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| Handley Page Hastings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Description | ||
| Role | Transport | |
| Crew | 5-6 | |
| Passengers | 50 troops | |
| First Flight | May 23, 1946 | |
| Entered Service | September, 1948 | |
| Manufacturer | Handley Page | |
The Handley Page HP 67 Hastings was a troop-carrier and freight transport of the Royal Air Force. At the time it was the largest transport plane ever designed for the RAF, and it replaced the Avro York as the standard long-range transport. It had all-metal tapering dihedral wings and a circular fuselage suitable for pressurisation up to 5.5 lbs/in² (380mb).
The two squadrons equipped with Hastings flew intensively during the Berlin Airlift, and a Hastings made the last sortie of the airlift on October 6, 1949. 100 Hastings C1 and 41 Hastings C2 were built, and they served on Transport Command's long-range routes until the arrival of the Bristol Britannia in 1959.
19 Hastings were later converted for weather reconnaissance, and 8 were converted to Hastings T5 radar trainers for bomb-aimers.
The Handley Page HP 81 Hermes was a civilian airliner of identical outward appearance to the Hastings. It was intended to introduce the Hermes before the Hastings, but production was delayed after the prototype DH 68 Hermes I crashed on its maiden flight December 2, 1945. The production model HP 81 Hermes IV was fitted with 2,100hp (1,570kW) 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 we West and South AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. 30,244,050 km2 (11,677,240 mi2) including the islands, it covers 20. 3% of the total land area on Earth, and with over 800 million human inhabitants it accounts for ar.
| Handley Page Hastings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | ||
| Length | 81 ft 3 in | 24.8 m |
| Wingspan | 113 ft 0 in | 34.5 m |
| Height | 22 ft 6 in | 6.9 m |
| Wing Area | 1,408 ft² | 130.8 m² |
| Weights | ||
| Empty | 41,689 lbs | 18,910 kg |
| Loaded | 75,000 lbs | 34,010 kg |
| Maximum takeoff | lbs | kg |
| Powerplant | ||
| Engine | 4 × Bristol HerculesThe Hercules was a 14-cylinder two-row radial aircraft engine produced by the Bristol Engine Company starting in 1939. It was the first of their sleeve valve designs to see widespread use, powering many aircraft in the mid- World War II time frame. Bristo 101 | |
| Power (each) | 1,675 hp | 1,250 kW |
| Performance | ||
| Maximum speed | 343 mph @ 21,500 ft | 552 km/h @ 6,550 m |
| Combat range | 2,850 miles | 4,590 km |
| Ferry range | km | miles |
| Service ceiling | 26,700 ft | 8,140 m |
| Rate of climb | 1,010 ft/min | 310 m/min |
| Wing loading | 53.3 lb/ft² | 260 kg/m² |
| Power/Mass | 0.089 hp/lb | 0.147 kW/kg |
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