Conversion work proved more successful. Surplus military trainer aircraft such as the Percival[?] Prentice were converted for civilian customers. Some Avro Tudor airliners were adapted to carry freight. Twenty-one Douglas DC-4[?] airliners were converted to car ferries, a task that included raising their cockpits high above the original fuselage and hinging a bulbous nose built beneath through which up to six cars could be loaded by means of a ground-based ramp. Twenty-two passengers could be accommodated in the remaining rear fuselage whose cross-section remained as-built. The fin and wings were enlarged to offset the added bulk and weight. Many of these piston-engined ATL98 Carvair aircraft were operated from Southend Airport[?] on short routes across the English Channel. The provision of such fast ferry services by large hovercraft (the SRN-4) and subsequently by Shuttle trains using the Channel Tunnel means that the age of the car carrying airliner commenced with the Bristol Freighter and concluded with the unforgettable Carvair. Commercial considerations mean that such an era is unlikely to recur.
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