Auster Autocar (oz15121)

About this Plan

Auster Autocar. Radio control sport-scale model. Wingspan 54 in, for .20 engines and 4 functions. Scale is 1/8.

Quote: "A practical 54 inch 1:8 semi-scale model of this seldom modelled but popular light aircraft for .20 motors and 3/4 channel radio. Auster J/5B Autocar, by Peter Holland.

This model is for everyday flying, for the builder who does not need complications. He wants a model that is a good steady flyer, and one that stands up to a spot of rough usage on less than perfect landing areas.

Design Criteria: The glazing on this Autocar is just simulated - this makes the fuselage stronger where a one piece wing is bolted on. The choice of the four seater J/5B Autocar variant was not just because I like the rather typical side view, but that the rear of the cabin affords a good support for a rear facing locating dowel, whilst two bolts secure the leading edge. All protrusions like the exhaust system, steps and jury struts have been omitted for the sake of simplicity and practicability.

This 'solid window' approach is unlike that of my tiny Whitman Tailwind, which is small enough to have the whole cabin integral with the wing, using thick styrene, or of my ultra light 'Puss Moth' which was for the Texaco Challenge, and so light that there is little stress in the cabin area.

It would be tempting to go further in sim-plification, by having a plain flat sided box. but the charming part of the J58 is that stringered, rounded area aft of the broad glazing aft of the wing. The first thought was to have open stringers here, but placing them on a sheet turtle deck gives them strength where the model will get some handling. Had I left the stringers off here and at the sides, it would not be a practical model of an Auster, but a sport model dressed up to look like the silhou-ette an Auster.

Now the 1:8 scale Gipsy Major type cowl-ing, available in ABS from Nexus Special Interests is just large enough for a .20 engine, and I was lucky enough to have a compact home made silencer that goes completely inside. The only spinner that is nearly the right size is a 1-1/4 in dia, but you may find that the starter rubber has little to grip unless you turn the rubber back to front - otherwise opt for a 1-1/2 in spinner.

Isn't that tin too large compared with some others of the breed? This is another detail to identify it. Those tail feathers are simple sheet bits, and the undercarriage is sur-face mounted to knock of. What more could you want to convince you to dust off that building board?

Fuselage: Use stiff 2mm sheet for the sides, edge joined to make up the depth. Glue on 0.8mm ply nose doublers and 1/8 sq bottom longerons, the 1/4 x 1/8 top strips which overlap the edge and tilt up to the cabin top, and the 1/8 sheet wing seat doublers. It looks rather floppy at this stage, but it gets better.

Cut the ply formers F1 and F3 and the undercarriage and wing plates, then build up F4, F5 and F8, not forgetting the ply at the top of F4. Epoxy the undercarriage plate to F3, using triangle strip for reinforcement. When cured, assemble the side sheets to F3 and F4 and epoxy in the wing plate and its triangle strips. Hold things square with a crisscross pair of masking tape strips while you slit along the sides to allow them to fit tight against the angled edges of the formers..."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Auster Autocar from R/C Scale Aircraft, February 1997.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, thanks to RFJ.

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