Over six decades Handley Page Ltd produced a series of innovative aircraft designs. Starting with a profile of the company’s founder and driving force, Sir Frederick Handley Page, Harry Fraser-Mitchell takes us decade by decade through the company’s aircraft designs and concepts, including their large World War I aircraft, the Halifax and the Victor. He also explains how HP developed their aerodynamic slot, which proved to reduce stall-spins and helped the company to survive during the lean interwar period. The lecture concludes with the story behind the eventual collapse of the company and a review of some the company’s more interesting and most important projects.

A. H. Fraser-Mitchell FRAeS opened the conference ‘Handley Page Ltd : celebrating the centenary of the first British aircraft company’. The conference was organised by the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Historical Group on 10 September 2009. The lecture is introduced by Tony Edwards FRAeS and the recording was edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS.