FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1954
1954 - 2830.PDF
S October 1954 563 CIVIL AVIATION Part of the loading area at Ferryfield, viewed here from the control-tower balcony. Superfreighters face the terminal for loading and unloading, and are backed out by tractors of the Douglas Equipment Tug- master type shown on the left. FERRYFIELD TAKES OVER N EW chapters are constantly being added to the unique story of Silver City Airways. The latest is the news that operations from Lympne, until recently the main terminal for the company's cross-Channel ferry and the scene of its modest beginnings in 1948, came to an end at 3.30 p.m. last Sunday, October 3rd. The decision to transfer Lympne's remaining functions to Ferryfield was not unexpected; that it should be made so soon is, however, a tribute to the success of the new private airport, which was built in six months and has been in operation for only 11 weeks. Among those who witnessed the final departure from Lympne was Mr. Sam Norman, the owner of the first car to be carried. The last of 33,487 ferry flights to and from Lympne was.made, appropriately enough, by Freighter G-AGVC—die aircraft which inaugurated the service on July 14th, 1948; in command was Capt. Gerry Rosser, who was co-pilot on the original flight. Total ferry traffic subsequently handled at Lympne amounts to 54,600 cars, 18,372 motor cycles, 11,025 pedal cycles and 208,457 passengers. In return for the use of the airport and its facilities, Silver City have paid some £75,000 in landing fees to the M.T.C.A. (formerly the M.C.A.) over the past six years. This expenditure, however, was riot of itself heavy enough to prompt the construction of Ferryfield, at an estimated cost of £250,0O0-£3OO,OOO. Lympne required considerable development to carry the expected extra traffic, but there has never been any sign of Ministerial recognition of its recently achieved status as one of the busiest airports ,in Europe. The Ministry has, in fact, made a number of unsuccessful attempts to sell Lympne—the latest being in April, this year, when the reserve price of £120,000 deterred would-be buyers. It will be interesting to watch the next phase in the Ministry's somewhat negative treatment of the airporr. The original decision to sell it was based on the argument that it did not fit into the official pattern of U.K. airports. For this reason, the Ministry will presumably continue its efforts to sell Lympne, though its value as a producer of revenue has been greatly reduced by Silver City's initiative in building Ferryfield. It is unlikely diat the airline, having taken the plunge, has any regrets about the circumstances which led to the Ferryfield project. The efficiency of the new terminal—the first, inci dentally, designed to handle vehicles as well as passengers—is already evident; furthermore, the ferry is essentially an indepen dent organization, and many advantages are gained from independence on the ground as well as in the air. It would be difficult to estimate the period which must elapse before the pro ject shows a clear return on the original investment: Ferryfield must logically be regarded as part of a transport system and not as an airport making or losing money on its own account. Ferryfield was described and illustrated in Flight of July 2nd, shortly before it was put to work. It is now possible to bring the story up to date with some recent observations of activities there. First impressions belie the fact that this is the busiest freight airport in the country. In appearance, Ferryfield is prob ably the simplest modern airport yet built, consisting basically of little more than a pair of runways and a low, rectangular terminal building only 300ft long by 100ft deep. Facing the terminal is a loading apron with space for six Superfreighters parked tip-to-tip. By running his port wheel along a line on the apron, a pilot can taxy his aircraft into one of six predetermined loading stations. Nose doors are opened as the brakes are applied and the car ramp is moved forward to the sill of the aircraft's freight hold. Scheduled time for a complete turn-round is 20 min. Specially designed Douglas Tugmaster tractors tow the air craft tail-first from its bay after loading and turn it through 90 deg ready for engine-starting and taxying to the take-off point. The original intention was to tow the aircraft all the way to the take-off point with the loaders remaining in the hold to com plete the shackling-down of cars. A new method of shackling, however, has halved die time previously required for this operation, which is now completed before the aircraft leaves its (Left) This interior view of a Superfreighter's hold gives an excellent idea of the capacity of the Mk 32 version of the Bristol 170, which was specially developed for the air ferry. (Right) Ferryfield's attractive 100 yd-long terminal building contains all passenger and Q^emFftfaWites at ground level, and has a small raised section containing company offices and—shown here—control room, s*^ "•"•""- "Flight" photographs
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
