Aviation Traders ATL-98 Carvair
Aviation Traders · United Kingdom · first flew 1961 · transport aircraft
Freddie Laker's car ferry: a DC-4 rebuilt with a bulged nose and elevated cockpit so five cars and their owners could fly to the Continent together — with a Bond-film cameo in Goldfinger.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 4 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 31.27 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Bulbous raised cockpit above a swing-nose car door — a mini Guppy look
- DC-4 wings and tail behind the swollen new front
- Cars drove in through the hinged nose
Reads as a DC-4 that swallowed a Guppy's nose: piston engines and tail unchanged, but the front third is a tall bulb with the cockpit perched on top.
Specifications
- The Aviation Traders ATL-98 Carvair has a length of 31.27 m (103 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 35.81 m (117 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 402 km/h (250 mph).
- Typical crew: 3-4.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Aviation Traders at Southend converted 21 DC-4s from 1961, grafting on a new forward fuselage with a sideways-hinging nose door. Cross-Channel car-ferry flights from Southend and Lydd defined early-60s motoring adventure until roll-on ferries and hovercraft ended it.
Variants
All 21 were conversions; cabin/car mixes varied by operator.
Where you'll see it
A quintessentially British Southend story; the type soldiered on hauling freight worldwide into the 2000s. None fly today.
Related aircraft
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