Handley Page H.P.42

Common card · No. 407294

The Handley Page H.P.42 and H.P.45 were four-engine biplane airliners designed and manufactured by British aviation company Handley Page, based in Radlett, Hertfordshire. They held the distinction of being the largest airliners in regular use in the world on the type's introduction in 1931. The H.P.42/45 were designed in response to a specification issued during 1928 by the British flag airline Imperial Airways. The two models are very similar, with the H.P.42 optimised for range at the expense of payload while the H.P.45 carried more passengers over shorter distances. Imperial Airways approved Handley Page's proposals and ordered four aircraft of the two variants to serve as the new land-based long-distance flagships of its fleet. On 14 November 1930, the prototype, named Hannibal made its first flight. Following their introduction into Imperial Airways service, they formed the backbone of the airliner's land-based fleet through most of the 1930s and, along with the company's numerous...

Read on Wikipedia · Image American Colony (Jerusalem). Photo Dept., photographer. G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection., Public domain