Boulton Paul P.29 Sidestrand

 

The Boulton Paul P.29 Sidestrand was a twin-engine biplane medium bomber of the Royal Air Force.

Designed for daylight operations, it was manoeuvrable and provided with three defensive gun positions.

Named after a village on the Norfolk coast near Boulton & Paul’s factory in Norwich, the Sidestrand first flew in 1926 and entered service in 1928.

It remained in service until 1936, equipping No. 101 Squadron RAF.

It was an agile and relatively fast aircraft that was capable of aerobatic manoeuvres such as loops, rolls and spins.

Variants

Sidestrand I

Two prototypes.

Sidestrand II

Production variant, six built and converted to Sidestrand III.

Sidestrand III

Improved production variant, twelve built, four converted to Boulton Paul Overstrands.

Sidestrand V

Improved variant modified from a Mark III with more powerful engines, an enclosed cockpit and nose-mounted power-operated turret, renamed Boulton Paul Overstrand

Specifications

Crew

Three or four

Length

46 ft 0 in (14.02 m)

Wingspan

71 ft 11 in (21.92 m)

Height

14 ft 9+1⁄2 in (4.509 m)

Wing area

979.5 sq ft (91.00 m2)

Empty weight

6,370 lb (2,889 kg)

Gross weight

10,200 lb (4,627 kg)

Powerplant

2 × Bristol Jupiter VIIIF 9 cylinder air-cooled radial engines,

460 hp (340 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed

139 mph (224 km/h, 121 kn) at 6,500 ft (2,000 m)

Range

520 mi (840 km, 450 nmi)

Service ceiling

20,800 ft (6,300 m)

Time to altitude

6 min 42 s to 6,500 ft (2,000 m)

Armament

Guns

2 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis guns.

One in nose, other in either dorsal and ventral gun positions

Bombs

1,040 lb (473 kg) total.