Handley Page Manx

The Manx Story by Handley Page

The

Handley Page Aviation Group was established in June 1909 and quickly began producing heavy bombers for the Royal Navy (RN) at the start of the First World War (1914-1918). This exposure led to further development during the interwar period (1919-1938), and the company remained a participant throughout the Second World War (1939-1945).

In the post-World War II world, the company continued its aviation business, though it couldn't compete effectively for government contracts in peacetime, failed to take advantage of major mergers to stay profitable -- so it eventually stalled and eventually died in March 1970.

During World War II, the company made a major contribution to the British war effort, especially in the early days. Even before the official outbreak of war on September 1, 1939, the company had internal plans to develop the tailless "Bomber Defender," a unique heavy fighter designed to serve the vulnerable Royal Air Force (RAF) large Bombers provide critical defense. To prove the sound of the flying wing design, small-scale development was in order, and company employees began calling it "Manx" (the name was officially used in 1943). The project name "HP.

75" was not officially launched until 1945.

Travel to the Isle of Man

As a tailless aircraft design, the Manx does not have a conventional tail - although a concentrated, small-area vertical tail is used. The main plane of the wing consists of two main sections, an inner section and an outer section. The inboard section serves as the main hull mass, and it carries two de Havilland "Gypsy Major II" engines in a "propeller" fashion. Each of these engines drove a twin-bladed propeller unit and eventually got a better streamlined propeller in 1945. The inner portion has straight leading and trailing edge lines.

Instead, the outboard sections get nice swept back on both the leading and trailing edges, with winglets mounted on their absolute tips for extra control.

The fuselage has a deep teardrop shape with the pilot at the front and the flight observer at the rear. Both seats are glass/framed for optimal visibility during test flights.

The tail position has the unique quality that the tail cone can be jettisoned in an emergency, allowing the observer to leave his position for a short period of time.

Trials resumed in September 1942, although one trial resulted in partial damage to the nose wheel and nose - causing delays; it was not offered again until May 1943. The first flight finally took place on June 25, 1943, when the flying wing completed a ten-minute flight and then landed successfully. More test flights took place from that summer to the fall, but the program stalled again until the fourth test flight in June 1944 (by which time fairings on the front wheels were added).

Fourteen more flights were made by December 1944.

In September 1945, with the end of the war in Europe, the Isle of Man was put on public display for the first time. The last test flight of the now improved streamlined aircraft was recorded in early April 1946, with a total of 31 prototypes completed.

The only airworthy example was then put into storage and eventually burned down in 1952.

The Manx has a reputation for poor performance during flight due to increased overall weight, underpowered engines, vibration issues, and a generally low operating ceiling during early testing. Overall, the flying wing concept is more or less solid, although in an age where fly-by-wire technology is the subject of science fiction, a steady hand is still needed.

A front wing component was considered to add longitudinal stability and additional maneuverability to the aircraft, but that move failed - the component was actually done by Percival Aircraft's carpentry but never installed onto an airworthy aircraft.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes