Handley Page HP.88
Handley Page · United Kingdom · first flew 1951 · light aircraft
The Handley Page HP.88 was a British research aircraft built in the early 1950s to test the aerodynamics of the Victor crescent wing. It was intended to be a scaled-down version of that aircraft.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, swept |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 0.36 scale version of the Victor crescent wing, set low on the fuselage |
| T — Tail | T-tail |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- 0.36 scale version of the Victor crescent wing, set low on the fuselage
- T-tail with a slab tailplane
- Fuselage based on that of the Supermarine Attacker
Where the Victor has a mid wing, the HP.88 sets its crescent wing low on the fuselage. The inboard trailing-edge flaps badly affected trim when deployed.
Specifications
- The Handley Page HP.88 has a length of 12.19 m (40 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 12.19 m (40 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was designed to Air Ministry Specification E.6/48 and based on the Supermarine Attacker fuselage, which Supermarine designated the Type 521 and Blackburn the YB-2. It was flown for the first time on 21 June 1951 at Carnaby near Bridlington.
Variants
Only one HP.88 was built. It was allocated the military serial VX330.
Where you'll see it
Testing revealed pitching oscillations at higher speeds, and the aircraft was flown to Stansted on 6 August 1951. It flew only 14 hours in 26 sorties over 36 days before it was lost.
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