Handley Page: Type W



Note: This is a sub-section of Handley Page Aircraft.
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).
- Note: On 10 July 1923, W.8 G-EAPJ Duchess of York (pictured) crashed at Poix, Marne, France. Flying from Croydon to Paris it made a forced landing due to engine problems, after landing it ran into a sunken road and was destroyed, the pilot and mechanic were thrown clear and none of the seven passengers were injured.