Handley Page Fighter

With production of a batch of Havocs under way, the Air Ministry considered and tendered another specification. They deemed the Havoc an intercepter and still held that a zone fighter was called for. The liquid-cooled engine was also considered unfit for service at colonial stations and an air-cooled engine was suggested. It has been said that Air Ministry procurement procedures were established by great minds who had attended a speech given by Boom Trenchard in which he called on the Service to become air-minded. Trenchard wasn't a great public speaker, and he accidentally muttered "air-headed" instead. Some took him for his word. Interesting how small events change the world. Anyway, Dowding suggested a Mercury Havoc, but the response to the request was much more complex than that. The fuselage was again refined, and a slightly longer and completely re-engineered wing was built with possible provision for retractable gear at some future date. Another potential provision was an up-gunning from .303 Vickers machine guns to .50 calibre was made, and a request for an air-cooled barrel was extended to Vickers. If an air-cooled barrel was not in the offing, consideration was given to the possibility of installing a tea maker, but the idea was suppressed because the supply of ammunition was limited, and thermoses were a viable alternative. Further options were a radio, spatted wheels, and the centerline stores station. The Mercury engine was to be fitted with a Fairey-Reed three-bladed variable pitch propeller.
Trials were held at Martlesham Heath, and competition was lackluster, with the Bristol entry being lost after entering a flat spin. The pilot bailed out safely. The Gloster entry handled very well indeed, but lacked the speed and climb. Handley Page continued to dominate the fighter market as it again won the contract. Although provision for a naval Victor had been made ready, no one from the Admiralty witnessed the trials. No one from the Admiralty had attended Trenchard's speech either.
 
Just Leo said:
With he accidentally muttered "air-headed" instead. Some took him for his word.
:D
Just Leo; said:
consideration was given to the possibility of installing a tea maker, but the idea was suppressed because the supply of ammunition was limited, and thermoses were a viable alternative.
LOL.

You realize piping from the wing would be very vulnerable to battle damage, & failure would put the a/c out of action entirely.:p
 
:D

LOL.

You realize piping from the wing would be very vulnerable to battle damage, & failure would put the a/c out of action entirely.:p

The machine guns are located just in front of the cockpit, so the pipes would be relatively safe from battle damage. Standard fighter aircraft cupholders are mounted on the instrument panel, lower left. The use of Jojoba bean oil to lubricate the weapons would impart an interesting nuance to the tea's flavor. Inspired by Tetley's new "bold" tea which I'm drinking because my wife doesn't care for the new "bold" aftertaste. I blame the tea.
 
And what a contract it turned out to be. Eighteen RAF squadrons were outfitted with Victors, and 50 naval Victors were delivered as well. The name given to naval Victors was "naval Victors". Surprisingly, the air-cooled barrel was developed for the .50 Vickers and eventually reached service. The Mercury engine was continually up-graded, and Victors going into service depots often left with a new mark number. Overseas squadrons from Egypt to Singapore began receiving modern fighters to supplement their allotment of Harpys. The spats, and drop-tanks, ahich they weren't allowed to drop, conveniently imparted a range of over 650 miles. In 1935, the Victor Mk.V was introduced, featuring fully retractable gear, raising maximum level speed to 345 mph, and range to 700 miles, with full fuel load.

While the power of the Mercury was progressing nicely, future engine requirements were discussed and the need for a big engine was brought before the Bristol board. While the first target sleeve-valve engine had been decided, this decision was changed to meet a need, and a 14 cylinder two-row engine would debut first. The Perseus, which would do nothing but compete with the Mercury and Pegasus, was shelved. The new engine was to be named Hercules, and early power and weight estimates meant that HP draughtsmen had better sharpen their pencils. At the same time, word got around of another engine of substantial potential, called, unimaginatively enough, PV12, and additional draughtsmen were hired. During this period, Sir Frederick and Roy Fedden began to talk about the paucity of draughtsmen and engineers. They continued discussing this topic for a while. Something should be done.
 
The final examples of Handley Page fighters prior to the outbreak of war were the Herald and Hellfire. Both were fast, and while the Hercules produced 1375 hp, and the Merlin barely 1000 hp, the Merlin-powered Hellfire was slightly the faster, clipping along at 375 mph at rated altitude. However, there was some competition from the Supermarine Company, something called a Spitfire. Silly name. The Spitfire was favored because it carried 8 .303 Browning machine guns to the HP's pair of .50s. An underwing pod was developed to contain an HS-404 Hispano 20mm cannon below each wing, which cost 12 mph in speed, but greatly increased firepower, and the installation became standard. R. Malcolm Co. devised a new blown canopy which also became a standard fit. The Air Ministry favored the Hellfire, and orders were placed for 600, which was going to require quite some effort, and some additional production facilities. Another order for 300 Spitfires was also placed at this time. The Admiralty stepped up and ordered one hundred Heralds, with the promise of more powerful Hercules engines in the offing.

Intermission.

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But the Admiralty insisted on further changes, inspired by the fact that they had someone to insist. Changes were requested both from Handley Page and from Bristol. The inner section of slat was deleted and 4 Hispano cannons were installed, while the machine guns were deleted. Revisions of the Hercules included aft-facing individual exhaust pipes, and a pressure carburetor, with oil cooler and supercharger air being supplied through wing root ducts. The result was an aircraft with a top speed of 334.5 kts, landing at 68 kts, and stalling at 64 kts. Climb rate was 3,600 ft/min, and service ceiling was 34,000 ft. Range was 800 miles with maximum fuel, and a 500 lb. bomb could be carried. The FAA now operated a naval fighter aircraft superior to all land based fighters.

This has been a Handley Page Tale.

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Driftless

Donor
Well done!

I shed a tear of pride and joy for the now all growed-up HPS-1 ;)

Do this again, please.

*edit* I really like the radial versions, especially the Wildfire.
 
Anyone else curious about the wartime service?

No one cares, but Handley Page and Roy Fedden fought a battle to establish a school of aeronautical engineering so that, in future, Armstrong-Whitworth would have a chief designer who knew about flaps. They might have lost if not for the support of Stafford Cripps, for many industrialists and academics thought things were just fine as it was, and fought the proposals. The Cranfield College, now Cranfield University, was established, although diluted and diversified by white paper. Cripps, you may recall, further educated the Soviets in British technology.

This was a story, not of wartime exploits, but on the adoption of advanced technology on a timely basis. Wartime exploits were hinted at, by the depiction of one of the Victors as one of the four horsemen that saved Malta during a time of trouble, and a Hellfire flown by George Beurling from that same island. Handley Page fighters did not save Ceylon because radar stations and a fighter control system were neglected in tropical lethargy, and they didn't save two battleships because an admiral didn't think of calling for air cover until the waves were washing up over his knees. Indeed, in Singapore and Burma, as in northern France, many fighters were destroyed sitting on the ground. The 'Fires that won the Battle of Britain didn't win the battle. It was won by the men who flew them, and by the man who sent them to fight.

As an aside, the glorious Fairey Swordfish had Handley Page slats. The Fairey Applecore did not. Is there a Fairey tale in the offing?
 
A Fairey Tail.

Long ago, the Admiralty had realized that the Fairey Swordfish was obsolete, and issued specifications hoping for a replacement. Spec. M.7/36 was drawn up for an a/c with 58 kts stall, 183 kts with torpedo. The anticipated Rolls Royce Boreas was the anticipated engine of choice. Fairey, Supermarine, Hawker and Westland submitted proposals, and further musing suggested that the bids from Westland and Fairey would merit further study. Supermarine offered a variable incidence wing and Hawker offered a power-folding wing. I suppose they didn't offer enough elsewhere. Westland and Fairey offered to pool some talent, and a new engine in the offing, from Bristol, the Hercules, lent a fall-back engine to the proposal. As long as Teddy Petter was chief designer of the project, he was happy as a clam.

Work progressed, and the Hercules became the prime engine of choice. In 1938, the Lysandore was ready for testing. Harald Penrose was the test pilot, and he amazed attending officials, not just with high speed passes of over 250 mph, but also with manoevrability and full-stall landings. It looked like the FAA might enter the future with "modern" aircraft.

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