Handley Page Marathon
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| Marathon | |
|---|---|
 RAF Marathon c.1950 |
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| Type | light transport |
| Manufacturer | Handley Page |
| Maiden flight | 19 May 1946 |
| Primary users | Royal Air Force British European Airways |
| Number built | 43 |
The Handley Page (Reading) H.P.R.1 Marathon was a British civil 20-passenger light transport produced by Handley Page (Reading) Limited of Woodley Aerodrome, Reading, England.
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[edit] Design and development
The Marathon originated as a design to meet the requirements of the Brabazon Committee. It was designed by Miles Aircraft Limited as a high-wing cantilever monoplane with four engines and all-metal construction. It was capable of carrying two crew and up to 20 passengers. The aircraft was designated the Miles M.60 Marathon with the first of three prototypes (registered U-10) flying on 19 May 1946. A total of 25 aircraft were ordered by the Ministry of Supply and 25 by British European Airways, but Miles had financial problems and needed orders for over 100, not helped when the prototype aircraft crashed and the power shortages led to the loss of components already produced. When the Miles company went bankrupt, Handley Page bought the assets, including the factory and design rights to the Marathon.
The new company, known as Handley Page (Reading) Limited, started producing the Marathon with 40 aircraft built over the next three years with the new designation Handley Page (Reading) H.P.R.1 Marathon 1. A twin-engined prototype turbine powered version (using the Armstrong Siddeley Mamba) was flown in 1949.
[edit] Operational history
The first production Marathon 1 aircraft (registered G-ALUB) left Woodley on 14 January 1950 for a sales tour of Australia and New Zealand. During acceptance tests for British European Airways it was decided that the Marathon was not suitable to replace the de Havilland Dragon Rapide and the order was reduced to seven aircraft. Never really happy with the Marathon, the seven aircraft were soon returned to Handley Page. The returned and unsold aircraft were then diverted for use by the Royal Air Force as navigation trainers with the designation Marathon T11. One aircraft was delivered to Jordan in September 1954 for the personal use of King Hussein.
The Marathon's military career was short; after one crashed in 1954 (and no less than five in 1957), they were only in limited service until they were all retired in 1958 and sold. The Mamba-powered Marathon was later fitted with the Alvis Leonides Major radial engines and used as a testbed for the projected Herald.
No surviving airframes are known to exist but the upper fuselage section of Marathon M.60 HPR 118/G-AMEW/XA265 was stored at Woodley, United Kingdom as part of the Miles Collection c. 2000 [1].
[edit] Variants
- M.60 Marathon
- Miles-built prototypes, two built.
- Miles M.69 Marathon II
- Miles-built version powered by Mamba engines created for British European Airways, only one prototype built.
- Marathon
- Miles M.69 re-engined by Handley Page and used as an engine testbed.
- Marathon I
- Handley Page-built production aircraft, 40 built.
- Marathon T.11
- Military navigation trainer version, 28 modified.
[edit] Operators
[edit] Civil operators
- Union of Burma Airways
- Far East Airlines
- West African Airways Corporation
[edit] Military operators
[edit] Specifications (M.60 Marathon)
General characteristics
- Length: 52 ft 3 in (15.93 m)
- Wingspan: 65 ft 0 in (19.81 m)
- Height: 14 ft 0 in (4.27 m)
- Wing area: 500 ft² (46.45 m²)
- Empty weight: 11,460 lb (5198 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 16,500 lb (7484 kg)
- Powerplant: 4× de Havilland Gipsy Queen 71 inline piston, 330 hp (246 kw) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 200 mph (322 km/h)
- Range: 850 miles (1368 km)
- Service ceiling 16,500 ft (5030 m)
[edit] See also
Related lists
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
[edit] Bibliography
- Amos, Peter. and Brown, Don Lambert. Miles Aircraft Since 1925, Volume 1. London: Putnam Aeronautical, 2000. ISBN 0-85177-787-0.
- Brown, Don Lambert. Miles Aircraft Since 1925. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1970. ISBN 0-37000-127-3.
- Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft since 1919, Volume 2. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1974. ISBN 0-370-10010-7.
- Temple, Julian C. Wings Over Woodley - The Story of Miles Aircraft and the Adwest Group. Bourne End, Bucks, UK: Aston Publications, 1987. ISBN 0-946627-12-6.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). London: Orbis Publishing.
[edit] External links
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