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Newhaven - damage to cars...


MrCanary

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A word of warning for anyone travelling Newhaven to Dieppe and, more importantly, Dieppe to Newhaven...

The approach to the Customs Sheds at Newhaven has quite a number of very severe 'security strips' (sleeping policemen). A few months ago I saw a car lose part of its exhaust on these and many people have to stop afterwards and pick up or refit mudflaps.

This week it was my turn. Although I am aware of the problem and always go over them at a snail's pace, this week my brand new car had both front mudflaps broken by the 'brick-style' ramps. The incident was witnessed by a customs officer who admitted they were far too severe.

Be warned...

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"By the way, does anyone remember the 'flying ferries'? Southend to Ostend."

Yes, I flew on one of those to my au-pair job in Belgium.......it seems like only yesterday!

When I was a child we had a family holiday in Brittany and took our car on the flight from Cherbourg to Southampton (I think it was Southampton)

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Went on one once - hard to imagine how they made it pay.  Well I suppose they didn't really, otherwise they'd still be around.

There's an old story about one of those old Bristol 170 Freighters (that's what they were, till largely supplanted by Carvairs).  For some reason it was on approach to Heathrow (absolutely not a normal destination).

The Tower said to the pilot "please maintain 250 knots on approach", to which the reply was "Would you settle for 150, cos it's the best we can do flat out with the wind behind".  I've paraphrased just slightly. [;-)] 

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Channel Airways wasn't it (the Southend flights)?  Once we were flying back to Calais (without car) and the stewardess took us out on to the tarmac to go to the plane, I think there were only the two of us.  Much to our surprise and without a word she took us to a very small plane, like a private jet.  She politely accompanied us inside, sat us down, gave the usual info, then headed for the door, said "have a good flight" and disappeared shutting us in.  We just looked at each other!  Well, we had a good flight.  Those were the days.

 

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Silver Arrow? About 30 years ago? I remember a plane that was about the size of a bus. It took off, the cabin pointed quite steeply upwards for about 15 minutes and by the time it levelled out it was time to point downwards again to land. It was like a very slow, unexciting roller-coaster ride - not quite as bumpy. Really good service. Then train into Paris - or wherever we were headed.

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There were a few bumps on the roller-coaster too, weren't there!  Before I came over here J-P used to fly in to the most remote places on those cheap flights, there was Lydd, but also Lympne.

I think the ones from Southend who took cars must have been British Air Ferries

http://www.al-airliners.be/b-c/baf/baf.htm

and the flight where we had the little jet all to ourselves instead of the usual plane was maybe a Southend-Paris by Channel Airways. Can't remember now, but I think they must have started flights to Paris.

 

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Silver City:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_City_Airways

which became British Air Ferries.

Channel Airways:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_Airways

Re Silver Arrow, this is what I was remembering - it was actually the Flèche d'Argent train to Paris which met planes landing at le Touquet.

http://trevor.hornsby.free.fr/MEMORY_LANE/Southend_Paris_Nord.html

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[quote user="Christine Animal"]

........ and the stewardess took us out on to the tarmac to go to the plane, I think there were only the two of us.  Much to our surprise and without a word she took us to a very small plane, like a private jet.  She politely accompanied us inside, sat us down, gave the usual info, then headed for the door, said "have a good flight" and disappeared [/quote]

Was there a pilot?

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