The Ferry was designed specifically for Alan Cobham's National Aviation Day events, performing 'air-experience' flights for the general public.

Two aircraft served with the Royal Air Force during the opening years of the Second World War, although largely being used as instructional airframes.

Amongst the requirements for such an aircraft was an extraordinary short takeoff and landing (STOL) capability for the era due to the austere airstrips common at the time, which were often little more than fields.

[3] According to the aviation author H. A. Taylor, there were only two serious faults identified during this initial 19-minute flight, these being a marginally overbalanced rudder and the weight distribution being offset towards the nose, both being quickly remedied.

[1] It featured an unorthodox configuration, particularly the mounting of its third engine in the centre section of the upper wing, an arrangement which was principally adopted to provide the pilot with superior external visibility, although it also presented some aerodynamic benefits as well.

The wings were supported by box spars paired with wooden flanges and steel tubes for key areas such as the compression drag struts.

An unusual feature of the design, believed to provide a beneficial ground-cushioning effect as well as possibly additional lift, was the aerofoil-section fairings present on the split-axle undercarriage.

[11] In 1940, following the outbreak of the Second World War, the first aircraft (G-ABSI) was impressed into service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) and given the military registration AV968.

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.

This was in part due to competition from other contemporary airliners, such as the de Havilland Dragon, which typically offered higher cruising speeds.