what is it?
The Handley Page (Reading) H.P.R.1 Marathon was a British four-engined civil transport aircraft, capable of seating up to 20 passengers. It was designed by Miles Aircraft Limited and largely manufactured by Handley Page (Reading) Limited (who acquired Miles' assets) at Woodley Aerodrome, Reading, England. Originally submitted to the Air Ministry as a four-engined high-wing monoplane weighing roughly 16,500 lb, the concept was well received by the Brabazon Committee, with Miles being issued with instructions to proceed.
How to recognise it: 4 piston engines with propellers · 19.8 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 80 years ago, in 1946.
- Top speed is 2.9× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 19.8 m: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1946-05-19
- introduced
- 1952
- retired
- 1960
- status
- retired
- number built
- 43
- role
- light transport
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- makers
- Handley Page
- engines
- 4× de Havilland Gipsy Queen 70-3
- crew
- 2
- passengers
- 20
- length
- 15.9 m
- wingspan
- 19.8 m
- height
- 4.3 m
- max take-off weight
- 8,278 kg
- top speed
- 375 km/h
- cruise speed
- 323 km/h
- range
- —
- ceiling
- 5,486 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q1575075, Wikipedia: Handley Page Marathon (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.