51-652: The Handley Page HP.67 Hastings is a retired British troop-carrier and freight transport aircraft designed and manufactured by aviation company Handley Page for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Upon its introduction to service during September 1948, the Hastings was the largest transport plane ever designed for the service. Development of the Hastings had been initiated during the Second World War in response to Air Staff Specification C.3/44 , which sought
102-606: A Vickers Vimy piloted by Alcock and Brown in June of that year. The Atlantic flew into New York City via Canada on 9 October 1919, carrying the first airmail from Canada to the United States of America . In the immediate postwar years, Handley Page modified some O/400's for passenger use, which they flew on the London-Paris route as Handley Page Transport . The V/1500 was considered too large to be practical at
153-476: A chase plane , to verify items like altitude , airspeed , and general airworthiness . A maiden flight is only one stage in the development of an aircraft type. Unless the type is a pure research aircraft (such as the X-15 ), the aircraft must be tested extensively to ensure that it delivers the desired performance with an acceptable margin of safety. In the case of civilian aircraft, a new type must be certified by
204-631: A circular fuselage , which was suitable for pressurisation up to 5.5 psi (38 kPa). It was provided with a retractable undercarriage and tailwheel. In addition to the Hastings, a civilian version was also developed, the Hermes . Initially, development of the Hermes prototypes had been assigned a higher priority over the Hastings, but that programme was placed on hold after the prototype crashed during its first flight on 2 December 1945; thus Handley Page opted to concentrate its resources on completing
255-637: A modified tailplane with 15° of dihedral, and the installation of an artificial stall warning system. These changes enabled the first production aircraft, designated Hastings C1 , to enter service during October 1948. The Royal Air Force (RAF) had initially placed an order for 100 Hastings C1s; however, the last six were manufactured as weather reconnaissance versions, referred to as the Hastings Met. Mk 1 , while seven other aircraft were subsequently converted to this standard. These weather reconnaissance aircraft were stripped of their standard interiors,
306-475: A narrow gap which improved airflow at high angles of attack and improved low speed handling. The leading edge slat was simultaneously designed by the German aerodynamicist Gustav Lachmann , who was later employed by Handley Page. The design was so successful that licensing fees to other companies were their main source of income in the early 1920s. In 1929, Cricklewood Aerodrome was closed and Handley Page moved
357-498: A new large four-engined transport aircraft for the RAF. Early on, development of a civil-oriented derivative had been prioritised by the company, but this direction was reversed following an accident. On 7 May 1946, the first prototype conducted its maiden flight ; testing revealed some unfavourable flight characteristics, which were successfully addressed via tail modifications. The type was rushed into service so that it could participate in
408-434: Is constructed in three main sections from frames comprising rolled alloy . The frames are typically Z-section units using intercostal plate members, but the wing box makes use of larger I-section structures; these support a metal sheet covering that is rivetted directly onto stringer flanges. The maximum external diameter of 11 ft is maintained for a lengthy portion of the fuselage's length, running both fore and aft of
459-414: Is present on the starboard side; on the ground, a rapidly deployable ramp suitable for road vehicles can also be used. In service, the aircraft was typically operated by a crew of five; it could accommodate either up to 30 paratroopers, 32 stretchers and 28 sitting casualties, or a maximum of 50 fully equipped troops. In terms of its structure, the Hastings features a circular cross-section fuselage, which
510-415: Is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets . In the early days of aviation it could be dangerous, because the exact handling characteristics of the aircraft were generally unknown. The maiden flight of a new type is almost invariably flown by a highly experienced test pilot . Maiden flights are usually accompanied by
561-584: The Air Ministry formulated and released Air Staff Specification C.3/44 , which defined a new long-range general purpose transport to succeed the Avro York , a transport derivative of the Avro Lancaster bomber. British aviation company Handley Page made its own submission to meet C.3/44, the corresponding design being designated H.P.67 . According to aviation periodical Flight International ,
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#1732790764677612-493: The Berlin Airlift ; reportedly, the fleet of 32 Hastings to be deployed during the RAF operation delivered a combined total of 55,000 tons (49,900 tonnes) of supplies to the city. As the RAF's Hastings fleet expanded during the late 1940s and early 1950s, it supplemented and eventually replaced the wartime Avro York , a transport derivative of the famed Avro Lancaster bomber. RAF Transport Command operated
663-819: The First World War , Handley Page produced a series of heavy bombers for the Royal Navy to bomb the German Zeppelin yards, with the ultimate intent of bombing Berlin in revenge for the Zeppelin attacks on London. Handley Page had been asked by the Admiralty to produce a "bloody paralyser of an aeroplane". These aircraft included the O/100 of 1915, the O/400 of 1918 and the four-engined V/1500 with
714-705: The HP.52 Hampden bomber, which took part in the first British raid on Berlin. In response to a 1936 government request for heavier, longer ranged aircraft, Handley Page tendered the HP.56 design powered by twin Rolls-Royce Vultures and this was ordered, along with what became the Avro Manchester . However the Vulture proved so troublesome that – years before the engine was abandoned by Rolls-Royce in 1940 –
765-550: The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). The service flew the type until it was replaced by American-built Lockheed C-130 Hercules during 1965. Four Hastings C.Mk 3 transport aircraft were built and supplied to the RNZAF. One crashed at RAAF Base Darwin and caused considerable damage to the city water main, its railway and the road into the city. The other three were broken up at RNZAF Base Ohakea . During
816-495: The trailing edge ribs terminate just short of the slotted flaps . Furthermore, the leading edge of the wing's center section was readily detachable, providing easy access to various electrical and control systems housed within the wing. The aircraft's fuel tanks are located just inboard of the inner engine nacelles; retractable ejector pipes were present within the wing, which were used for jettisoning fuel when such action would be required by an emergency situation. The Hastings
867-488: The 100 in O/100 indicated the type's 100-foot wingspan, while other designs it may or may not have been meaningful other than as a design sequence. By 1923, the company had come to the end of the alphabet and had begun reusing earlier letters, but this would have become confusing, so from 1924 they assigned the letters HP and a sequential number to indicate the model, with previous aircraft being retroactively assigned numbers in
918-409: The 32 Hastings deployed during the operation had delivered a total of 55,000 tons (49,900 tonnes) of supplies, during which two aircraft had been lost. A total of one hundred Hastings C1 and 41 Hastings C2 were procured for service with RAF Transport Command , who commonly deployed the type upon its long-range routes, as well as some use as a tactical transport until well after the arrival of
969-550: The Air Staff decided that the HP.56 should be fitted with four engines instead. Therefore, before reaching the prototype stage, the HP.56 design was reworked into the four-engined HP.57 Halifax . The Halifax became the second most-prolific British heavy bomber of the war after the Avro Lancaster (itself essentially a four-engine development of the Manchester). Although in some respects (such as crew survivability) better than
1020-422: The H.P.67 was an extremely aerodynamically clean design, as well as being relatively orthodox in terms of Handley Page methodology. Its basic configuration was an all-metal low-wing cantilever monoplane with a conventional tail unit. It had all-metal tapering wings with dihedral , which had been designed for the abandoned HP.66 bomber development of the existing Handley Page Halifax ; these wings were mated to
1071-569: The Hastings as the RAF's standard long-range transport; as a logistics platform, it contributed heavily during conflicts such as the Suez Crisis and the Indonesian Confrontation . A handful were also procured by the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) to meet its transport needs. Beyond its use as a transport, several Hastings were modified to perform weather forecasting , training , and VIP duties. A civilian version of
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#17327907646771122-605: The Hastings, the Handley Page Hermes , was also produced, which only achieved limited sales. Hastings continued to be heavily used by RAF up until the late 1960s, the fleet being withdrawn in its entirety during 1977. The type was succeeded by various turboprop -powered designs, including the Bristol Britannia and the American -built Lockheed Hercules . Amid the latter years of the Second World War ,
1173-459: The Hastings; the squadron conducted its first sortie using the type to Berlin on 11 November 1948. During the airlift, the Hastings fleet was intensively used, principally to carry shipments of coal to the city; before the end of the crisis, two further squadrons, 297 and 53 , would be involved in the effort. The final sortie of the airlift was performed by a Hastings, which occurred on 6 October 1949; according to aviation historian Paul Jackson,
1224-674: The Lancaster, the Halifax suffered in terms of altitude performance and was redeployed toward the end of the war as a heavy transport and glider tug, with several variants being specifically built as such, including the HP.70 Halton. After the war, the British Government sought tenders for jet bombers to carry the nation's nuclear deterrent . The three types produced were known as the V-Bombers , and Handley Page's contribution
1275-530: The Met Mk.1 weather reconnaissance aircraft were used by 202 Squadron , based at RAF Aldergrove , Northern Ireland ; they were used by the Squadron up until its disbandment on 31 July 1964, having been rendered obsolete by the introduction of weather satellites . The Hastings T.Mk 5 remained in service as radar trainers well into the 1970s; the variant was used for other purposes as well during this time, such as
1326-469: The RAF; an additional four Hastings were built for the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), which gave a total of 151 aircraft. The Handley Page Hastings was a large purpose-built four-engine transport aircraft. It was furnished with several modern features, such as a Messier -built fully retractable undercarriage , which was operated hydraulically , and unprecedented stowage space for an RAF transport aircraft. Roughly 3,000 cubic feet of unrestricted area
1377-514: The UK's national airline service, which continued to use a number of the W.8, W.9 and W.10 series of airliners. Handley Page continued to develop large biplane airliners, including the luxurious Handley Page H.P.42 , for use on Imperial routes to Africa and India. Handley Page developed the Handley Page Slat (or slot), an auxiliary airfoil mounted ahead and above the wing, which formed
1428-432: The aircraft final assembly to Radlett Aerodrome . Cricklewood Aerodrome was taken over by Cricklewood Studios , the largest film studio in the UK at that time. Manufacture of aircraft parts and sub-assemblies continued until 1964 at Cricklewood when the remainder of the site was sold off and a Wickes home renovation store currently occupies the site. With the Second World War looming, Handley Page designed and produced
1479-508: The crew to such dangers, while fire extinguishers were also installed around each engine. The engines drove de Havilland -built hydromatic four-blade propellers, which could be individually feathered if required. The Hastings had been rushed into service with the RAF during September 1948 due to the pressing need for additional transport aircraft to meet the demands of the Berlin Airlift . Between September and October 1948, No. 47 Squadron rapidly replaced its fleet of Halifax A Mk 9s with
1530-412: The faster turboprop -powered Bristol Britannia during 1959 . A total of four VIP-configured Hastings were assigned to 24 Squadron . An example of the latter use was during the Suez Crisis of 1956, during which several Hastings of 70 , 99 and 511 Squadrons dropped paratroopers on El Gamil airfield, Egypt . Hastings continued to provide transport support to British military operations around
1581-443: The first British public company to build aircraft. In 1912, Handley Page established an aircraft factory at Cricklewood after moving from Barking . Aircraft were built there, and flown from the company's adjacent airfield known as Cricklewood Aerodrome , which was later used by Handley Page Transport . The factory was later sold off to Oswald Stoll and converted into Britain's largest film studio, Cricklewood Studios . During
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1632-489: The globe through the 1950s and 1960s, including dropping supplies to troops opposing Indonesian forces in Malaysia during the Indonesian Confrontation . During early 1968, the Hastings was withdrawn from RAF Transport Command, by which point it has been replaced by the American -built Lockheed Hercules and British-built Armstrong Whitworth AW.660 Argosy , both being newer turboprop-powered transports. Starting in 1950,
1683-476: The installation of a large ventral radome ; each aircraft could carry three trainee bomb aimers in a training section above the radome. The rear cabin retained a secondary passenger/cargo carrying area, giving it a limited transport capacity as well. While tail modifications introduced to the C1 had allowed the type to enter service, a more definitive solution was provided in the form of an extended-span tailplane, which
1734-609: The late 1960s, the British aviation industry was dominated by two companies: Hawker Siddeley and the British Aircraft Corporation . Unable to compete for government orders or build large commercial aircraft, Handley Page produced its final notable Handley Page design, the Jetstream . This was a small turboprop -powered commuter aircraft, with a pressurised cabin and a passenger capacity of 12 to 18. It
1785-408: The military Hastings variant. On 7 May 1946, the first of two Hastings prototypes ( TE580 ) made its maiden flight from RAF Wittering . Flight testing soon demonstrated some issues, including lateral instability and relatively poor stall warning behaviour. To rectify these problems, both the prototypes and the first few production aircraft were urgently modified and tested with a temporary solution:
1836-580: The new sequence, starting with the Type A as the HP.1. Thus the O/400 became the HP.16 and the W.8 the HP.18. Unbuilt projects were skipped from this sequence. When the assets of Miles Aircraft were taken over, the latter's Reading design office used HPR for Handley Page Reading, followed by a number as with the HPR.1 Marathon. Maiden flight The maiden flight , also known as first flight , of an aircraft
1887-463: The occasional transport, air experience, and search and rescue missions. The Hastings was even deployed for reconnaissance purposes during the Cod War with Iceland during the winter of 1975–76; it was finally withdrawn from service on 30 June 1977. In addition to its use by the RAF, several Hastings were also procured by New Zealand , where they were operated by No. 40 and No. 41 Squadrons of
1938-469: The period that the engines were having problems with their sleeve valves (lubricating oil difficulties) RNZAF personnel joked that the Hastings was the best three-engined aircraft in the world. Four Hastings are preserved in the UK and Germany: Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1951–52 , Flight International General characteristics Performance Related development Related lists Handley Page Handley Page Limited
1989-408: The range to reach Berlin. The V/1500 had only just entered operational service as the war ended in 1918. The Handley Page factory at Radlett Aerodrome employed women as part of the war effort, and was visited by royalty. In early 1919, a Handley Page V/1500 aircraft, dubbed Atlantic , was shipped to Newfoundland to attempt the world's first non-stop Transatlantic flight ; only to be beaten by
2040-434: The remainder. The runway surface was removed and replaced with grass, but a shadow remains when viewed from the air. The aerodrome was used in the 1962 film, The Iron Maiden . Handley Page originally used a letter sequence to designate types (i.e. A , B , C etc.). Beginning with the model E, the letter was used in combination with a slash and a number that referred to the installed horsepower, at least initially. However
2091-490: The space being instead occupied by meteorological measuring and recording equipment, along with a galley and wardroom to improve crew comfort during routine flights of up to nine hours. A total of eight C.1 aircraft were later converted to Hastings T5 trainer configuration, which was used by RAF Bomber Command as a replacement for the Avro Lincoln at their Bombing School at RAF Lindholme . The conversion involved
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2142-472: The time, but many design features of the V/1500 were later incorporated into an O/400 airframe to produce their first dedicated passenger design, the W.8 that led to a series of similar airliners, fitted with two or three engines, which, aside from being used by Handley Page Transport, were also exported to Belgium. In 1924 Handley Page Transport merged with two other airlines to create Imperial Airways , as
2193-454: The wing. In order that the Hastings could carry loads too large for its interior, such as Jeeps and some artillery pieces, strong fixture points are present on the underside of the fuselage for the fitting of an under-fuselage carrier platform. The fuselage is paired with a low-mounted cantilever wing, the connection between the two being smoothly faired. This wing comprised a twin-spar structure complete with inter-spar diaphragm-type ribs;
2244-808: Was a British aerospace manufacturer . Founded by Frederick Handley Page (later Sir Frederick) in 1909, it was the United Kingdom's first publicly traded aircraft manufacturing company. It went into voluntary liquidation and ceased to exist in 1970. The company, based at Radlett Aerodrome in Hertfordshire , was noted for its pioneering role in aviation history and for producing heavy bombers and large airliners . Frederick Handley Page first experimented with and built several biplanes and monoplanes at premises in Woolwich , Fambridge and Barking Creek . His company, founded on 17 June 1909, became
2295-574: Was designed primarily for the United States " feederliner " market. Although successful, Jetstream was too late to save Handley Page, and the company went into voluntary liquidation in March 1970 and was wound up after 61 years trading under the same name. The Jetstream lived on, the design being purchased and produced by Scottish Aviation at Prestwick , continuing after the company was bought by British Aerospace in 1977. Radlett Aerodrome
2346-493: Was mounted lower on the fuselage. An aircraft which had this modified tail installed, together with the fitting of additional fuel tanks within the outer wing, was predesignated as the Hastings C2 ; a further modified VIP transport variant, which was fitted with more fuel capacity to provide a longer range than standard aircraft, became the HP.94 Hastings C4 . By the end of production, 147 aircraft had been manufactured for
2397-546: Was named Handley Page (Reading) Ltd , a company constituted to buy and operate the assets formed out of the inactive Handley Page Transport Ltd. The most significant of the inherited designs became the Herald airliner. Designs from the Reading site used the initials HPR ("Handley Page (Reading)"). Unlike other large British aircraft manufacturers, Handley Page resisted the government's pressure to merge into larger entities. By
2448-460: Was opened in 1929 as a grass aerodrome for Handley Page Civil Aircraft. Its runway was extended in 1939 to enable production of Halifax bombers. By the time of its closure the airfield had two runways: Most of the towers, hangars and runways were demolished in the 1970s after the Company was terminated. The M25 Motorway now runs on the south side of the site, with Lafarge Aggregates now owning
2499-469: Was powered by an arrangement of four wing-mounted Bristol Hercules 101 sleeve valve radial engines . These engines were installed upon the leading edge of the wing via interchangeable power-eggs ; the air intakes and thermostatically -controlled oil coolers were also present within the wing. A Vokes -build automated air cleaner was present upon each engine, typically deploying during landings and take-offs. Fire detection systems were also installed to alert
2550-552: Was the HP.80 Victor , a four-engined, crescent-winged design. This aircraft remained in service (as a tanker aircraft ) well beyond the demise of the company which created it. In 1947 Handley Page bought some of the assets of the bankrupt Miles Aircraft company. These assets include existing designs, tools and jigs, most notably for the Miles M.52 supersonic research aircraft, and the Miles site at Woodley , near Reading. The operation
2601-406: Was used to house various cargoes or passengers. The cabin was fitted with a Plymax floor, complete with various grooves, channels, and lashing points for securing goods of varying sizes, while the walls were sound proofed and lined with plywood for increased comfort. Principal access is provided by a freight door on the port side, which incorporates a paratroop door, while a second paratroop door
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