abrown532 From UK - Northern Ireland, joined Feb 2008, 124 posts, RR: 0 Posted (1 year 2 months 9 hours ago) and read 5372 times:
I have always wondered if an old freighter could be converted to carry passengers and their cars like a sea-ferry. Obviously the cost would be enormous most likely but it is a nice idea and alot faster than conventional sea ferries!
PHX787 From Japan, joined Mar 2012, 4965 posts, RR: 14 Reply 1, posted (1 year 2 months 9 hours ago) and read 5365 times:
I could see this possibly happening in some Island nation but the $$$ is definitely not there.
Then again, I still question how here in Arizona I saw a license plate on a car from Hawaii.
As I wrote that, I was thinking it could be feasible in Hawaii, but don't ferries also do that, and for cheap, too?
SuperCaravelle From Netherlands, joined Jan 2012, 219 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (1 year 2 months 8 hours ago) and read 5317 times:
It is much cheaper to either take the boat, or take the plane and let the car take the boat. The weight and volume of the car is expensive in the air. That said, sometimes luxury cars do get transported on planes, but I bet it costs a lot of money.
I bet this idea won't be the end for car rentals at airports
slcdeltarumd11 From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 2454 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (1 year 2 months 8 hours ago) and read 5253 times:
There were those photos on here of a porche who hitched a ride on a CDG-SLC Delta flight recently. I think that's an expensive occassionand and if you have the time boat and then train or truck is much cheaper so time would need to be a critical factor. I think it's just too expensive and you would never find enough cars all heading the same place at the same time. If you had to wait a week or few days you could have shipped it by boat or truck and had it on its way
PlymSpotter From Spain, joined Jun 2004, 11125 posts, RR: 63 Reply 5, posted (1 year 2 months 8 hours ago) and read 5178 times:
You effectively have this between locations where major luxury car manufacturers are based and various points around the world which buy a lot of them, but the aircraft used are generally regular cargo aircraft which carry the cars strapped onto pallets to be loaded on the main deck or in the hold. The An-124 can also be set up with two decks to carry more cars.
rutankrd From United Kingdom, joined Sep 2003, 1998 posts, RR: 5 Reply 6, posted (1 year 2 months 8 hours ago) and read 5152 times:
Quoting PlymSpotter (Reply 5):
You effectively have this between locations where major luxury car manufacturers are based and various points around the world which buy a lot of them, but the aircraft used are generally regular cargo aircraft which carry the cars strapped onto pallets to be loaded on the main deck or in the hold. The An-124 can also be set up with two decks to carry more cars.
In fact if you are talking airfreight - you can get many/most cars through the belly cargo doors of wide bodies.
At Heathrow its quite regular and its NOT just luxury . Quite a few cars are airfreighted by their owners across continents !
Viscount724 From Switzerland, joined Oct 2006, 21481 posts, RR: 24 Reply 7, posted (1 year 2 months 7 hours ago) and read 5053 times:
Quoting rutankrd (Reply 4): The CARVAIR ! These were converted DC-4 . Created by a company owned by the infamous and recidivist Bankrupt Freddie Laker
Carvair - short for "Car via Air". 21 were converted.
A 2009 thread with some photos of both the Bristol Freighter and Carvair, both of which were used on the various cross-channel air ferry services that survived for a few in the 1960s and '70s.. RE: 1960s Car Ferry Flights From Lydd (by Viscount724 Jul 10 2009 in Civil Aviation)
I've heard from a few Hawaiians that the military will ship your car for free. So every time I see a Hawaii plate I think they must be in the military, obviously not 100% true.
BMI727 From United States of America, joined Feb 2009, 14330 posts, RR: 26 Reply 9, posted (1 year 2 months 6 hours ago) and read 4935 times:
Quoting EmperortimSJO (Reply 8): I've heard from a few Hawaiians that the military will ship your car for free. So every time I see a Hawaii plate I think they must be in the military, obviously not 100% true.
The Navy will use their ships to transport sailors' cars when switching home ports and things like that. Not too long ago I saw a picture of an aircraft carrier's hangar deck being used as a parking lot to move people's cars.
tsnamm From United States of America, joined May 2005, 602 posts, RR: 0 Reply 10, posted (1 year 2 months 6 hours ago) and read 4897 times:
Use a 747 and restrict it to under 64 inches in height on the cars so they can fit in the regular pit on lower deck pallets...run it from the Northeast to Florida and call it "The AutoPlane" !! Investors anyone?? LOL!
1stfl94 From United Kingdom, joined May 2006, 1454 posts, RR: 0 Reply 12, posted (1 year 2 months 6 hours ago) and read 4873 times:
Wouldn't be economical unless your charge an enormous fare. Most ferry companies make their money off freight, passenger cars are only a portion of their revenue. Also you wouldn't get that many vehicles onboard even an Antonov, at 70m long its still half the length of what would be considered a small ferry.
PHX787 From Japan, joined Mar 2012, 4965 posts, RR: 14 Reply 14, posted (1 year 2 months 4 hours ago) and read 4661 times:
Quoting EmperortimSJO (Reply 8): I've heard from a few Hawaiians that the military will ship your car for free. So every time I see a Hawaii plate I think they must be in the military, obviously not 100% true.
That's what I was assuming. When my neighbor went to a base in Saudi Arabia, they shipped his Chrysler with him. (He flies the C-5 so if I'm not mistaken, he may have shipped his own car in his own plane.)
YVRLTN From Canada, joined Oct 2006, 2087 posts, RR: 0 Reply 15, posted (1 year 2 months 3 hours ago) and read 4578 times:
Quoting slcdeltarumd11 (Reply 3): There were those photos on here of a porche who hitched a ride
I work for a freight forwarder and we have a dedicated automotive team and we do this all time, particularly Porsche's. We sent the whole team to AUH from STR for example for the Grand Prix there. We also do concept cars, cars for auto shows and movies as well as for individuals.
David L From United Kingdom, joined May 1999, 9216 posts, RR: 42 Reply 17, posted (1 year 1 month 4 weeks 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 4279 times:
Quoting rutankrd (Reply 4): Been done and died in the early 70s
Quoting Viscount724 (Reply 7): A 2009 thread with some photos of both the Bristol Freighter and Carvair, both of which were used on the various cross-channel air ferry services that survived for a few in the 1960s and '70s.
My first ever flight was on a Bristol Freighter with our car on board (a green MG Magnette ZB, in case anyone cares) in about 1961. As I was less than two years old, I don't remember a great deal about it but I've been told my face was glued to the window for the whole trip. Thus began an enduring fascination with aviation.
edina From United Kingdom, joined Jul 2003, 713 posts, RR: 10 Reply 18, posted (1 year 1 month 4 weeks 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 4219 times:
Air Inter offered their "AirAutoMoto" service for cars & motorbikes on A300 operated French domestic flights.
Cars carried were limited in size to smaller models (e.g. peugeot 205), but this did not stop the service being fully booked during the summer months/holidays, the most popular routes being ORY to AJA, BIA, BIQ, CLY, PGF, MPL, TLN & NCE.
[Edited 2012-03-24 03:42:41]
Worked on - Caravelle Mercure A300 A320 F27 SD3-60 BAe146 747-100/200/400 DC10-30 767 777 737-400 757 A319 A321
PanHAM From Germany, joined May 2005, 7771 posts, RR: 26 Reply 19, posted (1 year 1 month 4 weeks 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 4206 times:
As was mentioned before, cars are shipped by air on a daily base. But most of them commercially for numerous reasons, be that for advertising or racing, many more. Soem are even flown from African countries to the manufacturer in Germany to get the oinspection done. Or expensive material delivered by airfreight instead of in an ocean container.
The Carvair days where people could drive to the airport, load the cars on a Bristol Freighter of a DC4 converted and drive off at the destination are gone. For them car rental is available world wide. Cars are DGR, petrol has to be drained, batteries dis-connected, air bags etc. . The documentation has to be filled out by people who do not know how to do it.
For personal use , for holidays it is easier and much cheaper to rent at the destination.
BMI727 From United States of America, joined Feb 2009, 14330 posts, RR: 26 Reply 20, posted (1 year 1 month 4 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 3812 times:
Quoting PanHAM (Reply 19): Soem are even flown from African countries to the manufacturer in Germany to get the oinspection done.
A lot of prototypes and development cars get shipped between Europe and South Africa for testing, which is a convenient spot since it has the opposite seasons and minimal time change.
Why do Aerospace Engineering students have to turn things in on time?
VV701 From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 6623 posts, RR: 17 Reply 21, posted (1 year 1 month 4 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 3466 times:
The F1 circus was in Melbourne last Sunday (18 March), is currently in Sepang for Sunday's (25 March) Malaysian Grand Prix. Later it will move from the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai (15 April) to Bahrain Grand Prtix (22 April). And it is worth noting that practice starts on the Friday leaving just 4 days between the race finish and the start of practice for races that are only a week apart like those above.
Two of the biggest hops are from the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on 9 September to the Singapore Grand Prix on 23 September andfrom the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 4 November to the American Grand Prix at Austin, TX on 18 November.
There are 12 teams each with two race-day cars and most with a back up car plus all the necessary back up facilities from spare nose cones to tyres and service equipment.
There is little published on this huge logistics challenge. However this article relates to the 2007 Bahrain Grand Prix. It talks of a total of 10 charter freight flights by both specialist cargo and more general commercial airlines:
PanHAM From Germany, joined May 2005, 7771 posts, RR: 26 Reply 22, posted (1 year 1 month 4 weeks 1 day 12 hours ago) and read 3128 times:
F1 team transfers are almost routine meanwhile. One of the worlds largest logistics firms handles that business and they know what they are doing. For a freight forwarder that is a challenge, but not the transport organisation itself is, the local arrangements, customs inbound and outboud, sub-contractor eventually that's where the flexiility and quick thinking are needed. Or, new places like Austin. But they send a team there weeks before and the company has a local office at least in Houston.
Anyway, that wa snot the question, the question was, would it be viable to re-start something like BAF. The answer is a clear no. ,
richm From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2004, 794 posts, RR: 11 Reply 23, posted (1 year 1 month 4 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 2751 times:
For the purpose of mass transportation, it wouldn't be viable.
Here's a photo of a 4x4 being loaded into a 757. You can clearly tell that you wouldn't get many of those in a 757, especially not with passengers as well! Sure, there would be more room in a 747 but even then, you wouldn't be able carry enough vehicles in order to make it viable for mass transportation.
FN1001 From Moldova, joined Sep 2008, 213 posts, RR: 0 Reply 24, posted (1 year 1 month 4 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 2206 times:
About 3 weeks ago I saw in the morning at T2 in FRA an EK or EY aircraft with an Audi Q5 in the belly. I wondered, since the Q5 is available nearly everywhere, what would be the reason to buy it in Germany and ship it to the Gulf region. How much would that shipping cost?
Mai bine să-ţi fie rău decît să-ţi pară rău.
25 eaa3: Probably because the people shipping it didn't care at all about shipping cost. Having an airline also carry your car is viable in some senses. It's
26 zippyjet: I remember seeing this funny looking humper bird in the James Bond classic movie Goldfinger. I believe Goldfinger had one of his cars hauled on this
27 tonystan: Wow, pre recession comment if ever I heard one! LOL! Whats wrong with car rentals people???? I can rent a car in Malaga or Gibralter for as little as
28 HNLPointShoot: I don't know what perks the military provides to people stationed in Hawaii, but most people who need a car shipped to/from the Mainland can put it o
29 MHG: Nowadays it´s simply unviable/uneconomic unless in very few special circumstances as mentionned above. Main reasons why it is not viable anymore: 1)
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My first ever flight was on a Bristol Freighter with our car on board (a green MG Magnette ZB, in case anyone cares) in about 1961. As I was less than two years old, I don't remember a great deal about it but I've been told my face was glued to the window for the whole trip. Thus began an enduring fascination with aviation. 
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