I too have just found this thread.
I spent a lot of time at Air Touring between 1969 and 1973 both renting Rallye's for fun and doing evening ground school lectures there. On occasion I was persuaded by Bob Cleary to go down to the Socata factory at Tarbes and ferry brand new airframes from there to Biggin Hill. The aircraft were pretty basic, had just a compass, ball, ASI and non-sensitive altimeter and of course no radio; I remember on one occasion being flown down there in a Gardan Horizon, on other occasions taking the boat train via Paris. It was a long way back in a Rallye, via Orleans or Toussus, Berk-sur-Mer and Lydd (to do the Customs paperwork) especially when flying the O-200 engine version!
There was quite a lively social life at Air Touring, especially in the evenings after ground school...does anyone remember one of my students, the delightful Janet Harris, a long legged blond who used to turn up for flying lessons in an AC Cobra wearing fashionably short skirts? The Metropolitan Police Flying Club were also affiliated to Air Touring and I learned a lot about the work of "coppers" from their members over a pint or two in the bar.
When Air Touring were appointed dealers for the Bolkow Monsun Colin Dyne checked me out on the demonstrator G-AYPE and did such a good job I bought a brand new one, taking delivery of her on January 1st 1973. The price, just £6450 after a bit of haggling with Mr Cleary.
In those days flying to France was slightly more complicated than today, each aircraft had a customs carnet and one had to clear outwards as well as inbound; as long as the aircraft had a
radio we used Gatwick for customs as well as ILS practice for a very minimal landing fee.