Handley Page Hermes
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| HP.81 Hermes | |
|---|---|
 From the sales Brochure for the Hermes. |
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| Type | Airliner |
| Manufacturer | Handley Page |
| Maiden flight | 2 December 1945 |
| Introduced | 6 August 1950 |
| Primary user | BOAC |
| Number built | 29 |
| Developed from | Handley Page Hastings |
The Handley Page HP 81 Hermes was a civilian airliner of similar outward appearance to the military Handley Page Hastings. Unlike the tailwheel Hastings, the Hermes had a nose wheel undercarriage. It was intended to introduce the Hermes before the Hastings, but production was delayed after the prototype HP 68 Hermes I crashed on its maiden flight December 3, 1945. The next variant was the HP 74 Hermes II, which was a prototype with a lengthened fuselage. The production model HP 81 Hermes IV was fitted with 2,100 hp (1,570 kW) Bristol Hercules 763 engines, had a tricycle undercarriage instead of a tail-wheel and could carry up to 82 passengers. 25 of these were built, and they were used by BOAC on routes in West and South Africa.
When Hermes IV were fitted with later Hercules 773 engines, they were called Hermes IVA. Two Hermes V were built with the 2,220 hp Bristol Theseus turboprop engine. In general the Hermes went out of use in the 1960s. The fuselage of a Hermes IV (the former BOAC aircraft G-ALDG named Horsa) is preserved at the Imperial War Museum Duxford.
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[edit] Variants
All 29 aircraft were built at Radlett Aerodrome, Hertfordshire, England.
- H.P.68 Hermes 1
- Prototype powered by four 1650hp (1231kW) Bristol Hercules 101 radial engines, one built.
- H.P.74 Hermes 2
- Prototype powered by four 1675hp (1250kW) Bristol Hercules 121 engines and a 13ft (4.57m) longer forward fuselage, one built.
- H.P.81 Hermes 4
- Production aircraft with tricycle landing gear and powered by four 2100hp (1567kW) Bristol Hercules 763 engines, 25 built.
- H.P.81 Hermes 4A
- Hermes 4 aircraft modified to use use 100 octane fuel with the engine re-designated Hercules 773, most converted back to Hermes 4 standard.
- H.P.82 Hermes 5
- Development aircraft with four 2490hp (1858kW) Bristol Theseus 502 turboporops, two built.
[edit] Operators
- Bahamas Airways.
- Air Links
- Air Safaris
- Airwork
- Britavia
- British Overseas Airways Corporation
- Falcon Airways
- Royal Radar Establishment
- Silver City Airways
- Skyways
[edit] Accidents and Incidents
- 3 December 1945 - Hermes I G-AGSS the prototype Hermes crashed on the first test flight soon after take-off 3 miles from Radlett Aerodrome. The two Handley Page test pilots were killed.
- May 26 1952 - Hermes IV G-ALDN (Horus), en route from Tripoli, Libya, to Kano, Nigeria, flew off-course for several hours and ran out of fuel, crashing into the Sahara Desert south of Atar, Mauritania. The passengers and crew all survived the crash. They spent several days in the desert before making their way to an oasis, where First Officer Ted Haslam, who had suffered a head injury in the crash, died.[1]
- 4 March 1956 - Hermes IV G-ALDW operated by Skyways Limited was destroyed on the ground by an explosion in the luggage compartment. The aircraft was at Nicosia Airport, Cyprus when an explosion (caused by a time-bomb) occurred 20 minutes before the aircraft was due to depart for the United Kingdom with 68 passengers.[2]
- 5 November 1956 - Hermes IV G-ALDJ operated by Britavia crashed on night approach to Blackbushe Aerodrome, England. 7 of the 80 occupants died.[3]
[edit] Specification (Hermes IV)
General characteristics
- Crew: 7
- Capacity: 40 - 82 passengers
- Length: 96 ft 10 in (29.52 m)
- Wingspan: 113 ft (34.45 m)
- Height: 30 ft (9.15 m)
- Wing area: 1,408.0 ft² (130.85 m²)
- Empty weight: 55,350 lb (25,159 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 86,000 lb (39,092 kg)
- Powerplant: 4× Bristol Hercules 763 radial engines, 2,100 hp (1,566 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 350 mph (304 kt, 567 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 270 mph (at 20,000 ft) (234 kt, 437 km/h)
- Range: 2,000 miles (with 14,125 lb (6,420 kg) payload) (3,242 km)
- Service ceiling 24,500 ft (7,470 m)
- Rate of climb: 1,030 ft/min (314 m/min)
[edit] See also
Related development Handley Page Hastings
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
[edit] Bibliography
- Barnes, C. H. Handley Page Aircraft Since 1907. London: Putnam & Company, Ltd., 1987. ISBN 0-85177-803-8.
- Clayton, Donald C. Handley Page, an Aircraft Album. Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Ltd., 1969. ISBN 0-7110-0094-8.
[edit] External links
- Hastings at British Aircraft Directory
- Hermes
- A picture of the Hermes II prototype G-AGUB - (note: picture is mislabelled as an Avro Tudor II)
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