The huge 4-engine, 130' wingspan Handley Page H.P.42 airliner introduced in 1931
(click pic for hi-res)
My self-directed aviation education as a kid was built around books that my dad had, and while I learned about airliners of the late 20's and very early 30's like the Ford Trimotor and the Boeing 80A, I never knew anything about the Handley Page H.P.42 and H.P.45. I suppose the fact that it was operated by Imperial Airways on European, Indian, and South African routes might have had something to do with that. While I learned about lots of foreign military aircraft, my early airliner exposure was mostly United States oriented.
So, the H.P.42, what an amazing beast! With four Bristol Jupiter engines making 490hp (550hp on the H.P.45) and wingspan on the top wing of 130 feet, this was one big airplane! Big enough to actually have two passenger cabins, one forward of the wings and one aft... with the ability, depending on configuration, of carrying 38 passengers and a crew of 4. Pretty amazing given the time period, and the relatively low overall horsepower.
The one big trade-off that these airplanes had was that they were darn slow. With a cruise speed of just 95 to 100 mph, you'd better hope you didn't have a very strong headwind! Eight of the big birds were built, (four H.P.42 and four H.P.45), and while none survive today, they served in an airliner capacity for about 9 years, during which time no lives were lost - quite an impressive record for the 1930's.
Aviation history is full of fascinating aircraft that represent a tremendous accomplish for their day, and the Handley Page H.P.42 and H.P.45 were pretty amazing flying machines. Interestingly, there was a project seeking to build an authentic replica of the aircraft, tho it's hard to tell if it's still in the works these days or not.
Be sure to watch the video below that shows this big bipe in the air!