Airfer / Ferguson Aviation early 1980s

[smudge]

Anyone have any more history on this operation?

From Flight International in 1982.

Airfer is the trading name for Ferguson Aviation, based at Belfast Harbour Airport. The company operates this Navajo Chieftain and an Aztec on air-taxi work.  The address is Regent Street, Newtownards, Co. Down, N. Ireland, telephone 0247 812626

The PA31 shown is PA-31-350 cn 31-8052078 G-MARG ( see below for reason for reg ).  Sold-on in 1984 becoming G-NABI so perhaps that's when operations ended.  It still visits NI these days, now registered with Dart Group / Jet2 as G-IFIT.

Haven't tracked-down the Aztec yet.



Full company name was M Ferguson Newtownards Limited, operators of the main Ford car dealership in Newtownards from the 1960s onwards, located at the former Regent House school building opposite the law courts. 

Its first director went missing over the Irish Sea in his private aircraft in 1968 and his wife Margaret took over.  She was nominated NI Businesswoman of the Year in 1983 amongst many other achievements.

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[NISPOT]

The Aztec at the time was G-KEYS 

[smudge]

Cheers!

So dates of registration with Ferguson Aviation were:

PA31 31-8052078 G-MARG: 09 July 1981 to 08 June 1984
PA27 27-7854052 G-KEYS: 19 February 1981 to 13 November 1987


Nice colour shot of G-MARG here, no credits though.

[Sneaky_Nikon]

I remember almost getting beaten up by a chap who insisted that G-MARG was a Nah-Va-Joe...