Pictured at its London Heathrow operating base, G-APNO sports its handsome Hunting-Clan colours. Sistership ’NP is visible inside the company hangar located on the airport’s south side

‘Tanker 51’, alias C-GIBS, begins her fire-bombing display at the 1988 Abbotsford Airshow. Barely airborne, she is seen entering a tight turn within the airfield perimeter prior to making a 1,500ft (460m) long, multi-coloured drop in front of the crowd. The stunning display ends with a high speed downwind pass followed by a graceful pitch up and dumb-bell turn onto finals and lots of noisy reverse thrust on landing.

Balair acquired Air Ferry’s two DC-6As to bolster its Biafran airlift fleet. HB-IBS, the former G-APNO, sits ready for departure at Basle-Mulhouse airport in January 1969 wearing an all-white Red Cross paint scheme.

Batair Douglas DC-6B HB-IBS wearing Portuguese Red Cross titles, a red cross on white on the forward fuselage plus normal Swiss white on red cross on its fin
The relief airlift in Angola towards the end of 1975 proved to be a dangerous and stressful operation. Here HB-IBS wears Red Cross titling in Portuguese as she taxies at Luanda.

Fine shot of G-APNO in Air Ferry’s smart dark blue and gold colours at Manchester in the company of a pair of singularly unglamorous BAC 1-11s of British United and British Eagle.

‘India Bravo Sierra’ tucks up her gear in December 1977 as she departs Amsterdam-Schiphol on yet another European charter.

Air Ferry's G-APNO at Gatwick in 1968 wearing her former British United Airways paint scheme