Handley Page Hermes
Handley Page Hermes | |
---|---|
Hermes IV of the Air Links, Biggin Hill 1963 |
|
Type: | Passenger plane |
Design country: | |
Manufacturer: |
Handley Page |
First flight: |
December 3, 1945 |
Quantity: |
29 |
The Handley Page Hermes was a four-engine airliner made by the British manufacturer Handley Page . The type of aircraft built shortly after the Second World War offered space for up to 63 passengers.
history
The Handley Page Hermes was the civil version of the Handley Page Hastings . Both versions were four-engine all - metal aircraft and designed as a low-wing aircraft that had a pressurized cabin . Originally, the civil aircraft was supposed to be brought out first. When the prototype HP68 Hermes I crashed on its first flight on December 3, 1945, this plan had to be abandoned.
The second prototype HP74 Hermes II received an extended fuselage and flew for the first time on September 2, 1947. The production model HP81 Hermes IV was powered by four Bristol-Hercules -763 engines with 1,570 kW and had a nose wheel landing gear , while the weaker motorized prototypes and the Hastings were still equipped with a tail wheel landing gear .
The 25 Hermes IVs produced were delivered to the BOAC airline from August 1950 and were mainly used in West and South Africa. The aircraft definitely ended their service at BOAC in December 1954, after some had been put back into service because of the flight ban for the Comet after its shutdown in 1952. The aircraft ended their careers with Airwork Ltd. in the 1960s . London , Britavia / Silver City Airways, Skyways Limited or, as the last one in 1964, with Air Links Limited . The last aircraft was the prototype of the Hermes II, which flew in the service of the Royal Radar Establishment until 1969 .
Versions
- HP68 Hermes I - 1 prototype
- HP74 Hermes II - 1 prototype
-
HP81 Hermes IV - 25 series machines
- Hermes IV A - converted Hermes IV with four Bristol Hercules 773 engines
- HP82 Hermes V - 2 prototypes with Bristol Theseus turboprop engines
Incidents
From the first flight in 1945 to the end of operations in 1964, it came with HP. Hermes on 12 total write-offs of aircraft. In 5 of them, 20 people were killed. Examples:
- On April 10, 1951, a test flight was carried out with a Hermes V of the Ministry of Supply ( aircraft registration G-ALEU ), on which three of the four engines failed one after the other. An emergency landing took place on a soaked field near Chilbolton . All five inmates survived.
- On November 5, 1956, a Hermes IVA of Britavia (G-ALDJ) collided with trees during the approach to Blackbushe . 7 of the 80 people on board were killed.
Technical data (Hermes IV)
Parameter | Data |
---|---|
crew | 5 |
Passengers | 40-63 |
span | 34.45 m |
length | 29.52 m |
height | 9.15 m |
Wing area | 130.85 m² |
Empty mass | 25,159 kg |
Takeoff mass | 39.092 kg |
Cruising speed | 437 km / h |
Top speed | 567 km / h |
Service ceiling | 7,470 m |
Range | 3,242 km |
Engines | 4 × radial engines Bristol Hercules -763 with 1,566 kW each (approx. 2,130 PS) |
See also
literature
- CH Barnes: Handley Page Aircraft Since 1907. Putnam & Company Ltd., London 1987, ISBN 0-85177-803-8 .
- AJ Jackson: British Civil Aircraft since 1919. Volume 2. Putnam, Second edition 1973, London, ISBN 0-370-10010-7 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Accident statistics HP Hermes , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on January 12, 2018.
- ^ Accident report HP Hermes V G-ALEU , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on January 15, 2018.
- ↑ Accident report HP Hermes IVA G-ALDJ , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 23, 2017.