Britain's latest four-turbo prop "pack-mule of the skies" Armstrong Whitworth's "Argosy", goes through its paces over Gatwick International Airport and over Surrey, Southern England.

This "Argosy", one of four versions, is for both cars and passengers - cars on the lower deck and passengers on the top deck. Other versions are: 1. the freightercoach, with the cargo stowed forward and passengers seated aft - both on one deck: 2. the military transport for troops seated on one deck; 3. the air bus, a double-decker all-passenger plane with seating for 83.

"Argosies" are designed for short take-off, easy handling at slow speeds, and quick loading. Whitworth's aim, like their competitors in the highly-competitive field of civil aviation, is to meet the need for a fast economical freighter to help reduce cargo rates, ground costs and operating time to a minimum, and provide comfortable cheaper passenger travel at the same time. Fares on the Paris-London run, say the makers, could be cut by a half-using the "Argosy".

The first "Argosy", built in only 27 months after the decision to produce it, was a production record in Britain for a new airplane of this size. From the start, the "Argosy" programme called for large-scale production in a minimum time, thus there was no prototype. From the first ten civil "Argosies", the numbers increased with orders from the RAF for the military version and from the US for 35 freightercoaches.

"Argosy Freightercoaches" will go into service with Riddle Airlines, USA, about mid-1960. It will be shown in public for the first time at the Farnborough Air Show. Afterwards it will undertake a round-the-world sales trip.