Boulton Paul Overstrand
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| Overstrand | |
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| Type | Bomber |
| Manufacturer | Boulton Paul |
| Designed by | H.A. Hughes |
| Maiden flight | 1933 |
| Introduced | 1934 |
| Retired | 1941 |
| Primary user | Royal Air Force |
| Number built | 28 (four converted Sidestrands) |
| Developed from | Boulton Paul Sidestrand |
The Boulton Paul P.75 Overstrand was the last of the twin-engine biplane medium bombers of the Royal Air Force, a series that had begun during the First World War with the likes of the Vickers Vimy and Handley Page Type O. The Overstrand only saw brief service in the late 1930s and by the outbreak of the Second World War only a few surviving aircraft remained in operation with training units.
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[edit] Design and development
The Overstrand was essentially an upgrade of Boulton & Paul's Sidestrand which had first flown in 1928 and like the Sidestrand was named for a village in Norfolk, home also of Boulton Paul's Norwich factory. The Sidestrand was similar to its First World War predecessors in that it had open cockpits and hand-operated defensive machine guns. However, unlike its predecessors, the Sidestrand could fly at 140 mph (225 km/h) making operating the exposed gun positions difficult, particularly in the aircraft's nose. [1]
To overcome this problem, the Overstrand was fitted with an enclosed and powered nose turret mounting a single Lewis gun. As such the Overstrand was the first RAF aircraft to have a power-operated turret. Rotation was handled by pneumatic motors while elevation and depression of the gun used hydraulic rams. The pilot's cockpit was also enclosed but the dorsal and ventral gun positions remained open, though shielded.
[edit] Operational history
The first Overstrand, at the time designated the Sidestrand Mk IV, flew in 1933, powered by two 580 hp Bristol Pegasus IM.3 engines, instead of the Sidestrand's 460 hp Bristol Jupiters, and was capable of 153 mph. The bombload was also increased to 1,500 lb (680 kg).
24 Overstrands were produced and in 1936 began replacing the Sidestrand in service. The Overstrand was operated by No. 101 Squadron RAF (which had been the sole Sidestrand squadron) and briefly by No. 144 Squadron RAF (though they were replaced by Bristol Blenheims in 1938).
At the outbreak of the Second World War, 11 Overstrands remained in service and six of these were used for gunnery training. They remained in operation until 1941 though flying was limited following the mid-air breakup of an Overstrand in 1940.
There were plans to develop a version with retractable undercarriage, dubbed the P.80 "Superstrand", but the project was abandoned. [2]
[edit] Operators
- Royal Air Force
- No. 101 Squadron RAF
- No. 144 Squadron RAF
[edit] Specifications
Data from[citation needed]
General characteristics
- Crew: three or four; pilot and two-three gunners
- Length: 46 ft (14.02 m)
- Wingspan: 71 ft 11 in (21.92 m)
- Height: 15 ft 6 in (4.73 m)
- Wing area: 979 ft² (91 m²)
- Empty weight: 7,936 lb (3,607 kg)
- Loaded weight: lb (kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 12,000 lb (5443 kg)
- Powerplant: 2× Bristol Pegasus IM3 9-cylinder radial engine, 580 hp (433 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 150 mph (240 km/h)
- Range: 545 miles (872 km)
- Service ceiling 22,400 ft (6,829 m)
- Wing loading: 12.2 lb/ft² (60 kg/m²)
- Power/mass: 0.10 hp/lb (0.16 kW/kg)
Armament
- Guns: 3 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis guns in nose, dorsal and ventral gun positions
- Bombs: 1,500 lb (680 kg) bombs (2 x 500 lb and 2 x 250 lb) and four 20 lb (9 kg) bombs could be carried on fuselage racks by the cockpit and dorsal gun position
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
[edit] Bibliography
- Brew, Alec. Boulton Paul Aircraft since 1915. London: Putnam, 1993. ISBN 0-85177-860-7.
- Winchester, Jim. Bombers of the 20th Century. London: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 2003. ISBN 1-84037-386-5.
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
Related development Boulton Paul Sidestrand
Related lists
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