Aviation Traders Carvair
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The Aviation Traders ATL-98 Carvair was a Douglas DC-4 converted by Aviation Traders (Engineering) Limited and designed to carry 25 passengers and 5 front-loaded cars. The nose was replaced with one 8 feet 8 inches longer, the cockpit being raised to allow a sideways opening nose door. More powerful brakes and an enlarged Douglas DC-7 tail unit was added. The engines were four Pratt & Whitney R-2000 Twin Wasp radial engines. The prototype conversion first flew on 21 Jun 1961. Twenty one Carvairs were produced, with production of aircraft 1, 11 and 21 at Southend (England) and the balance at Stansted (England). The final three aircraft were delivered to the Australian airline Ansett, who supplied DC-4s to ATL for conversion, unlike the previous 18 aircraft. The last conversion first flew on the 12 July 1968.
Aircraft for Aer Lingus were quickly convertible between 55 seats and 22 seats with 5 cars. Some aircraft were pure freighters with only nine seats. One aircraft had 55 high-density seats and room for 3 cars.
According to Carvair expert and author Niall Booth, there are three airworthy examples as of December 2005. The first (Zambian registered 9J-PAA) is in South Africa. The second (N89FA) is based in Denison, Texas, and flies with Gator Global Flying Services on ad-hoc cargo charters throughout the United States. This was the aircraft that participated in the 2005 World Freefall Convention in Rantoul, Illinois, setting the record for the largest number of people to fly in a Carvair when it carried 80 skydivers and 5 crew to an altitude of 10,500 feet. Piloted by Captain John Harms and Captain Chris Rice, the climb took 38 minutes. The skydivers exited the large freight door at the rear of the aircraft at 110 knots. The last of the airworthy Carvairs (N898AT) is based with Brooks Fuel in Fairbanks, AK and flies fuel oil to remote locations.
The Carvair makes an appearance in the 1964 James Bond movie Goldfinger. See [link].
The Carvair was used by Aer Lingus and British Air Ferries among others. British Air Ferries were the last operator in Europe of the aircraft, keeping them flying into the 1970s.
The Carvair was used in Congo-Kinshasa during 1960-1964, under contract to the United Nations.
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