FAIREY HENDON 100 YEARS OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE
BOMBERS RAF CENTENARY CELEBRATION 33Above left
A dual-control
Hendon, very
likely K5092, at
Marham in May- This machine
was delivered to 38
Squadron in January
1937 and was retired
in January 1939.
Below
Hendon I K5085 was
the fi rst production
example, having
its maiden fl ight at
Barton on September
24, 1936. It was
retired from service
with 38 Squadron
in January 1939
and became an
instructional airframe
at Cranwell.
© ANDY HAY
http://www.fl yingart.co.ukBOMBERSBOMBERSBOMBERSBOMBERS RAF CENTENARY CELEBRATION RAF CENTENARY CELEBRATION RAF CENTENARY CELEBRATION RAF CENTENARY CELEBRATION RAF CENTENARY CELEBRATION RAF CENTENARY CELEBRATION RAF CENTENARY CELEBRATIONPage biplane won the lion’s
share of the contracts and 124
were built.
Fairey received a consolation order
for 14 Hendons, almost certainly
not economically viable, and follow-
on orders of 62 were cancelled. The
Hendon may have been a dismal
financial performer for Fairey,
but it pointed the way forward –
monoplanes were the future.
PULLING BACK
Just one unit was destined to fly
the Hendon operationally. The
first production aircraft, K5085,
was delivered to 38 Squadron at
Mildenhall on September 24, 1936,
before a change of base in May
1937 saw the Hendons settled in at
Marham.
The Hendon’s story ended more or
less as it began – with one of the big
bombers ‘pancaked’ on an airfield.
One night in November 1938 a pair
of LACs took dual-control K5094 for
a jaunt at Marham. As the Hendon
lurched into the air, at about 150ft
(45m) one of the miscreants ‘bottled’
and pulled the throttle back.
The Hendon stalled and its fuselage
fractured aft of the wing trailing edge
as it hit the ground. After their very“Hendon’s set the format of all the monoplane ‘heavies’ that
served with the RAF through World War Two. The fuselage was deep
enough for a large bomb bay capable of accommodating two of the
RAF’s latest weapon, the 1,000-pounder.”
Type: Five-crew heavy bomber
First fl ight: November 25, 1930, entered service December 1936
Powerplant: Two 600hp (447kW) Rolls-Royce Kestrel VI V12
Dimensions: Span 101ft 9in (31.0m), Length 60ft 9in (18.51m)
Weights: Empty 12,773lb (5,793kg), All-up 20,000lb (9,072kg)
Max speed: 155mph (249km/h) at 15,000ft (4,572m)
Range: 1,360 miles (2,188km)
Armament: One machine gun in nose, mid-upper and rear position. Up to
2,660lb (1,206kg) of bombs
Replaced: Handley Page Heyford
Taken on charge: 15
Replaced by: Vickers Wellington I, from late 1838FAIREY HENDON II
brief, unauthorised sortie, K5094’s
two ‘crew’ suffered only cuts and
bruises. Far worse was to come; they
were confined while they awaited a
court martial.
That same month, 38 Squadron
received its first Vickers Wellington
Is and the conversion was completed
by January 1939. Six Hendons were
ferried out of Marham for use as
ground instructional airframes by
1 Electrical and Wireless School
at Cranwell to help train the next
generation of aircrew.