AUSTER - REVIEWS

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- Reviews

Quite by chance, I came across this newly published book about our favourite aircraft while visiting the Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington (if you've not been there yet put it on your list, it's well worth a visit). I thought I'd read just about everything published about the Auster so I was delighted to see something new on the shelves and intrigued to find out whether it inc1uded anything new to add to my knowledge of Auster history. I was not disappointed.

Barry Ketley sub-titles his book 'a brief history ...' and at 96 pages it could indeed be thought to be brief, but those 96 pages contain a wealth of well researched and well written text covering the military history of Auster from its early Taylorcraft beginnings through to the AOP 9, the last military Auster to see service before the British Army's decision to relinquish fixed wing aircraft in favour of helicopters. Working chronologically, Barry has managed to cover all the major aspects of Auster's military service with the British armed forces. While earlier histories/memories (such as those by Maslen-Jones, Parham & Belfield and Andrew Lyell) looked specifically at the use of Austers during World War 2, Barry Ketley's work extends this with brief but fascinating insights into the aircrafts' later post war roles in Japan, Korea, the Middie East and Cyprus.

In addition to the highly readable text the book also contains close to 200 photographs, a number of which I had not seen before. Particularly interesting were the photographs of some of the more 'unusual' aircraft designs (such as the Arpin Al and the Scheldt Sparrow) which were originally evaluated by the Army for the then embryonic 'Flying Observation Post' role. The Auster Model H Glider was also new to me. To round off the book, the last chapter consists of a series of colour photos, 'a walkround' of TJ534, Tony Brier's immaculately restored MkV at Breighton. These latter colour photographs seem to bring this historic aircraft type, already so eloquently shown in the excellent black and white photographs throughout the book, bang up to date ... Yesterday's aircraft, as alive and vibrant in 2005 as they were in 1945.

Barry Ketley has produced a book that deserves a place on every Auster enthusiast's bookshelves and one for which he can be justifiably proud. This book is certainly a major addition to the Auster 'library'. If you're looking for something to put on your Christmas list, look no further.

Ian Churm
International Auster Club News - November 2005

I suppose that the majority of aviation enthusiasts are familiar with the Auster series of aircraft, particularly in military service, yet enthusiasts and modellers alike have not been exactly overwhelmed with books and kits on the subject. The Airfix 1:72 kit was first issued in 1958 and my example has long since gone to the plastic graveyard.

As far as I know this is the first book dedicated solely to the various military Auster types. It is an A4 softback publication with some 96 pages, printed on high-quality paper, which enhances the photographic images. In terms of content, I found the first couple of chapters fascinating, since they tell how the aircraft evolved from an American design under the name Taylorcraft. Chapter three discusses the very idea of 'The Air Observation Post' and, among the photographs contained therein, are depicted some weird and wonderful creations such as the Comper Scamp, the Dutch Scheldt Sparrow, the Arpin A-1 and the General Aircraft GAL 53 Cagnet, none of which were taken up. There are chapters covering the Auster's operational service in both Europe and the Far East. All the standard variants, war time and post-war, are included and some very strange examples! A machine called the Model H Glider was a sight to behold, as was the prototype T.Mk 7 when modified with a caterpillar undercarriage.

Photographically this volume is excellent, every variant is beautifully illustrated with a large number of shots of each, plus a 'walk around' of a Mk V - in colour.

I have only scratched the surface with this review and there is lots more to this book. I suggest you buy it; if you are into British military aircraft you will not be disappointed.

Ernie Lee
Scale Aircraft Modelling - Volume 27 Number 8

AUSTER by Barry Ketley. 96 pages sized 210x290 packed with the history of the Auster in its many variants. Card cover with many mono and full colour photos of the title. What an excellent book this is, development and action with many details including camouflage and scale drawings. Photos depict the many variants and some oddities. 39 full colour photos of preserved flying Auster AOP Mk V. A must if you are into this excellent 'work horse' of a plane, you will want to get the balsa out to build. Very highly recommended.

Eric Clark
BMFA News - October 2005

The unarmed but agile Auster was in frontline service with the British Army for some 25 years. It was flown mostly by Army officers in the Air Observation Post (AOP) role but also served with the RAF and unknown previously by this reviewer, the RN. Barry Ketley tells the story of this classic type in a concise, well-written narrative style. He covers the Auster story from its earliest antecedents, the aircraft designed and built by Gilbert Taylor in the USA from the late 1920s onwards. In 1938 an enterprising businessman in Leicestershire, AL Wykes, who was also a former fighter pilot on the Western Front, established Taylorcraft Aeroplanes (England) to manufacture the British Taylorcraft Plus C under licence from the parent company.

While the RAF had rather ignored the artillery spotting role of aircraft between the wars in favour of more general purpose "Army Co-operation" machines, a group of Royal Artillery officers had kept the idea alive. This resulted in a trials unit being sent to France in 1940, equipped with the Taylorcraft Plus D model. It then took the weighty influence and advocacy of General Sir Alan Brooke to bring the AOP concept to fruition to allow it to make an important contribution to operations in North Africa, Italy, France, Holland, Germany and Burma. In the meantime the name Auster was born, firstly for the aircraft itself and then in 1946 as the new name for the company.

After WW2 more overseas service came in troublespots all over the world, while many RAuxAF units enjoyed manoeuvres in the field during the late 1940s and 1950s. Two Austers served with the British Antarctic Survey and could operate on wheels, skis or floats. (Modellers may well be aware of the re-issued Airfix kit of this version.)

There is an Ulster connection - the four Taylorcraft Plus C/2 of "A" Flight No.651 Squadron were based in Ulster briefly in 1942 at Long Kesh. Then on 14th February 1957 five Auster Mk 6s of 1913 Light Liaison Flight RAF arrived at RAF Aldergrove They soon became 13 Flight 651 Squadron, of the newly revived Army Air Corps. 13 Flight remained at Aldergrove until November 1962, when it was replaced by 2 Reconnaissance Flight, 2 Royal Tank Regiment, with similar aircraft. The army aviation presence was maintained from November 1964 by the Queen's Dragoon Guards Air Squadron, which replaced its Skeeters and Austers with Sioux AH1 helicopters in August 1966. Austers served in the Province from 1957 to 1966. All the component parts of 5 Regiment currently based at Aldergrove flew the Auster operationally. Full details of this may be found in Army Aviation in Ulster (Colourpoint Books, 2004).

I would highly recommend Barry Ketley's book. The motto of Flight Recorder Publications is "A passion for accuracy." This is a splendid book for anyone wishing to know more about this important military aircraft. It is printed on good quality paper and the standard of photographic reproduction is first class. The charts of technical specifications, production lists and details of units which flew the Auster are all very informative and appropriate. In short, this is a model "brief history". Perhaps we could see companion works on other unheralded but important types e.g. the Dragonfly, Skeeter, Sioux, Pioneer/Twin Pioneer, Beaver, Islander?

Guy Warner
Ulster Airmail - 2005

Sub-titled 'A Brief History of the Auster Aircraft in British Military Service' this is essentially a pictorial homage to the exceptional Auster jack-of-all-trades. Lots of tables and quite a few photos that the reviewer hadn't seen before.

Ken Ellis
Flypast - December 2005

Before there were helicopters, there were Austers. No type is more closely associated with the Army's Air Observation Post (AOP) role than the high-wing, unarmed Auster that could take off - if not vertically like a helicopter - from almost any clearing. The AOP pilot had the challenging task of acquiring targets for the Army's guns and reporting by radio to the gun battery the success or otherwise of its fire, all the while keeping an eye open for enemy fighters and flying at low level with the occasional 'pop up' to observe results. He was thus as busy as the proverbial one-armed paper­hanger. Despite the risks, aerial losses of Austers to enemy fighters were low, and more were lost to accidents or destroyed on the ground. And there's no type more British than the Auster. Well 'yes' - and then again 'no'. The Auster had its origins in a pre-war American Taylorcraft design, which was a whole lot more modern than the de Havilland Moths generally in use with UK flying clubs at that time. An Englishman, one Mr A.L. Wykes, bought the manufacturing rights for the Taylorcraft aircraft and set up a U K company, Taylorcraft Aeroplanes (England), in 1938 to build and develop the type. The British Taylorcraft incorporated some important differences to meet UK airworthiness requirements and the Plus 0 version which made its first flight just before war broke out in September 1939 was aimed squarely at a likely emerging military air observation requirement. An order for 1,000 was placed in late 1941 and the Ministry's choice of name fell on Auster, the first production example LB263 becoming an Auster I. It was not until 1946, though, that the company changed its name to Auster Aircraft Ltd, recognising that its aircraft had evolved a long way from the original Taylorcraft designs and to capitalise on the fame that the Auster had gained during widespread wartime service. This volume tells a fascinating story, featuring the type's exploits during the war, the discussions between the RAF and the Army as to who would man the new AOP squadrons, the tactics employed by their pilots to avoid giving away the location of their landing strips and the details of numerous aerial encounters between Austers and Luftwaffe fighters. Alongside the Austers you know, there is information - and photos - on Austers you may well be less familiar with, including the MkV seaplane, the B4 'Boxcar' and the Model H glider, converted from a Taylorcraft Model B. Post-war, the Army continued with developed Austers such as the AOP9, but the writing was already on the (hangar) wall for fixed-wing AOP types with the development of the light helicopter into a reliable battlefield observation platform. Auster Aircraft experienced financial difficulties after Army orders dried up, and in 1960 the company joined with Miles Aircraft under the Beagle brand. Final attempts to interest the Army in a developed Mk9, the proposed AOP 11, came to naught and this effectively signalled the end of the military Auster. Author Ketley's text offers a huge amount of information in this volume's 96 pages, and the accompanying Illustrations are uniformly well reproduced. Almost all are in b&w, although the final chapter 'Mark V Walkaround' features 12 pages of colour detail shots, these presumably aimed, at least obliquely, at the modeller. As a tribute to a long­overlooked British type, this volume is well overdue. Good value and highly recommended.

Denis J Calvert
Aircraft Illustrated - 2005

Essentially a picture history of the British military Auster family, this well-produced volume is excellent value for money. It contains nearly 200 photographs, including some colour among the monochromes, and there is also a full-colour double-spread camouflage-pattern general arrangement drawing. All the variants are covered, including the private-venture Model H glider, the floatplanes and various experimental developments such as the A 2/45, the B4 'Boxcar', the T7 with Bonmartini undercarriage and the disastrous Marshall MA 4. The final section comprises a colour-photograph 'walkaround' of Auster Mk V TJ534.

Philip Jarrett
Aeroplane - January 2006