Hawker Harts, N0. 12 sqdrn Andover Aerodrome 1931

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Design and development
In 1926, the Air Ministry stated a requirement for a high performance light-bomber, and which culminated in the choice of the Hawker Hart over other rivals (Avro Antelope and Fairey Fox) due to it being far cheaper to maintain, a vital aspect to a programme during defence budget constraints that the British armed forces faced during the 1920s.

J9052, the prototype Hart, first flew in June 1928 and entered service with No. 33 Squadron RAF in 1930. Over 900 Harts of all types were built. It became the most widely used light-bomber of its time and the design would prove to be a successful one with a number of derivatives, including the Hawker Hind and Hector, being made. There were a number of Hart variants made, though only slight alterations were made. The Hart India was basically a tropicalised version of the aircraft; the Hart Special was another tropicalised version based on the Hawker Audax, a Hart variant, with desert equipment; a specialised Hart Trainer was also designed. Vickers built 114 of the latter model at Weybridge between 1931 and June 1936.

The Hart was armed with a single forward .303 cal. Vickers machine gun and one rear .303 inch Lewis light machine-gun; the Hart also had a capacity to carry 520 lb (235 kg) of bombs. The Hart had a single 525 hp (390 kW) Rolls-Royce Kestrel IB 12-cylinder V-type engine; a speed of 184 mph (296 km/h) and a range of over 400 miles (640 km). It was much faster than contemporary fighters, an astonishing achievement considering it was a light-bomber, and had high manoeuvrability, making the Hart one of the best biplanes ever produced for the Royal Air Force.

Demand for the bomber was such that 164 were built by Vickers at their Weybridge factory between 1931 and 1936 after that company's submission of a tender, alongside the trainers mentioned above.


Operational history
Harts were deployed to the Middle East during the Abyssinia Crisis of 1935-36. The Hart saw extensive, and successful, service in the North-West Frontier, British India during the inter-war period. Four Hawker Harts from the Swedish Air Force saw action during the 1939-40 Winter War as part of a Swedish volunteer squadron, designated F19, fighting on the Finnish side. Though obsolete compared to the United Kingdom's opposition at the start of the Second World War, the Hart continued in service, mainly performing in the communications and training roles until being declared obsolete in 1943.

The Hart proved to be a successful export, seeing service with the Royal Egyptian Air Force, Royal Indian Air Force, South African Air Force, Estonia, Southern Rhodesia, Sweden and Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

General characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 29 ft 4 in (8.94 m)
Wingspan: 37 ft 3 in (11.36 m)
Height: 10 ft 5 in (3.18 m)
Wing area: 349.5 ft² (32.5 m²)
Empty weight: 2,530lb (1,150 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 4,596 lb (2,089 kg)
Powerplant: 1× Rolls-Royce Kestrel IB water-cooled V12 engine, 510 hp (380 kW)
Performance
Maximum speed: 161 knots (185 mph, 298 km/h) at 13,000 ft
Stall speed: 39 knots (45 mph, 72 km/h) [2]
Range: 374 nm (430 mi, 692 km)
Service ceiling: 22,800 ft (6,950 m)
Wing loading: 13.2 lb/ft² (64.3 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.11 hp/lb (0.182 kW/kg)
Climb to 10,000 ft 8 minutes 30 seconds
Armament
Guns: 1 × synchronised forward firing .303 in Vickers machine gun, 1 × Lewis gun on Scarff ring in rear cockpit.
Bombs: Up to 500lb (227 kg) bombs under wings.

Channel: Entertainment
Uploaded: September 13, 2007 at 12:17 am
Author: Bomberguy

Length: 00:04:12
Rating: 4.90
Views: 4347

Tags: Hawker Hart N0.12 sqdrn Andover Aerodrome aircraft airplane aviation history

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Video Comments:
ArchieLindsay (May 10, 2008 at 11:31 am)
My late father trained on the Hart at Andover in 1938. The 12 and 142 squadron Harts were replaced by the Fairey Battle which suffered terrible losses in France. This is a wonderful film, thank you so much for posting.
whizbang47 (December 2, 2007 at 2:42 am)
I came across this great short via "Ghost Sqdn.'s" page, hoping to find the early "talkie"
by that name (at least in its U.S. release)that
featured much derring-do and many SE-5a's. Any
ideas on where to look? It was action-packed!
Northside777 (September 17, 2007 at 2:54 am)
What a beautiful airplane! We'll never see that many Hawker Harts all in the air at the same time again. As a child many years ago, I built the Airfix model. I never saw the real one fly except in my imagination whilst holding the model between my fingers and flying it around the room. Thanks for opportunity to see and hear the Hawker Hart in that rare film clip.
timjim100 (September 13, 2007 at 2:50 pm)
Superb, another piece of aviation history and a great subject. Thanks.
denberg2 (September 13, 2007 at 12:03 pm)
Keep 'em coming, Bomberguy!