The Auster J/5 Autocar is a late 1940s

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single-engined four-seat high-wing touring monoplane built by Auster Aircraft Limited at Rearsby,

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

Farnborough Air Show 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 in Farnborough, Hampshire. Since its first show in ...

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

Operations

Saunders-Roe Saunders-Roe Limited, also known as Saro, was a British aerospace 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 ...

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, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

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 carburetor, carbureted and fuel-injected flat six engine, six-cylinder, horizontally opposed, air-cooled aircraft engines that were developed especially for use in light aircraft by Teledyne Continen ...

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, flat four engine, horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, direct-drive engines produced by Lycoming Engines. Introduced in 1953, it is commonly used on light aircraft such a ...

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 , with the basic O-360 producing . The engine family has been installed in ...

engine, constant speed propeller and other improvements.

Civil operators

United Kingdom * Airviews Ltd * Anglian Air Charter * Bees Flight * Bristol Aero Engines *

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Ferranti Ferranti International PLC or simply Ferranti was a UK-based electrical engineering and equipment firm that operated for over a century, from 1885 until its bankruptcy in 1993. At its peak, Ferranti was a significant player in power grid system ...

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. of Chelte ...

Hunting Aerosurveys Ltd Hunting Aerosurveys Ltd was a British aerial photography Aerial photography (or airborne imagery) is the taking of photographs from an aircraft or other flight, airborne platforms. When taking motion pictures, it is also known as aerial v ...

* Pest Control Ltd *

* Southend Flying School Pakistan Auster J/5G Cirrus Autocar, registered in Pakistan as AP-AHJ for Government of Pakistan, Department of Plant Protection. Preserved in PAF Museum.

Military operators

; *

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...

** 723 Squadron RAN ** 724 Squadron RAN ** 725 Squadron RAN ; *

Kuwait Air Force The Kuwait Air Force () 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 forces stationed at Air Defense Brigades, Ali Al Salem Air Base and Ahmad al-Jaber ...

; *

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF; ) is the aerial warfare, aerial military service, service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed initially in 1923 as a branch of the New Zealand Army, being known as the New Zealand Perm ...

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