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The 'Handley Page W8, W9 and W10' were British two and three-engined medium-range biplane airliners designed and built by Handley Page.
The 'W8' (also known as the H.P.18) was the company's first civil transport aircraft. It housed two crew in an open cockpit and a cabin for 15 passengers. Powered by two Napier Lion 450 hp engines the prototype first flew on 4 December 1919, shortly after is was displayed at the 1919 Paris Air Show at Le Bourget. The W8 was subsequently revised to give the W8b, W8e (H.P.26), W9 (H.P.27) and W10 (H.P.30)

Contents

Developments

W8b

W8e

W8f and W8g Hamilton

W9a Hampstead

W10

Other variants

Use

Operators

Specifications (W.8f)

References

Developments

W8b

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 3 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. One other aircraft was delivered to SABENA in 1924 and three others were licensed built by SABCA in Belgium.

W8e

To reduce the risks involved with engine failure the W8e was developed with one 360 hp Rolls Royce Eagle IX in the nose and two 240 hp Siddeley Pumas in the normal position. The first W8e was sold to SABENA who had ten others built in Belgium by SABCA.

W8f and W8g Hamilton

One three-engined W8f was built with cabin heating (using air from the engine exhausts).
The W8f was modified in 1929 as the W8g with 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

W9a Hampstead

Was a three-engined version with more powerful 385 hp Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IV radial engines. It was operated by Imperial Airways and created a record on the London-Paris route of 86 minutes. In 1926 the engines were replaced by three 420 hp Bristol Jupiters. The aircraft moved to Australia but was destroyed by an accident after nine months.

W10

A twin-engined variant with the 450 hp Napier Lion for Imperial Airways (four built).

Other variants

★ 'Handley Page W/400' : The original company designation.

★ 'W.8' : Prototype.

★ 'W.8c' : 1923 version fitted with two Rolls-Royce Eagle IX piston engines.

Use

When Imperial Airways introduced the Handley Page HP.42 in 1931 the W series aircraft were retired. Aircraft were used by private operators for display and joy riding, but the most important development concerned the two surviving W10s which were converted to tanker aircraft by Sir Alan Cobham.

Operators

★ Handley Page Transport

★ Imperial Airways

★ SABENA

Specifications (W.8f)

References

★ Jackson, A.J. (1973) ''British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 2.'' (2nd Edition) Putnam. ISBN 0-370-10010-7