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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 1218.PDF
364 Herald. If there is one class of transport aeroplane which the world at present needs more than any other it is a vehicle which can perform the multitudinous duties which continue to fall to obsolescent aircraft—primarily, of course, the Douglas DC-3, or Dakota. It is, as many designers have found, extremely difficult to synthesize in one design all those many features which operators of fast-deteriorating equipment require in addition to providing performance and equipment to conform with present-day airworthiness standards. All this, however, has been achieved in the Herald, the design of which was the result of probably the most intensive operational study of its kind ever made. Handley Page conducted an exhaustive survey of local service- and short-haul operators in all parts of the world before the design was laid out in 1952. The first prototype flew just before last year's S.B.A.C. display, since which time it has completed the greater pan of its trials. A second Herald, closely representative of the production version, is being shown at this year's display, and to this aircraft will fall the final phase of the certification tests. (A special-category C. of A. has, incidentally, recently been awarded.) Tropical trials will be given first priority, and when these are completed by the coming spring, the Herald will have reached the threshold of its operational career. Route trials are already planned for next summer, and this will probably be undertaken by the first purchaser to sign a contract for Heralds, the British independent airline, Air Kruise. A key feature of the Herald is the use of four engines, giving a high reserve of power for short-strip operations. Piston engines were chosen after careful study of all the most likely power units as being the type with which out-station personnel would be most familiar. The engines are 850-h.p. Alvis Leonides Majors—the "Major" being virtually a "double" version of the widely used single-bank Leonides—and airscrews are by de Havilland. The powerplants are provided with generous accessibility by petal-type cowlings. The cabin is pressurized to a differential of 3.35 lb/sq in and the cabin-air system is supplied by two Godfrey blowers, one of which is driven by each outboard engine. Total fuel capacity is 700 gal, with provision for a further 150 gal if required. A simple hydraulic system powers the usual services, and the main electrical system is operated at 28 volts; the inner engines drive 6 kW generators and the outers 7.5 kVA. Ice protection is thermal, by exhaust-heated ram-air, with the exception of airscrews which are electrically de-iced. Most operations will require a crew of two only, though provision for a third crew- member is made in the cockpit. The aircraft can quite easily be flown solo for ferrying purposes. The unobstructed cabin provides seating for up to at least 44 passengers, and a movable bulkhead separates passengers from the freight-deck at the rear. This latter is accessible through a large entry door. When used solely as a freighter the Herald offers a usable volume of 1,575 cu ft. Production at Woodley, Handley Page's Herald headquarters, of 100 aircraft is planned, and Air Kruise will be the first customer to receive delivery, in 1958. Powerplant FOOT AITM Lconide* Mater Span 94ft 9iinLength 70ft 3in Gross weight 37,500 lbMax. cont. cruising speed 248 m.p.h.
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