Loading was done by airline drivers. There were no parking aids apart from the car's rear view mirror, and on at least one occasion, it was found that the car's brakes were defective (fortunately the pax hadn't boarded). Sometimes, with wide (American) cars, it was impossible to open the car doors sufficiently for the driver to get out once boarded, and he got a flip across the Channel.
It was rumoured that the licence for Silver City's cross-channel operation covered passengers "travelling with vehicles" only, and that therefore "foot passengers" should not be carried, but SC had a stock of old bicycles available to make the latter legal.
A SIlver City frightener once won a London-Paris air race, :o or at least the "scheduled air services" part of it (can't remember which Mark). I think the start was at Marble Arch and the finish was the Arc de Triomphe, and entrants could use any form of transport in between. An RAF type (2 motorbikes and a jet?) won the open class, but Stirling Moss drove a Jag down to Lydd(?) (no "70" limit in those days
), flew over to Le Touquet with it, and then put the foot hard down all the way to Paris thereby defeating those who'd put their faith in BEA or Air France.
As a Woolston kid I saw many BFs flying in a nd out of EGHI - even noisier than the Trislanders we get these days, though quieter than Aquila's Short Solents coming over our roof on finals....
When you all see it, it will make you wonder that its
:doho: 
