate 20 more. Machines of this type will be used by Imperial Airways on the routes Croydon-Salonika and Cairo-Karachi.
The first of eight H.P.42s supplied to Imperial Airways, who ordered the machines "off the drawing board." The “42” will go down in aviation history as a really outstanding aeroplane.
THE HANDLEY-PAGE "HANNIBAL": Fitted with 4 Bristol "Jupiter" engines, this machine, which was designed to carry 42 passengers, is intended for the European and Cairo-Karachi sections of the Empire air routes next summer.
In November 1932 Imperial Airways introduced the Handley Page H.P.42E on their Cairo-Cape route; G-AAGX "Hannibal" Illus.
Hannibal at Radlett, probably on November 17, 1930. The oleo leg is unfaired and the mudguards have not been fitted. The diagonal of the N strut was replaced with wire bracing.
The Handley Page "Hannibal" class the first really large British commercial aeroplane, set a new standard in comfort for passengers.
An unusual touch was lent to the Parliamentary visit to Hanworth by the presence of a replica of the old Bleriot monoplane, Type XI, and the latest commercial aircraft, the Handley Page "Hannibal." Many of the visitors saw, for the first time, a Bleriot monoplane in flight
The scene in the main hangar during the official opening on July 7, 1930 with the fuselage of H.P.42 G-AAGX still under construction and the remains of the 1910 Yellow Peril nestling under it.
Prince George making his speech. The remains of the 1910 "Yellow Peril" stand beside the fuselage of a 40-seater passenger machine.
G-AAUC Horsa
G-AAUC Horsa flying near Kisumu, the African terminus for the H.P.42s.
Malakal Aerodrome (Sudan): Imperial Airways' Horsa landing on the finished runway. The machine is actually touching the southern turning circle, and the reeds seen in the background are in the backwater of the Nile, which runs beside the aerodrome.
Handley Page H.P.42E G-AAUC Horsa, somewhere in Africa in the mid-Thirties. The aircraft was first registered to Imperial Airways Ltd on September 19, 1931 and remained in service with the airline until it was impressed into RAF service as AS981 in May 1940.
THE PENNANT IN EGYPT: Sir Miles Lampson, High Commissioner at Cairo, inspects the crew of the Imperial Airways airliner Horsa, after presenting the Royal Air Mail Pennant. Later he went up for a flight over Cairo.
The Handley Page H.P.42E G-AAUC after impressment as AS981, in service with No 271 Sqn at Doncaster in 1940.
G-AAUD Hanno
"Hanno" заправляется топливом в Бахрейне. По маршруту полета была организована сеть пунктов дозаправки. Некоторые имели обслуживающий персонал, некоторые представляли собой просто склады.
H.P.42 Hanno at Gwadar, Baluchistan. Registered G-AAUD, it was wrecked in a gale at Whitchurch in March 1940.
THE KARACHI-CALCUTTA AIR MAIL: The accompanying illustrations show incidents in connection with the first air mail service between Karachi and Calcutta, which was inaugurated on July 7. Mails (635 lb.) were transferred to the Imperial Airways machine Hanno for the remaining portion of the journey to Croydon.
G-AAUE Hadrian
FROM MONOPLANE TO BIPLANE: From Karachi the journey was continued in Hannibal, of the Handley Page 42 class, similar to Hadrian shown above.
G-AAUE Hadrian at Khartoum. The aircraft was delivered to Imperial airways on July 10,1931, and ended its life wrecked in a gale at Doncaster on December 4, 1940.
A trio of typical aircraft operating commercial services in Africa in the 1930s, including two of IAL’s most important landplanes; Handley Page H.P.42E G-AAUE Hadrian (furthest right) and Armstrong Whitworth AW.15 Atalanta G-ABTJ Artemis, behind Wilson Airways’ de Havilland D.H.84 Dragon VP-KBG, at Kisumu in Kenya.
Handley Page H.P.42E G-AAUE Hadrian with Armstrong Whitworth Atalanta G-ABTH Andromeda at an unknown African aerodrome in the mid-Thirties. This Atalanta was originally put on the Cape Town - Kisumu route in February 1933. The aircraft was eventually withdrawn from Imperial Airways service at Alexandria after suffering mainspar damage.
DIGNITY AND IMPUDENCE: The Comper Swift (Pobjoy R) sheltering under the bow of Hadrian at Croydon just before Flt. Lt. N. Comper set out for Italy.
JACK-THE-GIANT HAULER: This is the Fordson caterpillar tractor, now used at Croydon for hauling the giant airliners about.
Imperial Airways' Handley Page H.P.42 G-AAUE Hannibal is seen taking on November 24, 1931 bound for Egypt. This aircraft was lost over the Gulf of Oman, between Jask and Sharjah, on March 1, 1940.
"Hadrian" has a look at the meeting.
H.P.45 G-AAXC Heracles
H.P.42 G-AAXC leaves Radlett on its first flight, summer 1931.
Handley Page H.P.42 G-AAXC Heracles on test at Radlett. Note the aerofoil elevator balance and the underwing outboard exhaust pipes on the upper engines.
Arguably that the most successful landplane to operate in Imperial Airways livery were biplanes - the eight magnificent and sedate HP.42s - G-AAXC 'Heracles' illustrated.
H.P.42W, G-AAXC, arriving at the Bristol & Wessex Garden Party on October 1, 1932, with Captain O. P. Jones in command.
Heracles was very imposing as "she" arrived over the hangar at Bristol Airport. The broadcasting van on the left was most ably worked throughout the meeting by Mr. Dick Ashley Hall.
Handley Page H.P.42W G-AAXC Heracles was registered to Imperial Airways Ltd in August 1931. The 42W variant carried 38 passengers, but had less room for baggage than the standard 42E, though both were externally identical. Heracles made an unscheduled extended stay at Hanworth Park in June 1932, when one of its wheels sank into a drainage culvert while the aircraft was preparing to leave the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Garden Party. There followed many trouble-free years of service until a gale wrecked the old dear at Whitchurch, Bristol, on March 19, 1940.
The Lord Mayor of London, Sir Maurice Jenks, and party make a tour of inspection of Croydon Aerodrome before flying to Lancashire in a Handley Page 42 airliner on June 6.
This view of Heracles shows the engine layout, anhedral on the lower wing, and wide-track undercarriage.
Самолет Н.Р.42 хорошей аэродинамикой не отличался: лес стоек и расчалки бипланной коробки, неубираемые шасси с подкосами серьезным образом увеличивали лобовое сопротивление машины. Н. Р.42 развивал скорость немного больше, чем курьерский поезд, но в шуточной гонке Лондон-Эдинбург с трудом, но выиграл у поезда "Летучий шотландец".
The first significant British multy-engine aeroplane with an enclosed cockpit was the H.P.42 Heracles-class of Imperial Airways airliner.
"HERACLES," best known of Imperial Airways' H.P. 42's, last week celebrated her 1,000,000th mile in the air.
On the Thursday afternoon even the large seating accommodation of the H.P.42 "Heracles" was unable to cope with the demand for tea flights over London by our enthusiastic visitors.
AT CROYDON: The Heracles (with the Spartan "Cruiser") just before the start for Denmark.
With Handley Page H.P.42 Heracles nosing into the picture from the right, Boulton Paul P.71A G-ACOX is prepared for a flight at Croydon. Only two examples of the P.71A feederliner were completed and both were delivered to Imperial in February 1935. Both had been lost in accidents by the end of 1936.
READY FOR ACTION: The first of the passenger-carrying D.H. Albatross monoplanes at Croydon last week. Suitably posed in the background will be seen Heracles, which has done so much good work and which will still be essential for dealing with the tremendous mail loads on the Empire routes during the Christmas season. Two of the D.H. Frobisher class are expected to be ready before the middle of December; afterwards they will be put on the Zurich route.
A contrast in styles. Imperial Airways D.H.91 Frobisher at Croydon in 1939 with the Handley Page H.P.45 Heracles.
DEMONSTRATION: One of the two Swissair Douglas machines, which were demonstrated recently at Croydon, being refuelled beside the Imperial Heracles. Actually, the "Scylla" class will probably be used, as last year, for our own part of the Zurich service. The Government has offered a prize of ?25,000 to encourage the production of medium-sized commercial machines.
REFUELLING: An impressive picture of the two largest types in European passenger service - the Handley-Page "Heracles" and the Short "Scylla' - on the tarmac at Croydon.
This rare photograph of H.P. 42 G-AAXC in wartime livery was probably taken at Whitchurch, Bristol in March 1940
H.P.42 G-AAXC being dismantled at Hanworth in June 1932 after breaking a wheel on a drain culvert.
G-AAXD Horatius
Handley Page H.P.42W G-AAXD Horatius about to touch down at Croydon in the early Thirties.
"Horatius" (Н. P.42W) после взлета из аэропорта Кройдон. Самолет стал первым британским летательным аппаратом, в который в полете ударила молния, это случилось 9 мая 1932 года.
The Band of the Coldstream Guards in the foreground competing with the four "Jupiter" engines of Horatius at Heston.
The photograph of the H.P.42 G-AAXD, was taken at Wiener Neustadt. Horatius was a H.P.42W or Western model, identical externally to the 42E, Eastern model, but able to carry 38 passengers though luggage space was reduced by half. G-AAXD flew with Imperial Airways for eight years until wrecked in a forced landing at Tiverton, Devon in November 1939.
Shoreham Airport; the photograph was taken when Horatius landed there during recent bad weather.
The type H.P.42 "Hannibal" class (4 Bristol "Jupiter" Engines)
SAFETY IN THE AIR: His Royal Highness the Duke of York inspected the aerodrome building at Croydon, and the Handley Page "Horatius," on the occasion of the Inauguration of the Air Safety Section of the National Safety First Association on May 5.
Another view of Fortuna taken at Croydon with an H.P.42 and a D.H.86 in the background.
Croydon scene just before the war. In this view are the A.W.27s Ettrick, Elysian, Elsinore, Eddystone and Explorer, the D.H.91s Frobisher and Falcon, the H.P.45 Horatius and the Short L.17 Syrinx. Just visible in the background is a Junkers-Ju 90.
Imperial Airways airliners grounded at Croydon during the last month of peace had to stand in the open. Behind G-ADSX Ettrick can be seen G-ADSZ Elysian and G-ADST Elsinore.
WHERE WE GET OFF. - Croydon Aerodrome, the London Terminal Airport, whence our Imperial Airway takes off for the Continent.
A NEW COAT for Horatius in Imperial Airways' workshops being quickly administered by the B.E.N. Patents P.10-type portable spraying plant seen in the foreground. Driven either by an electric motor or small petrol engine this plant is particularly suitable for dope spraying, and is one of the several different types made by B.E.N. Patents Ltd., Gorst Road, Park Royal, London, N.W.10 - who, incidentally, have recently received a Government contract for similar equipment.
G-AAXE Hengist
The H.P.42 was renowned for passenger convenience and comfort.
WINGED WORDS: Hengist, her Civil Air Ensign and Air Mail Pennant fluttering, prepares to take off from Croydon with the first Australian Air Mail.
The four 555 h.p. Bristol Jupiter XFBMs of H.P.42W G-AAXE running sweetly at Croydon on December 21, 1934 prior to Hengist’s departure with the Australian Air Mail.
UGANDA. - An Imperial Airways' Liner at Entebbe, on Victoria Nyanza.
Typical apron scene at Croydon in the early ’30s with Fokker F.VIII PH-AEl, later to become G-AEPU with British Airways, and H.P.42 G-AAXE Hengist about to depart.
A ROYAL PASSENGER: Prince George leaving Hengist at Croydon after his flight from Paris last week.
THE ROYAL AIR MAIL: Sir Kingsley Wood, the Postmaster-General, presents the first Royal Air Mail Pennant to Sir Eric Geddes, who hands it over to Capt. H. J. Horsey of the good ship Hengist.
THE ALTERNATIVE AIRPORT: Weather conditions were too bad on Sunday for this Imperial Airways machine to land at Croydon, and so it made Heston its port of call.
The nose of the Imperial Airways H.P.42 Hengist, showing the rotating loop aerial used in conjunction with the Marconi-Robinson homing device.
Rotating loop aerial of the new Marconi "homing" device on the Imperial Airways liner "Hengist."
G-AAXF Helena
Самолет "Helena" изначально строился как H.P.42W, но его интерьер выполнили по восточному варианту. Получивший повреждения при посадке в Донибристле, самолет в дальнейшем использовался как "домик" для отдыха летчиков авиации британских ВМС.
G-AAXF Helena en route from Croydon to Le Bourget with the first South African mail.
Large commercial type: The Handley Page 42.
OFF FOR CAPE TOWN!
The first regular through air mail service between England and Cape Town started on Jan. 20.
The scene at Croydon when "the first 12.30 for Cape Town" left in 1932.
One of the few photographs of Helena which shows the civilian wingtip markings as well as the R.A.F. markings.
 
A FULL COMPLEMENT: Passengers emplaning in a Handley Page at Paris en route for London.
Baggage being unloaded from a Handley Page H.P.42E at Khartoum. A comfortable if sedate type, the H.P.42 operated reliably through the Sudan for five years, 1932-37
CHRISTMAS RUSH: A tarmac impression at Croydon on December 24. Beneath the port wing of the Swissair Douglas can be seen an Air France Wibault, an H.P. 42, Scylla and Syrinx, while behind the Douglas is a Railway Air Services' D.H.86.
The Annual Display of the Scottish Flying Club was held at Moorpark Aerodrome, Renfrew, on May 21, 22 and 23 in "some" rain. "Heracles," the Imperial Airways H.P.42, flew up so that visitors were able to have joy rides in a modern large aircraft. On Saturday there was a display by No. 602 (City of Glasgow) (Bomber) Squadron, A.A.F., in their Westland "Wapitis."
An aerial view of Hanworth taken in September 1931 with the prototype H.P. 42 G-AAGX amongst the small fry.
Le Bourget from the air; an Imperial Airways H.P.42 can be seen on the tarmac.
Imperial Airways H.P. 42's, too large for the Heliopolis aerodrome hangars at Cairo, produce "Mother and little pigs" effect.
On the Handley Page Stand: In the foreground the fuselage of the 40-passenger machine. Behind that the "Hinaidi."
THE TAIL: Rudder balances of an unusual type are used. These take the form of separate surfaces, placed some distance from, but linked to, the outer rudders. The balances are provided with fixed slots.
The elevator is of Duralumin construction, with rigid drag bracing.
The tail plane is, like the main wings and control surfaces, of Duralumin construction.