Boulton & Paul P.71A

Manufacturer: Boulton & Paul Ltd
Introduction: 1935
Retired: 1936
Status: Destroyed
Primary user: Imperial Airways
Number built: 2
Developed from: Boulton Paul P.64 Mailplane

The Boulton & Paul P.71A was a 1930s British twin-engined all-metal biplane transport aircraft developed by Boulton & Paul Ltd from the unsuccessful P.64 Mailplane to meet an Imperial Airways requirement for a mail plane.

History

The P.71A was the successor to the Boulton & Paul's first attempt to meet the airline requirement, the P.64 Mailplane. The P.71A was lighter, slimmer and longer and used Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IVA radial piston engines.

Two aircraft were built and delivered to Imperial Airways at Croydon Airport in February 1935. The airline had lost interest in using them as mailplanes, so the two aircraft were converted as VIP transports with 13 removable seats.

G-ACOX

The first aircraft, registered G-ACOX and named Boadicea was lost in the English Channel on 25 September 1936 while on an air-mail flight from Croydon to Paris with the loss of the two crew.

G-ACOY

The second aircraft, registered G-ACOY and named Britomart was damaged beyond repair in a landing accident at Haren, Brussels on 25 October 1935.

Operators

United Kingdom

Imperial Airways

Specifications

Data from Flight - Imperial Airway's Latest

General characteristics

Length: 44 ft 2 in (13.47 m)
Wingspan: 54 ft 0 in (16.46 m)
Height: 15 ft 2¼ in (4.63 m)
Wing area: 718.5 ft² (66.8 m²)
Empty weight: 6,100 lb (2,772 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 9,500 lb (4,318 kg)
Powerplant: 2 x— Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar VIA radial engine, 490 hp (365 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 195 mph (170 kn, 314 km/h)
Cruise speed: 150 mph (130 kn, 242 km/h)
Range: 600 mi (522 nmi, 966 km)
Service ceiling: 21,000 ft (6,400 m) 4,500 ft (1,370 m) on one engine
Rate of climb: 1,400 ft/min (7.1 m/s)
Wing loading: 13.2 lb/ft² (64.6 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.10 hp/lb (0.17 kW/kg)

Related development

Boulton Paul P.64 Mailplane

Bibliography

"Imperial Airways' Latest". Flight (31 January 1935): pp.118-123. 31 January 1935. http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1935/1935%20-%200228.html.
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
Donald, David (ed) (1997). The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Leicester, UK: Blitz Editions. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.
Jackson, A.J. (1974). British Civil Aircraft since 1919. London: Putnam. ISBN 0 370 10014 X.

Boulton & Paul P.71A Pictures

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Source: WikiPedia