The Auster J/5 Autocar was a late 1940s

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

single-engined four-seat high-wing touring monoplane built by

Auster Aircraft Limited Auster Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from 1938 to 1961.Willis, issue 122, p.55 History The company began in 1938 at the Britannia Works, Thurmaston near Leicester, England, as Taylorcraft Aeroplanes (England) Limited, m ...

Rearsby Rearsby is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. It is known for its Seven Arch Bridge, and is also home to the Preachers Stone. Location The parish has a population of about 1,000, being measured at ...

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

Design and production

The company recognised a need for a four-seat touring aircraft to complement the three-seat Auster J/1 Autocrat. The J/5 Autocar looked similar to the Autocrat, but was a new model featuring wing-root fuel tanks and an enlarged cabin. The designation of J/5 for the Autocar followed on from its progenitor, the wartime Model J, which was designated the Auster AOP.V by the Royal Air Force. Postwar models derived from the Model J commenced with the J/1 Autocrat - note the use of J/1, not J-1. Auster J

The prototype Autocar ''G-AJYK'', a model J/5B, first flew in August 1949 and was exhibited at the

Farnborough Air Show The Farnborough Airshow, officially the Farnborough International Airshow, is a trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries, where civilian and military aircraft are demonstrated to potential customers and investors. Since its fir ...

in September.Jackson 1973 p. 75 A demand for a more powerful version for the tropics produced in 1950 the J/5E powered by a 155 hp (116 kW)

Blackburn Cirrus Major The Blackburn Cirrus Major is a British, inline-four aircraft engine that was developed in the late 1930s. Design and development The Blackburn Cirrus Major started life as a continued evolution of the original Cirrus and Hermes series of air ...

engine. This was further developed as the J/5G which was first flown in 1951 and is also referred to as the Cirrus Autocar. The later J/5P reverted to a more powerful

de Havilland Gipsy Major The de Havilland Gipsy Major or Gipsy IIIA is a four-cylinder, air-cooled, inverted inline engine used in a variety of light aircraft produced in the 1930s, including the famous Tiger Moth biplane. Many Gipsy Major engines still power vintag ...

engine. Other variants were built as one-off development aircraft, and some were converted in Australia with more mordern engines.

Operations

Saunders-Roe Saunders-Roe Limited, also known as Saro, was a British aero- and marine-engineering company based at Columbine Works, East Cowes, Isle of Wight. History The name was adopted in 1929 after Alliott Verdon Roe (see Avro) and John Lord took a co ...

of Cowes, Isle of Wight, acquired a J/5G Autocar and fitted it with an experimental ''hydro-ski'' undercarriage and emergency under-wing floats. With this equipment, the aircraft could remain almost stationary on the water. The majority of the production Autocars were exported to sixteen countries and later resold in five further territories. The Autocar has been primarily operated by private pilot owners and by aero clubs but some were used by small charter firms in the UK and elsewhere as taxi and photographic aircraft. Pest Control Ltd took delivery of five J/5G Autocars in 1952 for crop spraying operations in

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

Variants

Auster J-5P Autocar G-AOHF Kidlington 10

;Auster J/5B Autocar:production version with a 130 hp (97 kW) de Havilland Gipsy Major 1 engine.Jackson 1973 p. 77 ;Auster J/5E Autocar:prototype export version with a Blackburn Cirrus Major 3 engine, one built (''G-AJYS''). ;Auster J/5G Autocar:export version with a 155 hp Blackburn Cirrus Major 3 engine. ;Auster J/5GL:one Auster J/5G converted in Australia by Kingsford Smith Aviation Services (''ZK-CXA'', a rebuild of ''ZK-BDK'') fitted with a Lycoming piston engine. ;Auster J/5G Super Autocar:One J/5G converted in Australia by Kingsford Smith Aviation Services with a 225 hp (168 kW)

Continental O-470 The Continental O-470 engine is a family of carbureted and fuel-injected six-cylinder, horizontally opposed, air-cooled aircraft engines that was developed especially for use in light aircraft by Continental Motors. Engines designated "IO" ...

engine. ;Auster J/5H Autocar:with 145 hp (108 kW) Blackburn Cirrus Major 2 engine, one rebuilt (''VH-KCO'') in Australia by Kingsford Smith Aviation Services from J/5B ;Auster J/5P Autocar:version with a 145 hp (108 kW) de Havilland Gipsy Major 10 engine. ;Auster J/5T Autocar:development aircraft with 185 hp (138 kW) Continental E-185-10 piston engine, one built (G-25-4, c/n 3421)Hitchman 2006, pp. 28–29 ;Auster J/5V Autocar:development aircraft with 160 hp (120 kW)

Lycoming O-320 The Lycoming O-320 is a large family of naturally aspirated, air-cooled, four-cylinder, direct-drive engines produced by Lycoming Engines. They are commonly used on light aircraft such as the Cessna 172 and Piper Cherokee. Different variants ...

engine, one built (''G-APUW'') ;Kingsford Smith Bushmaster :An Auster J/5G conversion in Australia by Kingsford Smith Aviation Services, fitted with a 180hp (134kW)

Lycoming O-360 The Lycoming O-360 is a family of four-cylinder, direct-drive, horizontally opposed, air-cooled, piston aircraft engines. Engines in the O-360 series produce between 145 and 225 horsepower (109 to 168 kW), with the basic O-360 produc ...

engine, constant speed propeller and other improvements.

Civil operators

United Kingdom * Airviews Ltd * Anglian Air Charter * Bees Flight *

Bristol Aero Engines The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aircraft engines. Notable a ...

Dunlop Rubber Dunlop Ltd. (formerly Dunlop Rubber) was a British multinational company involved in the manufacture of various natural rubber goods. Its business was founded in 1889 by Harvey du Cros and he involved John Boyd Dunlop who had re-invented and d ...

Ferranti Ferranti or Ferranti International plc was a UK electrical engineering and equipment firm that operated for over a century from 1885 until it went bankrupt in 1993. The company was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. The firm was known ...

Gloster Aircraft The Gloster Aircraft Company was a British aircraft manufacturer from 1917 to 1963. Founded as the Gloucestershire Aircraft Company Limited during the First World War, with the aircraft construction activities of H H Martyn & Co Ltd of Chelt ...

Hunting Aerosurveys Ltd Hunting Aerosurveys Ltd was a British aerial photography company founded by Percy Hunting in 1944. Its operations became more diversified under the name Hunting Surveys. History The firm incorporated Aerofilms Ltd and the Aircraft Operating C ...

* Pest Control Ltd *

* Southend Flying School

Military operators

; *

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

723 Squadron RAN 723 Squadron is a Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron. The squadron was first raised in 1952 and throughout its history has served operationally during the Vietnam War, the Gulf War and in East Timor. It currently operates as a helicopter ...

724 Squadron RAN 724 Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm, Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and Fleet Air Arm (RAN), Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm flying squadron. The squadron was formed for the first time in 1945 and was last disbanded in 1984. History 724 Squadron was ...

725 Squadron RAN 725 Squadron is a naval aviation squadron of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Fleet Air Arm. The squadron was originally created in August 1943 as part of the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. It initially served as a fleet requirements unit, was r ...

; *

Kuwait Air Force The Kuwait Air Force ( ar, القوات الجوية الكويتية , al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Kuwaitiya) is the air arm of the Armed Forces of Kuwait. The Air Force headquarters is located at Abdullah Al-Mubarak Air Base, with the remaining f ...

; *

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeala ...

Specifications (J/5B)

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * * * * *

External links

{{Auster aircraft High-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft 1940s British civil utility aircraft Auster aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1949