Handley Page H.P.20

The Handley Page H.P.20 was a pioneering British experimental aircraft built in 1914 by the Handley Page company. Conceived by Sir Frederick Handley Page as a testbed for his revolutionary thick‑wing monoplane concept, the H.P.20 featured a high‑aspect‑ratio wing of unusually deep chord that provided the lift‑to‑drag advantages later exploited in the successful Handley Page O/400 bomber. Powered by a 70 hp Renault water‑cooled V‑8 engine, the single‑seat machine employed a conventional wooden frame, fabric covering, and a fixed tailskid undercarriage. Though only one example was constructed, its flight trials in late 1914 demonstrated that a thick wing could generate sufficient lift at low speeds while retaining structural integrity, overturning prevailing thin‑airfoil doctrine. The aircraft’s successful handling encouraged Handley Page to scale the design into operational combat types, most notably the H.P.11 and the later heavy bombers of World I. As the first British aircraft to systematically test the high‑lift wing, the H.P.20 occupies a crucial place in aviation history, marking the transition from experimental curiosity to a foundational aerodynamic principle still used in modern transport aircraft. Its legacy endures in contemporary wing‑design research and the continued fame of Handley Page as an innovator.

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