The Auster by Adrian M. Balch

Auster: light high-wing aircraft from Rearsby

Adrian M. Balch's book deals with the British family of Auster light aircraft. It is not a kit but a printed treatment of the aircraft themselves and of their unusually long service.

From a licensed American pattern to an army observation machine

The Auster grew out of an American light aircraft whose production was taken over by a British firm at Rearsby. During the war it became above all a means of artillery observation: it took off from short improvised strips, flew low over the front and directed the fire of the batteries onto targets that could not be seen from the ground. After 1946 the maker took a new name and development continued through stronger army forms up to types with a markedly shortened take-off run, which served in Korea, in Malaya and in the Middle East. Civilian versions for flying clubs, towing and agricultural work were built alongside, so you still meet this machine at air shows today.

What the book brings

• an overview of the military and civilian forms
• service with the land forces and overseas
• the markings and finishes of particular examples
• visual support for building a model

Who to recommend it to

It will satisfy anyone interested in British aviation after 1940 and builders of small high-wing aircraft for whom the instructions alone are not enough. It will also be appreciated by anyone looking for an unusual subject for the display table. Those who build in the small scales will find in it a guide to telling the individual forms apart by small features of shape.