 Handley
Page O/400
Volume One
Windsock Datafile 116
By C. A. Owers
Albatros Publications, ©2006
ISBN 1-902207-81-5
Softbound, 36 Pages
The newest Datafile begins an examination of Britain’s
big bomber of the Great War, the Handley Page O/400. Developed originally
as an overseas patrol aircraft, the O/100 began flight testing in 1916.
After a period of testing, the O/100 entered service in January 1917.
The O/400 followed soon after, with the main discernable difference between
the O/100 and the O/400 being the engine nacelles. The operational record
of the O/400 is very fascinating and makes for a great read. The type
served in several theatres, both day and night, and also saw service and
production in the United States.
This first volume on the O/400 covers the initial development process
and the operational record of the plane. The author is clearly very knowledgeable
on the subject, and tells the story in an easy manner. From the beginning,
with an anecdote about an O/400 mission in Palestine, the reader is taken
on a thorough overview of what it was like to fly this large plane. License
construction and operations in the United States finish out the text.
Volume Two will build on this with a complete technical description of
the airframe, complementing this operational history nicely.
As we have come to expect from the Datafile series, this book is packed
with some great photos, 64 in total. The captions are as well written
as the text itself, lending yet another interesting facet to the history
of this plane. Additionally, there are the usual scale drawings in the
center, in 1/72 scale. Complementing these, and rounding out the book,
is a selection of original factory drawings showing arrangements of various
components. Overall, this is a well done book on the O/400 and one that
will be welcomed by modelers.
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