[Albion] Going to France. On the plane. WITH YOUR CAR.
- Thread starter Bozza
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GT49er
Well-known member
I think I had an Airfix kit of one of those (or something similar anyway).Seems my mum did this with her family in the early 1960s. I thought she was making it up. Then I saw this photo.
View attachment 181023
I then looked up Silver City, and it really was a thing!
Silver City Airways: The Airline That Flew A Million Cars
Taking a closer look at the airline that flew cars across the English Channel.simpleflying.com
Who knew?
RandyWanger
Je suis rôti de boeuf
I know you can fly cars today as cargo, but it's not a drive on/off service but I never knew this was a thing in the 60s. Very cool.
I can remember my parents using this service back in the day. Don’t think they did it very often and tended to use the ferries for their European holidays.
I think we had an ancient piece of cine film somewhere featuring the Silver City ‘flying machines.’
I think we had an ancient piece of cine film somewhere featuring the Silver City ‘flying machines.’
NS Herald
Well-known member
My Uncle was a Bristol Freighter pilot based at Lydd for several years doing these flights. As a small kid I would spend time there in the summer holidays watching these aircraft 'consume' their load of cars and passengers.
In later years I worked for BIA whose Dart Heralds operated the Silver Arrow service from Gatwick to Le Touquet - passengers getting the train from Victoria to Gatwick and then from Le Touquet to Gare du Nord. The Chunnel put an end to that in 1980.
lost in london
Well-known member
This is incredible, what a crazy service. Turns out it was popular though, by 1960 they were By doing 40,000 annual cross-Channel flights transporting 220,000 passengers and 90,000 vehicles (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_City_Airways)
In 1950 it was £19 for a small car and four passengers, £541 in today's money. Not too bad at all.
In 1950 it was £19 for a small car and four passengers, £541 in today's money. Not too bad at all.
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RandyWanger
Je suis rôti de boeuf
Bargain!
thedonkeycentrehalf
Moved back to wear the gloves (again)
- Jul 7, 2003
- 9,814
@Bozza - saw this on Talking Pictures TV which includes film of these old flights
https://www.tptvencore.co.uk/Video/...Wings?id=f862f6f6-5f97-44b6-b3e1-6322e710a506
https://www.tptvencore.co.uk/Video/...Wings?id=f862f6f6-5f97-44b6-b3e1-6322e710a506
Shropshire Seagull
Well-known member
Some of the Brylcreem boys on here might share a comment about aircraft payload-masters.
Adding the weight of a car [or 3] on to an aircraft could seriously affect the centre of balance, I would have thought.
I'm sure they had it all worked out.
Adding the weight of a car [or 3] on to an aircraft could seriously affect the centre of balance, I would have thought.
I'm sure they had it all worked out.
Thats a double decker bus!Random fact, I have flown on one of those. I was very young but I think it was on a flight to Wildenwrath in Germany, my father was in the army. There was some sort of drama on landing and a fire engine was running alongside the plane when we landed. Not needed though. Bristol Freighter?
I have also flown on Dakotas (gave me my fear of flying with the drops that had your stomach in your mouth through air pockets), a Britannia, a Viscount, a Comet, a Stratocruiser (with a stand up bar upfront that kids weren’t allowed in) and Concorde
Stratocruiser bar
I've been in 3 different concordes . . .none of them left the ground!
Barham's tash
Well-known member
Not France with your car on a plane but cost my dad a small fortune in the mid 80s when we and two other families drove down to the Cote D'Azur for a camping holiday. Glorious two weeks, fun had by all etc when on the intended return we stopped in Toulon I think it was where every day we saw a train depart for Calais which you loaded your car onto. Think it was something like £250 back then but apparently I whinged and cried so much that we had to use it to get home... Do I remember any of it? Do I fu..........
