Handley Page HPR1 Marathon at Rongatai

[Antonio]

Just spotted these in the National Library Collection:

Handley Page HPR1 Marathon aeroplane, registered G-ALUB, at Rongatai Aerodrome, Wellington, and crowd standing by, photographed circa 10 February, 1950, by an unidentified Evening Post staff photographer.


natlib.govt.nz/records/23240248?search%5Bi%5D%5Bsubject_authority_id%5D=-26852&search%5Bpath%5D=items



natlib.govt.nz/records/22837585?search%5Bi%5D%5Bsubject_authority_id%5D=-26852&search%5Bpath%5D=items

[dakman]

A ORIGINAL DESIGN FROM THE MILES COMPANY .

[oj]

From Wikipedia:

"On 14 January 1950, the first production Marathon 1 aircraft (registered G-ALUB) departed Woodley for a 40,000 mile-long sales tour, reaching Australia and New Zealand.["

[oj]

"Apart from mechanical unreliability, the Marathon reportedly possessed a relatively tail-heavy trim, an absolute ceiling of 9,500 feet, and a rate of climb of only 300 ft a minute."

[Dave Homewood]

Those are probably its good points.

[davidd]

The Marathon was equipped with DH Gipsy Queen 70 series engines, practically the same as those fitted to DH 104 Dove/Devon aircraft.