Haven't we come a long way since 1963 ! Amazing. First time I saw one of these aircraft was in the mid 1970's at Changi Airport Singapore. I was on a military flight out of Kuala Lumpur heading back to Oz. We did a very brief touch-down, engines kept running, in a C130 just to load two pallets, one of Bacardi Rum and another of Johnny Walker black label, both duty free ! I jumped down off the ramp to photograph the Bristol and immediately raised the ire of the airport security ! I retained the camera and the film, but cannot find trhe resulting photo any longer.

Beautiful piece of NZ aviation heritage, thanks so much for posting this!! Cheers NZCH

As a kid, I used to watch these Bristol freighters in Ostend airport. Back then there was hardly any security. You could enjoy a coke on the outside terrace, some 20 meters away from where the planes were parked. I still love the deep rumble of these big prop engines.

I used to watch this aeroplane in the 1970s $80 to watch this aeroplane taking off and you didn't count towards the South Island it's nice to know I saw the pilot flying aeroplane thanks Guy for sharing that story with me and the pilots probably have passed on that's a long time again

Freddie Laker used to fly these from Llyd in Kent over to France, you could take your car in it. Flew on it in 63 to La Touquet, with Diana Dors and her Cadillac no less

The Bristol Frightener, one of the few aircraft with a built-in headwind component.

Takes me back to these flying out of Lympne and later Lydd airports with Silver City car ferries to Le Touquet across the Channel.

Absolutely superb.

The late Arthur Sharrock was the tower controller. Vern Powell was in the right hand seat. I was a tower controller at Blenheim from 1984-2001 and have fond memories of my time there. Was a tower controller at Wellington in 1984 also dealing with the Bristol Freighters daily.

As a kid I loved to watch, from our Hataitai/Evan's Bay lounge window, the Bristol Freighters coming in to land. My favourite plane! Around 4pm? I was on the last sailing of the Aramoana and got one of those pressed coins to remember it. We also had a Commer van in bright road yellow!

Brilliant video, great to have a record of this history

It is said that for Wellington airport you need to be carrier qualified on some days just get in, let alone get out again. Having flown into Wellington many times, I can believe it.

These were such different times.

Many thanks - a world gone by! I flew once as a passenger in one of those, taking a small car from the UK to northern France. I wish I'd owned a 16mm camera and filmed it...

I had the pleasure (?) of going to the Chatham Island in one of these beauties in 1979, quite an adventure. Off to work on Māngere Island to save the Black Robin.

Always remember these aircraft flying out of Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, when I was a kid. For some strange reason it was always a joy to see them. It was also a long time ago !

I remember watching the last one of these flying in and out of Chch in the late 70s as a pre-schooler. They were a pretty unique aircraft, and to my three-year-old eyes looked as though they had hit some kind of invisible wall on as they took off (because they were so slow compared to the jets and turboprops!).

Fond affection of the Bristols. So interesting to see images of Rongotai in the 1960’s

Remember seeing one of these flying backwards just above Wellington's runway when the wind changed suddenly while it was landing.

Beaufighter Engines - 2000 HP of 18 cylinder, sleeve-valved loveliness . . . Bristol Centaurus

First aircraft i ever flew in and it was so noise i was deaf for two days that was back in 1965

In 1963 i was an 11 year old boy living beside Wellington airport and for the air minded kid I was it was heaven. The “fatty Freighters” were very much a part of my audio world. This movie was made on a rare idyllic day, not often did windy Wellington turn it on like this. I can only imagine the challenging flying conditions that a strong westerly would present. Very violent lee turbulence is not uncommon and would make an approach to Woodburn quite spicy. And not forgetting the Northerly approach to Wellington when winds were strong.

Good old-fashioned seat of the pants flying, with excellent airmanship at all times, So relaxed he makes it look so easy. I suspect that with less than ideal weather, there could be some squeaky bum moments!

Mid to late 60s when i served as resident MoT Traffic Officer at Picton, a friend, Roy McKenzie worked for SAFE AIR based at Woodbourne. I often wonder what happened to Roy? Bob W.

The old Bristol Vibrator. Memories..

I remember these lovely old Freighters lying into Southend Airport when I was a lad!!!

In the 60's RAF, the Bristol 170 Freighter was known as the Bristol Shaker. If you fancied having your molecules rearranged, you had a flight in one. There was no sound proofing. A strong head wind would find you going in reverse. Mercifully, flights were short. When you landed, you tumbled out and kissed the ground in thanks for your salvation....but......want a car taken to France from the UK?...easy; cheap and readily done. The Shaker was unloved but some jobs it did well...just like the Beverley in Borneo, 1966.

Great video!! Interesting they had to taxi to the chocks.......

6:00 "Not too noisy". I remember the RNZAF Bristol Freighters from Whenuapai taking off, circling & landing when living in Birkenhead in the early 70's, the old bone rattlers weren't quiet.

That bought back some memories I was so used to the freighters coming into Nelson. When my parents and myself moved down from the North Island back in 1957 we flew down in one of the Bristol Freighters with all our furniture. I remember Mum saying that it was rather a rough crossing of Cook Strait and my Father and the copilot spent some time holding down our gear. Of course I do not remember this as I was Two years old at the time.

Roger Turner, I flew in one in 1959 to Rotterdam from Southend. I recollect that some of the seats faced backwards, so unusual then. Now all military transports have that layout I believe. Channel Air Bridge and Channel Airways. They even had Rapides and DHDoves.

Well I like the music. Growing up in Nelson the Bristol Freighters rumbling overhead were a familiar sound. I flew the same routes eventually for a short period. I don’t know if it was true or not but a SafeAir pilot job was rumoured to be a sweeet gig.

Oh my god! I went to Marlborough College alongside Pat Lyford & other SAFE maintenance ground staff 60 + years ago. Wow 👀👍

In the mid to late 1970s there was a Bristol, a Catalina & a Canberra bomber laid up at Essendon airport in Melbourne Australia, me and a couple of friends used to ride our bicycles there & jump the fence to explore them. Ive still got the photos of me in the pilots seat of the Bristol & in the bomb aimers position of the Canberra. There was also a guy restoring a Mustang there that very generously let us take photos with it, no sitting in the cockpit though :)

On my holiday in Westgate on sea (1960s) b 4 hovercraft I'd lay on my back and love to watch and hear the the drone of the sleave valve old Queen of the ( thanet) sky drone by xxx I'm 68 now mmmmm boys dream rest in peace Bristol twin engine plane 😂❤

I was just a kid growing up on the Chatham's, but I'm pretty sure we had a twin tail one of these flying to and from the Chatham island's back in the 80's if I remember correctly.

Great video fantastic!

This must have been filmed before 1963. The Aramoana entered service in 1962. Enjoyable and interesting to watch. Thank you.

11:33 "Let's go a little lower and say hello to the Tamahine. She'll soon be gone, and the Aramoana will replace her. I wonder how it will affect us." ... It put SAFE Air out of business. Wonderful film of a bygone era. 18:50 Spectacular approach from the North-West over Wellington Harbour. 21:08 A TEAL Electra taxis by at Rongotai... Some of those Electras are still flying 60 years later in Canada's far North-West, a climate they are uniquely suited for.

Bristol Freighters were used by the RNZAF. A RNZAF Bristol Freighter evacuated the NZ Ambassador from Saigon on 21 April 1975. I saw a Bristol Freighter on the runway of the Omaka Aviation Centre in June 2018.

Anyone from Southend-on-Sea out there? These and the 170 Type 32 (long nose) used to take off and fly over our school in 1957/58. I have no problem with the music.

I have driven one of those awful Commer vans. The gear box was designed in Hell, especially for some matching awful British motor vehicles. Well matched to the Commer.

Great video, pity the music is drowning out the Hercules music.

nice video -- please share more

With the ss Tamahinea in the shot, this is more like 1960, not 63

Anyone out there from the olden days who knows how they kept the CG within limits with varied loads?

I am surprised, I flew for brain and brown in Aus years ago

Music ruined videos even back then. Sorry, just being honest. Absolutely destroys any atmosphere and nearly the will to live. But thankful for this film.

Nice vid ! But - - - ,that music,I am a fan of Classical music ,however I found that a major distraction.Love the Bristol Freighter,we have a Hercules Engine on display at the Wellington Aviation Museum here in England,at Moreton - in Marsh.Sir Roy Fedden we salute you !

Maybe the name Bristol, reminds a lot of people of their heritage.

That was the era of the double breasted jacket.

what was the advantage of air transport here, over the ferry?

The aircraft looks quite ghastly.

Crikey. 500 feet separation between oncoming a/c. Bit risky in bad weather.

Interesting footage from a lovely time and place. As for the soundtrack, while I am fond of classical music, I’d rather have had it reduced to the background or eliminated entirely.

Lovely period video. Can’t complain about the footage but the music could have been more appropriate.

You are right. Drown the music

Good video but ruined by the drunk playing the piano in the hold. The film ,as a result, gives the impression of a tourist or emmigation promotion,not an aviation documentary.

Where's the kitchen and bog on that chunk And turn off that Death Music plz

If only you could get rid of that music.

The terribly loud music could turn every lover of classic fiddlering into a everlasting hater!

Stopped watching has soon has the music 🎧 starts