Handley Page Herald Series 200

To stimulate demand that was not coming, Handley Page launched the Series 200 in 1960: the fuselage lengthened by 42 in (107 cm) — from 71 ft 11 in to 75 ft 6 in — with correspondingly increased weights and up to 56 passengers against the previous 47. It immediately attracted an order for six from Jersey Airlines. The second prototype was converted to this standard and flew in that form on 8 April 1961; Jersey Airlines began operations with a leased Series 100 on 16 May 1961 and received the first of its own Series 200s in January 1962, while BEA started Herald services in March that year.

The Herald drew wide interest for its astonishing short-field performance and flying qualities — pilots said it flew like a dream, very stable yet manoeuvrable at low speed, with its high, markedly dihedral wing and a fin covered in miniature airfoils; its only vice was ground handling, because of an oversized fin. But Handley Page closed few deals: the F27 carried a larger payload, and both the Friendship and the Avro 748 offered better performance and better long-term economics. By 1963, 35 Heralds had been sold against more than 240 Friendships.

Its figures: 23.0 m long, 28.9 m in span, 7.34 m high, 11,703 kg empty equipped, 19,818 kg maximum take-off weight, two Dart Mk.527 of 2,105 equivalent shp, 443 km/h cruise at 15,000 ft, an 8,504 m ceiling and 608 nautical miles (1,126 km) of range at maximum payload — 1,529 nautical miles (2,832 km) on maximum standard fuel with no allowances — with an 11,700 lb maximum payload and a crew of two.

36 were built over six years of production. The last Herald, the 50th, was a Series 200 for Israel's Arkia, flown and delivered in August 1968.