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Just got back from three weeks in Europe. Spent some time with my Wife's brothers and sisters in the northern Netherlands and then spent a week exploring north west Belgium and southern Holland. One trip around southern Holland brought me past a wonderful little grass strip Midland-Zeeland. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mi...b442d73a?hl=en
Lots of sport activity. One hanger has a couple of bent cubs hanging from the ceiling along with a Super Cub and a Husky. A Lancair-2 was taking off. A Pits was landing. A Skydiving club was active training a few students and giving tandem demo jumps. One room off the airport restaurant served as a small museum and showed an L4 Cub and an Auster!
Talking with folks around the airport and identifying myself as a Taylorcraft owner led me to a big hanger with the L4. Beautifully restored. I understand that many Cubs in Europe are left-behind L4s. There I found one local pilot who knew where the Austor was stored. He talked to the owner who turned on the lights and said to feel free to look. So I have finally walked around an Auster! Many thanks to the owner and all the friendly folks in Midland-Zeeland airport!
With its balanced rudder, 4-place cabin, and a large engine, It appears to be a 1949 J5 Autocar. It has a split-flap system hinged to the bottom of the wing. The cabin is a tight 4 place and the Gypsy Major seems to be of a size matching the 155 HP used on the J5 Auster Autocar. The tubing around the cabin is a bit different than my BC12-D; understandably so with the larger cabin. The aileron brackets seem to be a steel channel design rather than the cast magnesium ones used on the post-war Taylorcrafts but otherwise the ailerons seem to be relatively unchanged. The trim mechanism seems similar to the BC12, but the attach hinges are different. It seems to have an inefficiently large gap to me. The overall structure is still recognizably Taylorcraft. I got a kick out of several access points implemented with a V of two zippers rather than access covers.
In any case, I had never seen a real live Auster before. So along with Old Masters in the Gallery in Brussels, all the good Beer, and the Michalango in Brugge, seeing the Auster was a highlight of the trip.
Lots of sport activity. One hanger has a couple of bent cubs hanging from the ceiling along with a Super Cub and a Husky. A Lancair-2 was taking off. A Pits was landing. A Skydiving club was active training a few students and giving tandem demo jumps. One room off the airport restaurant served as a small museum and showed an L4 Cub and an Auster!
Talking with folks around the airport and identifying myself as a Taylorcraft owner led me to a big hanger with the L4. Beautifully restored. I understand that many Cubs in Europe are left-behind L4s. There I found one local pilot who knew where the Austor was stored. He talked to the owner who turned on the lights and said to feel free to look. So I have finally walked around an Auster! Many thanks to the owner and all the friendly folks in Midland-Zeeland airport!
With its balanced rudder, 4-place cabin, and a large engine, It appears to be a 1949 J5 Autocar. It has a split-flap system hinged to the bottom of the wing. The cabin is a tight 4 place and the Gypsy Major seems to be of a size matching the 155 HP used on the J5 Auster Autocar. The tubing around the cabin is a bit different than my BC12-D; understandably so with the larger cabin. The aileron brackets seem to be a steel channel design rather than the cast magnesium ones used on the post-war Taylorcrafts but otherwise the ailerons seem to be relatively unchanged. The trim mechanism seems similar to the BC12, but the attach hinges are different. It seems to have an inefficiently large gap to me. The overall structure is still recognizably Taylorcraft. I got a kick out of several access points implemented with a V of two zippers rather than access covers.
In any case, I had never seen a real live Auster before. So along with Old Masters in the Gallery in Brussels, all the good Beer, and the Michalango in Brugge, seeing the Auster was a highlight of the trip.
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