Some interesting Flying Cars

[ChrisR-4A]

Southend Airport back in the day. (1963) I went on one of those  Carvairs In the early 70s to France with a work colleague in his MK1 Ford Capri, it was a metallic bronze colour.

The video below is the Carvair but there's an on screen link at the end to a video featuring the Bristol Freighter, early sixties with two doors.

 

 

Edited November 7, 2019 by ChrisR-4A
Video Added, year added

[MilesA]

£25 - £100 return. Wonder what that equates to today or by comparison to the average wage then?

Miles 

[stuart]

My Dad used to use them regularly for work trips to the continent back then.

Stuart.

[BlueTR3A-5EKT]

I think I misread the topic.  

 

ps. Do vans count?

 

 

Edited November 8, 2019 by BlueTR3A-5EKT

[AlanT]

At the moment I can still recall tiny details from more than 50 years ago.  So in order to illustrate the value of the pound in the 1960's consider the following:

In 1960 when the Mini was a new model I went on holiday to Jersey and stayed here:

http://www.chevalrochoteljersey.co.uk/#brochurephotos

It's not changed very much and the tariff was £10 per week full-board, for each adult and half price for me.  Actually I lie, 10gns p/w, but who cares!

The hotel hired us a Morris Minor convertible for 15 shillings ( 75p) per day and the petrol for it was 1/8d per gallon. ( about 9p, but Jersey had low tax rules, 4 shillings or so on the mainland ).

Dad drank Whisky and Mum Brandy at 6d ( 2.5p) per shot.

The island was full of hire cars of course,  FrogEye Sprites,  Nash Mets and Zodiac Convertibles.  The Zodiacs were £1 5s per day. The locals were driving Peugeot 403's.

Travel there was by a genuine  paddle-steamer and took 9 hours departing at midnight from Southampton.  Men and women in separate dormitories!

It's not only the pound that has changed, I see.

Oh and the grey car in the film clip is a Simca Aronde I believe.

 

 

Edited November 8, 2019 by AlanT
links dont work until you edit - forum bug possibly

[Andy Moltu]

Keep threatening to go back to Jersey.

Went there back in my student days in a Spitfire - decided it was a place to visit on the way to France for a camping holiday.

[iain]

These were about to fly..

VHP529 and VRW221

 

along with VRW219 and VRW220 on a separate flight. Lydd to Le Touquet.

(VRW 223 started at The Hague.)

[BlueTR3A-5EKT]

14 hours ago, iain said:

These were about to fly..

VHP529 and VRW221

 

along with VRW219 and VRW220 on a separate flight. Lydd to Le Touquet.

(VRW 223 started at The Hague.)

Ace wheel trims on VHP 529 

Peter W

[iain]

Well spotted Peter. Ace Mercury wheel discs.

Edited November 9, 2019 by iain

[Paul Hogan]

The Silver City operation was based at Lydd airport and at the time, along with Bournemouth's Hurn airport,  it was one of the busiest airports in Britain.  It was used quite a lot by  the film stars of the day, Frank Sinatra and Liz Taylor being noted customers in those pre Lear Jet days.  if you go there now there is quite a nice display in the Terminal telling the story.   The Bristol Freighter featured in a movie called 'Decision Against Time' about a an aircraft that had trouble landing. Jack Hawkins is a test pilot who spends half the film's running time circling an airstrip with a crippled Bristol freighter. The owner of the aviation company orders him to bail out despite the fact that the loss of the plane will ruin the company. Hawkins, however, manages to bring the plane in safely and save the day. ( Hooray!)   The RAF declined to order any but several short nosed versions were sold to the RAAF. i think there is still one remaining out the in very poor condition but I'm not aware of any other survivors. 

The Carvair was based on the Douglas DC 4 and was developed by that great aviation entrepreneur Freddie Laker.   These were based at Southend where Aviatiion Traders  had their offices. With a capacity for 22 passengers and 5 cars  there were more cost effective than the Bristol freighter.   AT then became part of British United Air Ferries before operations ceased.  at least one Carvair ended up in New Zealand and one was still flying in the USA in 2006  for a freight company.  Interestingly, the above cabin flight deck was the precursor to the Jumbo 747 

hoges.