Air Ferry’s Vickers
Viscount G-AVHE
parked at Hannover
on a trooping charter
in April 1968
alongside two British
Eagle Britannias, a
Luxair Viscount and
a Sudf lug DC-7C.
Air Ferry Ltd Fleet List
Ty p e Reg’n c/n Aquired Fate Date Notes
ATL.98 Carvair G-ASKGG-APNH^1110 lsd 12.65lsd 12.65 rtndrtnd 06.6603.66 to BUAFto BUAF
Bristol Freighter
Mk 31E G-AMLL^13074 l s d 11. 0 3. 6 4 rtnd 11.03.65 to Handley Page
Bristol Freighter
Mk32G-AMLP 13078 lsd 08.04.65 rtnd 29.05.65 to BUAF
G-ANVR 13251 lsd 14.01.65 rtnd 26.03.65 to BUAF
Douglas C-54A
SkymasterG-APYK 10279 bt 10.01.63 w/o 03.06.67 near Perpignan
G-ASFY 10335 bt 19.03.63 sold 2 5 .11. 6 8 to USA
G-ASOG 10359 bt 28.01.64 w/o 1.06.67 at Frankfurt
Douglas C-54B
Skymaster G-ARWI^18349 lsd 02.05.67 rtnd 10.67 to Lloyd International
Douglas DC-6A G-APNPG-APNO^45531455322 tsfd 14.2.66tsfd 03.2.66 rtndrtnd 09.10. 6 810.10.68 to BUAto BUA
Vickers 498 Viking 1 G-AHOW 124 bt 06.04.64 sold 2 7.10. 6 6 to Invicta
Vickers 610
Viking 3BG-AIVD 217 bt 14.02.63 w.f.u. 03.04.65 used for spares
G-AIVF 219 bt 18.02.63 sold 23.03.66 to Invicta
G-AJBX 249 bt 06.04.64 w.f.u. 09.05.65 used for spares
Vickers 621 Viking 2 G-AOCH 150 bt 14.08.63 sold 23.03.66 to Invicta
Vickers 812 ViscountG -AVNJG -AVHE^363361 lsd 11.01.68lsd 10.01.68 rtndrtnd 31.10. 6 80 6 .11. 6 8 to Channel Airwaysto Channel AirwaysDecember 1965 saw two British United ATL-98 Carvairs
(G-APNH and G-ASKG) receive Air Ferry titles before
leaving the UK with two C-54s bound for Dar-es Salaam in
Tanzania to help ferry essential oil supplies to Lusaka and Ndola
following Rhodesia’s declaration of independence and the closure
of the rail link to Zambia. This work kept the C-54s busyduring the normally quiet winter months, with the final aircraft
returning the following June.
Further fleet changes saw the departure of the two remaining
Vikings, which were replaced by two Douglas DC-6s (G-APNO
and G-APNP) on lease from the parent company BUA.
Some BUA services were also transferred to Air Ferry including
their ‘Africargo’ service between London Heathrow and a
number of destinations in East, Central and Southern Africa.
This coincided with the introduction of a new livery consisting
of a dark blue and gold cheat-line with the letters ‘AF’ on the fin.
The first revenue flight for the new DC-6 saw G-APNO
depart for Rotterdam on a Dutch bulb charter under the
command of Captain Bill Wood. With just five aircraft for
the summer season the crews were kept busy covering the IT
and freight work alongside the growing Ministry contracts, one
of which saw G-APNP on a 12-day, 15-sector return trip to
Adelaide, Australia.
The end of year figures showed a further decline in IT traffic
but passengers carried on MOD contracts had risen following
the introduction of the DC-6 – thus boosting the total
passengers carried to 154,300, despite flying 100 fewer flights.
Air Ferry also operated scheduled freight charters on behalf
of BEA and Lufthansa from the UK to Düsseldorf, Frankfurt
and Zurich. However, disaster was to strike on January 21, 1967
when C-54 G-ASOG – crewed by Captain Adcock and F/O
Gutteridge – crashed at the end of a flight from Manchester to
Frankfurt. Both crew members were killed and the accident was
attributed to the use of the wrong altimeter setting. The loss
of the aircraft resulted in a replacement C-54 (G-ARWI) being
leased from Lloyd International in May.
On June 3, Air Ferry suffered the loss
of a second C-54 when G-APYK –
flying a charter sortie from Manston
to Perpignan – crashed into Mt
Canigou in the Pyrenees killing all 88
passengers and crew. The cause was
traced to carbon monoxide poisoning
from a faulty heater.
In spite of these losses Air Ferry
continued its intensive operation
throughout the year carrying nearly
180,000 passengers.
By 1968 many of the independents
were moving away from piston-
engined aircraft and Air Ferry
was no exception. In January it
introduced two Vickers ViscountsAir Ferry’s DC-6A
G-APNP was the
second of the type to
join the airline. As
part of a 1966 Air
Ministry contract
it f lew a 12-day,
15-sector return
trip to Adelaide.
T S
C On December 18,
1964, C-54 G-ASOG
carried 82 passengers
on a pilgrimage to
the Holy Land. Its
routing was via
Frankfurt, Athens,
Heraklion, Istanbul,
Beirut, Damascus
and Jerusalem.
T S
C 74 AIRLINER Classics 2018