Boulton & Paul Mailplane

P.64 Mailplane
Role	Mail plane/Light Transport
Manufacturer	Boulton & Paul Ltd
Designer	J D North
First flight	March 1933
Retired	October 1933
Number built	1
Developed into	Boulton Paul P.71A

The Boulton & Paul P.64 Mailplane also known as the Mail-Carrier was a 1930s British twin-engined all-metal biplane transport aircraft designed for Imperial Airways and built by Boulton & Paul Ltd.

Development

The airline had a requirement, which was translated into Air Ministry specification 21/28, for a mailplane to carry a 1,000 lb (454 kg) payload on a 1,000 mile (1,609 km) leg at a reasonable speed. Boulton & Paul designed and constructed the prototype P.64 Mailplane to address these requirements. The aircraft (registered G-ABYK) first flew in March 1933 at the company Norwich. It was not a success, deemed to be expensive and unsatisfactory. It was destroyed during trials at Martlesham Heath when it struck the ground during an unexplained dive on 21 October 1933.

The company then addressed the specification's requirements with a new design transport aircraft which was lighter, slimmer and longer (the Boulton Paul P.71A).

Specifications (P.64 Mailplane)

Data from Boulton Paul Aircraft since 1915

General characteristics

• Crew: 3 (2 pilots plus navigator or radio operator)
• Length: 42 ft 6 in (12.95 m)
• Wingspan: 54 ft (16 m)
• Height: 13 ft (4.0 m)
• Wing area: 756 sq ft (70.2 m²)
• Empty weight: 7,008 lb (3,179 kg)
• Gross weight: 11,267 lb (5,111 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 × Bristol Pegasus I.M2 9-cyl. air-cooled radial piston engine, 555 hp (414 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 185 mph (298 km/h; 161 kn) at 5,000 ft (1,524 m)
• Range: 1,250 mi (1,086 nmi; 2,012 km)
• Service ceiling: 22,500 ft (6,858 m)
• Rate of climb: 1,400 ft/min (7.1 m/s)

See also

Related development

• Boulton Paul P.71A

References

Notes

Bibliography