Essex aviation superfan raising money to save ‘ultra rare’ 60s cockpit

An Essex aviation enthusiast has splashed out thousands of pounds to save the only- surviving cockpit of a rare 1960s car freight plane. Marc Wilmott, 62, spent £4,200 moving the huge cockpit of a Carvair aircraft – one of 21 car ferry planes ordered by airline legend Sir Freddie Laker half a century ago.

The planes were converted from Douglas DC-4 military planes in Southend to ferry up to five cars at time across the English Channel. Mr Wilmott, who lives at Hadleigh, said he the cockpit was ‘finally coming home’ and hoped it could be preserved and put on display locally.

Marc said the cockpit is now being kept at a secret location in his hometown of Hadleigh, near Southend stating it’s “finally come home”. The cockpit is 15 and a half foot long, ten and a half foot wide, eight and a half foot tall and weighs one and a half tonnes.

Sean Connery’s James Bond could been seen driving an Aston Martin DB5 on to a Carvair in pursuit of Goldfinger in the eponymous 1964 film. Marc arranged for the cockpit to be transported from its abandoned location in Beccles, Suffolk which he did using a combination of a hired lorry and finally a large forklift truck.

The cockpit of a Carvair aircraft being transported (Image: Courtesy of Marc Wilmott / SWNS)

The dad-of-one, said: “The Carvair could carry up to five cars and 22 passengers across the channel. The guy I bought it from had it for 44 years and it’s one of the only remaining ones in the world. I knew I couldn’t let it go to waste so I raised the money to ensure it’s preservation.

“Transporting it from Suffolk to Southend Airport was a challenge but it had to be moved sharpish. It was quite precarious but I managed it in the end.” Marc said he was told there was no room for the cockpit in the Vulcan Restoration Trust hangar at Southend airport.

Marc Wilmott on the left and ex-British Air Ferries Engineer Richard Walker on the right in the cockpit (Image: Courtesy of Marc Wilmott / SWNS)

However, he hopes an individual or organisation in the city could house it for preservation and even as a display for the public. Of the 21 Carvair’s built only two un-airworthy airframe examples remain, one in Johannesburg and one in Texas but they do not include cockpits.

References

1. ^{^} Mum and carer from Clacton told she has ‘timebomb’ brain condition (www.essexlive.news)