The first biplane to be built by Handley Page was not of his own design, but of another designer, Mr W.P. Thompson. However the aircraft incorporated enough of Mr Handley Page's ideas to make it practical that it was given the designation Handley Page Type B. When it made its first flight in late 1909 it was damaged, and it was not until 1910 that it was repaired and flown, by which time it had been transferred to it original designer. The first true Handley Page biplane was the Type G, which was derived substantially from the Type E monoplane. The fuselage and tail unit were virtually the same, but the upper wing now incorporated ailerons, and the lower wing was a reduced-span version of the Type F wing. The aircraft had strut and wire bracing between the wings, and the fuselage was strut-mounted between them. It had an Anzani radial engine and the tailskid landing gear incorporated twin skids to reduce the danger of nosing-over on rough ground. The main units were replaced subsequently by simple Vee struts and through axle, the skids being removed. The 1924 designations of the Types B and G were H.P.2 and H.P.7.
The Type G was first flown on 6th November 1913, and proved a very successful machine. In August 1914, on the outbreak of World War 1, was commandeered for use by the Royal Naval Air Service. It was finally written off in August 1915 after being damaged in an accident. An approximate three-quarter scale single-seat version of the Type G, which was to have been powered by a 35 hp Anzani engine, had the designation Type K but was never completed. This was also the fate of the Type L (H.P.8 in the 1924 system), almost double the size of the earlier aircraft, of which the airframe was built in 1914. Intended for a nonstop transatlantic flight attempt, its demise came when the 200 hp engine intended to power it was requisitioned at the outbreak of war.