Handley Page Marathon

Handley Page (Reading) HPR1 Marathon
Type:	Airliner
Design country:	United Kingdom
Manufacturer:	Handley Page
First flight:	May 19, 1946
Commissioning:	1951
Number of pieces:	43

The Handley Page (Reading) HPR1 Marathon (original name Miles M.60 ) was a light four-engine airliner made by the British manufacturer Handley Page (Reading) Limited . The aircraft, which was built shortly after the Second World War , was designed for 20 passengers.

history

The marathon was planned according to the specifications of the Brabazon Commission . The design originally came from Miles Aircraft Limited and envisaged an all-metal airplane with four Gipsy Queen piston engines . The aircraft, designed as a high- wing aircraft, had a retractable landing gear and a double vertical tail. The machine had space for two pilots and twenty passengers. The prototypes were named Miles M.60 Marathon . The first flight took place on May 19, 1946.

The UK government and British European Airways each ordered 25 aircraft. However, due to the manufacturer's financial problems, more than a hundred orders would have been necessary. Further difficulties arose when a prototype crashed and costly design changes became necessary. Miles Aircraft was then insolvent.

The aircraft manufacturer Handley Page acquired the design plans of the M.60 and the production facilities in Reading in 1948, which were incorporated into the new "Handley Page (Reading) Limited". In the following three years forty machines were built under the new name Handley Page (Reading) HPR1 Marathon 1 . In contrast to the prototypes, they received a triple tail.

The first production machine flew to Australia and New Zealand for advertising purposes in 1950. During the test flights with the first aircraft delivered in 1951, it turned out that it could not replace the De Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide of British European Airways. The airline then reduced its orders to seven copies. The machines were returned to the manufacturer after a short period of use.

Handley Page converted these and other unsold models for the Royal Air Force into Marathon T.11 navigation training aircraft. After one machine crashed in 1954, the others were taken out of service by 1958 and sold on. Another machine was bought by King Hussein of Jordan in 1954 as a private machine .

In addition, a twin-engine variant has been developed yet by Miles, over a Armstrong Siddeley Mamba - turboprop engines possessed. The Marathon 2, which made its maiden flight on July 23, 1949, did not go into production. The only prototype was later Alvis Leonides Major - radial engines equipped and as a test aircraft for the Handley Page Herald used.

Versions

• M.60 Marathon - two prototypes from Miles Aircraft
• M.69 Marathon 2 - a single prototype made by Miles for British European Airways with two Mamba turboprop engines
• HPR1 Marathon 1 - forty production aircraft from Handley Page
• HPR1 Marathon T.11 - 28 conversions for Royal Air Force, navigation trainer
• HPR5 Marathon - former Miles M.69 with two Leonides Major radial engines

use

Civil users

 Myanmar

• Union of Burma Airways

 Japan

• Far East Airlines

 Nigeria

• West African Airways Corporation

 United Kingdom

• British European Airways

Military users

 Jordan

• Royal Jordanian Air Force

 United Kingdom

• Royal Air Force
• Royal Aircraft Establishment

Technical data (M.60 marathon)

Parameter	Data
crew	2
Passengers	20th
length	15.93 m
span	19.81 m
height	4.27 m
Wing area	46.45 m²
Wing extension	8.4
Empty mass	5198 kg
Takeoff mass	7484 kg
Top speed	322 km / h
Service ceiling	5030 m
Range	1368 km
Engines	four in- line engines de Havilland Gipsy Queen 71 with 246 kW (334 PS) each

See also

• List of aircraft types

literature

• Tony Eastwood, John Roach: Piston Engine Airliner Production List. Aviation Hobby Shop, West Drayton 1991, ISBN 0-907178-37-5 .
• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing, London 1985.
• AJ Jackson: British Civil Aircraft since 1919. Volume 2. Putnam & Company Ltd., London 1973, ISBN 0-370-10010-7 .
• Julian C. Temple: Wings Over Woodley. The Story of Miles Aircraft and the Adwest Group. Aston Publications, Bourne End 1987, ISBN 0-946627-12-6 .

Web links

Commons : Handley Page Marathon  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• British Aircraft Directory