Air Ferry (1961) 

Around 1955, my parents used Silver City to fly our car, myself and my two sisters to Le Touquet to then continue to the S of France. Just as the plane was beginning to taxi to the runway, my youngest sister, who was 3 at the time, let out a massive shriek saying that she had left her doll in the airport lounge. The pilot stopped the plane, turned it around and went back to the bay. In the meantime a stewardess rushed out of the building waving the doll in her hand. The door was opened, doll handed over and the flight then proceeded as planned. Thanks Silver City !

Built the airfix!!

We did this trip from Lydd to Le Touquet twice 1963 and 64. As a 7 year old it was the greatest experience of my life. We then drove down to Spain. I left my jumper on the plane and I got it back when we returned to Lydd. The noise in the passenger cabin was huge. Needless to say i went on to be a cabin steward on Int’l flights. 12 pax maximum in the back.

Smoking on planes, taking your car with you on the plane, no security checks. I wish air travel could be like it was in the 1950s/60s.

On a Lydd to Le Touquet Silver City flight I asked for permission to visit the pilots, who let me stay on the jump seat all the way to landing. I’ve a few photos taken on my Brownie 127 to remind me of a special day for a twelve year old

I can remember taking this flight, as a small child, in the early 60s on a family motoring holiday to spain

Sounds like the Queen has a job as an announcer at the terminal...

Awesome! ... the French Immigration Officer didn't seem to be too pleased to see Terry Thomas though!!

There is 1 of these at the Pima Air Museum. Non running, static only.

OMG. I remember it so well. Le Touquet one year and Hurt to Cherbourg the next. Happy childhood memories

love the music

We used to go to the airport to watch these planes being loaded and taking off when we were on holiday in Kent. We could never afford to go ourselves - actually we couldn’t even afford a car.

Thanks fot this we operated Bristol Freighters with Safe Air.. thanks from NZ 👍🇳🇿

@3:50 - What the hell was the guy in the background supposed to be ? - A nutcracker ?

The daddy of 747😂

When I was a 7 year child, we went on a family trip to Italy with our trusty Citroen DS19 along for the ride. I believe our Bristol was operated by Channel Air Bridge. Much later, in 1975 I flew on BAF Carvair from Southend to Ostend and return.

I never knew that this was a thing, super cool

I flew from Hurn (Bournemouth.) to Cherbourg (Maupertuis.) £20 for me and £19 for the Fairthorpe. Max currency allowed was £50 sterling. One of the things my children will never enjoy!

I thought that was columbo's car😀😀😀

I am almost certain that the car marshal meeting the car , was my Father who worked there for a long time loading the planes with the car.

My husband was a seasoned airflier from birth almost having come from an RAF background. His father was stationed at many international bases and the children went along too. My guilty secret when we were talking about marrying was that I had never flown!

Fantastic film. I never got to go on one, but it was thrilling to watch the planes loading. the car looks like a Hillman Husky? Our first and second cars were those, a green one first and a chocolate and cream one similar to that on the plane.

Were those the badly designed square windows that proved troublesome?

I remember taking the air ferry more than once when I was a kid. But I thought it was to France. And didn't they also fly to Jersey at some point? I have a vague memory of doing that. My dad's car, incidentally, was an early model Jensen Interceptor convertible. One time we took it all the way to Spain.

love it...get there half an hour before.....

Terry Thomas is being unusually normal in this video

Fabulous film :)

Just be sure to drive on the other side of the road!

300 flights a day? Don’t think so

Awesome, we need this.

@1:35...I would like to know why Queen Elizabeth was announcing flight departures.

Bristol Freighter (ex RNZAF) at Aerospace Bristol museum, presently dismantled...

Flew on one of these in 1974 from Southend to Ostend for a family holiday. No car!

Try flying horses in those things. But, when your ten years old , wild adventure. 54 years on No *&^^% Way! did we really do that ?

Wow 2000 feet my drone fly's higher than that Chunk...

Would be great if was popular now.. save going on a ship and driving hundreds of miles to the port..

The air ferries did as many flights per day as humanly possible, because though the service was very popular the planes just couldn't carry enough cars per flight to make the operation truly profitable.

Ugly old muthers... And the seats were canvas on steel. Had a nice hols that way though. :-)

My Father worked for Silver City at Lympne and later at Lydd when it was built. He was a steward to start then a Car Marshall Loading the cars. He later ran the Cafeteria. He went back to Lympne and joined Skyways to run the Catering.

The size of the Belgian Policeman’s hat!

Is this how Ronnie Biggs got to the Côte? And left all worries (Scotland Yard & such) behind...

Why does that look like a very primitive 747?

And there you are with a car that is built to drive on their right side of the highway!

The cabin wasn't lighted? People sitting in the dark ....

They didn’t like flying on one engine from memory. Bristol freighters

Not that easy these days!. There is a lot of red tape and money involved in transporting a car overseas!

Terrifying 😲

Blimey!

This service needs to be resumed,I'm sure that there would be tremendous demand.

Was smoking allowed inside the aircraft back then??? 😲

1:37 What's up with the two tone car in the background with missing components (wheels, lights, glass?)? Is it one of those KDC (Knock down cars) built by car manufacturers and final assembly is done in the other countries to reduce export tax?

Silly point - The size of that uniformed French customs officer's hat! :-)

I can’t figure out where they sit if the cars are in the hold! Are they two separate planes?