Talk:Handley Page H.P.54 Harrow

First para: early history
I've been delving into the HP43, 51 and 54/Harrow types lately and out of that propose a revised first para. The main aims of the revision, which follows, are:

to stress the role of C.26/31

to explain that B.29/35 was written for the Harrow; it did not compete for it and was not designed to it

and to remove the ref to B.3/34 and the Whitley, since there is no strong connection with the Harrow. The latter had a fixed u/c, so would not have made first base with B.3/34.

The refs would be to Barnes' HP aircraft since 1907, generally the most detailed and reliable work. See what you think: if no-one has serious objections I'll alter the article in a week or two.

"The H.P. 54 Harrow was the production version of the earlier Handley Page H.P.51 design, itself a monoplane conversion of the three-engined Handley Page H.P.43 biplane. The two monoplanes were both designed by Dr. G.V. Lachmann. Initially Handley Page intended to offer the H.P.51 to Air Ministry specification C.26/31 for a bomber-transport, then saw the H.P.54 as a more likely winner.  In the end neither type was a candidate for C.26/31, since in June 1935 the Air Ministry, anxious to expand and modernise the RAF wrote specification B.29/35 around the Harrow, emphasising its bomber role though retaining its transport capability.  In August, 14 months before the first Harrow flew, the Ministry put in an order for 100 aircraft."TSRL (talk) 10:56, 5 August 2009 (UTC)


 * No-0nes raised any objection, so I've made the edit.TSRL (talk) 19:33, 16 August 2009 (UTC)