Handley Page Herald
Handley Page · United Kingdom · first flew 1955 · airliner
The Handley Page Herald is a British twin-Dart high-wing regional airliner that entered service in 1958 after its original four-piston design was abandoned in favour of turboprops, seating up to 56 passengers.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × turboprop, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Conventional low-set tailplane on a relatively broad slab-sided fuselage seating 44-56 passengers |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- High tapered wing with two Rolls-Royce Dart turboprops — originally designed for four Alvis Leonides piston engines
- Conventional low-set tailplane on a relatively broad slab-sided fuselage seating 44-56 passengers
- Fixed nosegear fairing and a rounded nose give a dated, prop-era look compared with sleeker contemporaries
High tapered wing with two Darts marks it as contemporary with the Fokker F27, against which it lost decisively. The broader, more slab-sided fuselage and the pronounced nose fairing distinguish it from the sleeker F27 — the Herald looks heavier and more truck-like.
Specifications
- The Handley Page Herald has a length of 23.01 m (75 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 28.88 m (95 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 443 km/h (275 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Designed in the early 1950s as a DC-3 replacement with four Alvis Leonides pistons, the Herald was converted to twin Rolls-Royce Dart turboprops before the first production aircraft flew in August 1958, by which point it faced stiff competition from the Fokker F27 Friendship. Only 50 were built before Handley Page collapsed in 1970.
Variants
The Series 100 seated 44 passengers; the stretched Series 200 added 1.22 m of fuselage for up to 56 seats. Military transport versions were evaluated but not produced in significant numbers.
Where you'll see it
British Island Airways, Jersey Airlines and Autair were among the UK operators; the Herald is particularly associated with UK independent and Channel Islands carriers of the 1960s. Loganair briefly operated one on Scottish island routes, giving it a modest Highland connection.
Related aircraft
- Handley Page Victor B.1
- Handley Page Victor
- Handley Page HP.115
- Handley Page Marathon
- Convair CV-440 Metropolitan
- Fairchild FH-227
- Fokker F27 Friendship
- Sud Aviation Caravelle
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