10/31/2009. The twelve passenger Hamilton airliner was a three-engined development of Handley Page's first purely civil transport. Fitted with one 360 hp Rolls-Royce Eagle IX and two 240 hp Siddeley Puma engines, it was first flown at Cricklewood, London on June 20, 1924. Subsequently ten (O-BAHN to O-BAHU, O-BAHY, O-BAHZ, c/n 5 to 14) were license-built by SABCA at Haren-Evère. Eight of these were to be used by SABENA for service in the Belgian Congo on the Kinshasa to Luebo route.

In view of the long delay incurred by crating and shipping these large aircraft to the Congo, SABENA decided to attempt a through flight with one of them, O-BAHO, which was inspected on completion on February 3, 1925, by King Albert and named Princesse Marie-José by his eldest daughter.

Leaving Evère on February 12, via France, Spain, Algeria, Sudan, Niger, Chad, and French Congo, the aircraft arrived at Kinshasa, on April 3, having flown 5,000 mls (8,047) in thirteen stages spread over 51 days. The crew comprised Edmond Thieffry in command and flying as navigator, Léopold Roger as pilot and Joseph de Bruycker as engineer.

Reregistered OO-AHN in 1929, the aircraft remained in service till the registration was cancelled on January 26, 1933, the aircraft was broken up. Note: the designation H.P.26 was retrospectively allotted.

Span: 75 ft 2 in (22.91 m)
Length: 60 ft 1.5 in (18.33 m)
Height: 17 ft 0 in (5.18 m)
Wing area: 1,456 sq.ft (135.27 sq.m)
Weight empty: 8,600 lb (3901 kg)
Loaded weight: 13,000 lb (5,897 kg)
Max speed: 103 mph (166 kmh)
Cruise speed: 85 mph (137 kmh)
Ceiling: 13,000 ft (3,962 m)