Boulton Paul Overstrand

infobox Aircraft
name = Overstrand
type = Bomber
manufacturer = Boulton Paul



caption =
designer = H.A. Hughes
first flight =1933
introduced = 1934
retired = 1941
status =
primary user = Royal Air Force
more users =
produced =
number built = 28 (four converted Sidestrands)
unit cost =
variants with their own articles =
developed from = Boulton Paul SidestrandThe Boulton Paul P.75 Overstrand was the last of the twin-engine biplane medium bombers of the Royal Air Force, a series that had begun during the First World War with the likes of the Vickers Vimy and Handley Page Type O. The Overstrand only saw brief service in the late 1930s and by the outbreak of the Second World War only a few surviving aircraft remained in operation with training units.

Design and development

The Overstrand was essentially an upgrade of Boulton & Paul's Sidestrand which had first flown in 1928 and like the Sidestrand was named for a village in Norfolk, home also of Boulton Paul's Norwich factory. The Sidestrand was similar to its First World War predecessors in that it had open cockpits and hand-operated defensive machine guns. However, unlike its predecessors, the Sidestrand could fly at 140 mph (225 km/h) making operating the exposed gun positions difficult, particularly in the aircraft's nose. [ Winchester 2003, p. 11.] To overcome this problem, the Overstrand was fitted with an enclosed and powered nose turret mounting a single Lewis gun. As such the Overstrand was the first RAF aircraft to have a power-operated turret. Rotation was handled by pneumatic motors while elevation and depression of the gun used hydraulic rams. The pilot's cockpit was also enclosed but the dorsal and ventral gun positions remained open, though shielded.

Operational history

The first Overstrand, at the time designated the Sidestrand Mk IV, flew in 1933, powered by two convert|580|hp|abbr=on Bristol Pegasus IM.3 engines, instead of the Sidestrand's convert|460|hp|abbr=on Bristol Jupiters, and was capable of convert|153|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on. The bombload was also increased to 1,500 lb (680 kg).

24 Overstrands were produced and in 1936 began replacing the Sidestrand in service. The Overstrand was operated by No. 101 Squadron RAF (which had been the sole Sidestrand squadron) and briefly by No. 144 Squadron RAF (though they were replaced by Bristol Blenheims in 1938).

At the outbreak of the Second World War, 11 Overstrands remained in service and six of these were used for gunnery training. They remained in operation until 1941 though flying was limited following the mid-air breakup of an Overstrand in 1940.

There were plans to develop a version with retractable undercarriage, dubbed the P.80 "Superstrand", but the project was abandoned. [ Brew 1993, p. 231.]

Operators

; UK
* Royal Air Force
** No. 101 Squadron RAF
** No. 144 Squadron RAF

pecifications

aircraft specifications

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=Fact|date=May 2008
crew=three or four; pilot and two-three gunners
length main=46 ft
length alt=14.02 m
span main=71 ft 11 in
span alt=21.92 m
height main=15 ft 6 in
height alt=4.73 m
area main=979 ft²
area alt=91 m²
empty weight main=7,936 lb
empty weight alt=3,607 kg
loaded weight main= lb
loaded weight alt= kg
max takeoff weight main=12,000 lb
max takeoff weight alt=5443 kg
engine (prop)=Bristol Pegasus IM3
type of prop=9-cylinder radial engine
number of props=2
power main=580 hp
power alt=433 kW
max speed main=150 mph
max speed alt= 240 km/h
range main= 545 miles
range alt= 872 km
ceiling main=22,400 ft
ceiling alt=6,829 m
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=12.2 lb/ft²
loading alt=60 kg/m²
power/mass main= 0.10 hp/lb
power/mass alt= 160 W/kg
guns=3 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis guns in nose, dorsal and ventral gun positions
bombs=1,500 lb (680 kg) bombs (2 x 500 lb and 2 x 250 lb) and four 20 lb (9 kg) bombs could be carried on fuselage racks by the cockpit and dorsal gun position

ee also

aircontent
related=
*Boulton Paul Sidestrand
similar aircraft=
lists=
*List of bomber aircraft
see also=

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Brew, Alec. "Boulton Paul Aircraft since 1915". London: Putnam, 1993. ISBN 0-85177-860-7.
* Winchester, Jim. "Bombers of the 20th Century". London: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 2003. ISBN 1-84037-386-5.

External links

* [http://avia.russian.ee/air/england/boulton_over.html Avia.russian.ee]