Handley Page Type W
| Type W | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Twin Eagle engined W.8b | |
| Role | Airliner |
| Manufacturer | Handley Page |
| First flight | 2 December 1919 |
| Introduction | 1921 |
| Retired | 1934 |
| Primary users |
SABENA Imperial Airways |
| Number built | 25 |
| Variants | Handley Page Hyderabad |
The Handley Page W.8, W.9 and W.10 were British two- and three-engine medium-range biplane airliners designed and built by Handley Page.
The W.8 (also known as the H.P.18) was the company's first civil transport aircraft. It housed two crew in an open cockpit and 15 passengers in an enclosed cabin. Powered by two 450 hp (336 kW) Napier Lion engines the prototype first flew on 4 December 1919, shortly after it was displayed at the 1919 Paris Air Show at Le Bourget. It has the distinction of being the world's first airliner to be designed with an on-board lavatory. The W.8 was subsequently revised to give the W.8b, W.8e (H.P.26), W.9 (H.P.27) and W.10 (H.P.30)
To meet an Air Ministry ruling the capacity was reduced to 12 passengers and the fuel tanks were moved. In 1921 the Air Ministry ordered three aircraft for use by Handley Page Transport. These were built as the W8b and powered by the Rolls-Royce Eagle IX and operated by Imperial Airways on services to Paris and Brussels. Another aircraft was delivered to SABENA in 1924 and three more were license built by SABCA in Belgium.
To reduce the risks involved with engine failure, the W.8e was developed with one 360 hp (270 kW) Rolls-Royce Eagle IX in the nose and two 240 hp (180 kW) Siddeley Pumas in the normal position. The first W8e was sold to Sabena, which had ten more built in Belgium by SABCA.
One three-engine W.8f was built with cabin heating (derived from air circulated around the hot engine exhausts).
The W8f was modified in 1929 as the W8g with an improved tail and rudder design from the W10 and the third engine was removed and the other two replaced with the Rolls-Royce Eagle IX.
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