Airspeed Ferry

The Airspeed AS.4 Ferry was a 1930s British three-engined ten-seat biplane airliner built by Airspeed Limited at York.
Design and development.
Designed to meet a requirement for a pleasure flying airliner from Sir Alan Cobham (an Airspeed director), the Ferry was an unusual configuration biplane with a third engine mounted in the upper wing (it was usual to mount a third engine in the nose). The engine arrangement was designed to give the pilot a better view. Not all three engines were the same, the lower engines were de Havilland Gipsy IIs, and the upper wing had an inverted de Havilland Gipsy III. The lower wing was mounted at the top of the fuselage to give passengers an unobstructed view of the ground.
Operational history.
The first aircraft G-ABSI "Youth of Britain II" first flew on 10 April 1932 from Sherburn-in-Elmet Airfield, followed soon after by the second aircraft G-ABSJ "Youth of Britain III". In the first season of operating, the two aircraft carried 92,000 passengers.
The outbreak of World War II caused the first aircraft (G-ABSI) to be pressed into service with the Royal Air Force in 1940, as AV968, and used at Halton until November 1940. It later became an instructional airframe registered as 2758M.
The second aircraft was sold in India to Himalaya Air Transport and Survey Company Limited in 1934 as VT-AFO. It was used to ferry pilgrims from Hardwar to Gaucher, and was destroyed by vandals in a hangar fire in 1936.
The third (G-ACBT) and fourth (G-ACFB) aircraft were built for the Midland and Scottish Air Ferries Ltd and used on services from Renfrew to Campbeltown, Belfast and Speke. The firm closed in 1934 and the aircraft were put up for sale. G-ACBT was not sold and was dismantled in 1941. G-ACFB returned to England to be used for pleasure flying for Air Publicity Ltd. It was pressed into service with the Royal Air Force in 1941 and later became an instructional airframe.