Handley Page Marathon

The Handley Page Marathon was a post‑war British transport aircraft that emerged from a partnership between Miles Aircraft and Handley Page. Although Miles conceived the original design as the Miles M.28, the contract to produce the type was awarded to Handley Page, which built the nine‑engine‑powered, low‑wing monoplane at its Radlett factory in 1947‑48. The Marathon featured a pressurised cabin, spacious 28‑seat passenger layout, and twin Pratt & Whitney R‑2800 Double Wasp radial engines delivering 2,200 hp each. Its all‑metal, semi‑monocoque construction incorporated retractable main gear, hydraulically operated flaps, and a split‑tail configuration that provided good stability at cruise speeds of roughly 300 mph. Only eleven examples were completed before the programme was cancelled due to cost overruns and the rapid emergence of more efficient turboprop airliners such as the Vickers Viscount. Despite its brief service life, the Marathon demonstrated the feasibility of large, pressurised piston‑engine transports and influenced subsequent British designs, marking a transitional step between wartime bombers and the modern jet age. A few airframes survived as test benches, and the sole remaining example, serial G‑AHPE, is on static display at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, serving as a reminder of Britain’s ambitious post‑war aeronautical engineering.

Miles Aircraft

Handley Page Marathon

Classification

Production & History

Design & Classification