OOLILISSIMA

Whoops, sorry Alan. I missed your question about the form of the canopy.

In both the Auster Mk 5 and the Auster J/1 Autocrat, the canopy is in one-piece.

wonwinglo

All Auster aircraft employed what is known as a blown canopy,these are literally blown into a mould from the inside outwards,this expensive process ensures that the material is optically perfect from inside the cockpit,the canopy screws around the upper longerons with a break for the door panels,clear sheet extends to the rear of the doors and is framed with light alloy.
It is quite common for the canopies to form small vibration cracks,one of my many jobs as an apprentice light aircraft engineer was to stop the cracks from spreading,to do this a small drill hole was placed just at the end of the crack.
G-AGOH Auster 5 J/1 Autocrat is in fact an hybrid machine built at Rearsby in 1945,a lovely aircraft and I was saddened when she was withdrawn from flying a few years back.
As you probably know the design was introduced and built in the UK originally as the Taylorcraft from America,they used to advertise them as 'The all steel aeroplane' by virtue of their welded steel fuselage frames,very tough machines.
What finished the Auster was when severe American competition forced the company to try and produce a more sophisticated design,made under the name of Beagle,however this suffered as the Airedale which lacked adequate range and was very heavy due to the modifications incorporated,the company went under,however the factory at Rearsby,Leicester still exists to this day but not used for aircraft manufacture.
There are many interesting stories about Auster aircraft,but the one that I like best was when one jumped the chocks and took off pilotless one day from Rearsby,after flying around for some two hours it crashed into open land after running out of fuel !
The company test pilot was called Ranald Porteus,he had a really first class party piece when demonstrating these aircraft at Farnborough etc,he would take off and land using only one wheel,he managed to skillfully balance the machine that way.
She really was a rugged aircraft,despite working on them for hours the only chance that I had to fly in one was from the tiny airfield at Skegness,Ingoldmells,we flew out to sea and came in over the beach for the landing,I remember it well especially as the pilot only had one eye !

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'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/

Kiwi

One other thing, perspex can be shaped, bent etc when heated to 140°C BUT water boils at 100°C (at least it does down in this part of the world) so, unless Barrie's water is different, you can try either putting salt in the water (which will increase the boiling water) or better still using a deep fryer with either cooking oil or fat in it, these usually have thermostats fitted so you can set the temp. See, they have other uses than just cooking your fish and chips for tea. Just be bl...y careful when taking it out, mind you it isn't really any more dangerous than cooking the aforementioned meal.
BTW I used to own a Mk 5 Auster, ZK-AUH ex G-AJVU

OOLILISSIMA

I see you know G-AGOH as well, Barry. It so happens that it is the very one that I have photographed.

As you say, G-AGOH is actually somewhere between an Auster Mk 5 and an Auster J/1 Autocrat. However, the superstructure is Mk 5 rather than J/1. It has the Cirrus Minor 2 engine (and corresponding cowl shape) of the J/1 rather than the military version's Lycoming. It is in civilian markings despite essentially being the military type. Also, its internal fittings and upholstery are 1950s rather than the original (1945), owing to a rebuild after a major prang.

G-AGOH was originally used by the Blackburn aero engine company for testing their engines under development.

For the past 11 years, the aircraft has been displayed at the Newark Air Museum (very much worth a visit). Now, however, it is under notice to quit as Newark need the display space for one of their own aircraft. It's a beautiful example (if that's the right expression for a unique aircraft), and it ought to be in the air. I do hope at the very least that it won't be mothballed.

As for making the scale canopy, it looks as if I'm going to have to think hard about this. When I estimated the size before my original post, I hadn't taken into account the way the windscreen incorporated in the canopy turns back on itself along the fuselage, underneath the wing. I'm unsure, but I expect that will also have implications for the viability of vacuum forming.

OOLILISSIMA

I just noticed Kiwi's note about softening temperatures. I must admit that I'd assumed that Barry (Wonwinglo) meant Degrees Fahrenheit and hadn't given it much more thought. Now you mention it, 140 deg.F does seem a bit low. Could Barry have been thinking of a different type of plastic?

alan2525

When I made some aircraft canopies in the past by press forming them from thin Acrylic sheet they needed to be heated to about 185 degrees Celsius for the acrylic to soften.

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wonwinglo

Not at this moment in time,all of my data sheets are boxed up ready for my move,and they will not be unpacked for some time.If you want to see the finest collection of Auster aircraft anywhere in the world then contact Mr.G.Baker at Carr Farm,Nottingham who has a whole hangar full of different marks of these aircraft,he holds the remains (rebuildable) of the rare Auster B.4 Ambulance freighter,and the last Auster B.8 Agricola low wing crop duster in ostensibly airworthy condition,the aircraft are worked on as and when time is available.

__________________
'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/

OOLILISSIMA

CORRECTION

I earlier replied to Alan2525 that the Auster J/1 Autocrat and Mk 5 had single-piece canopies. Having looked through my photographs again, I am now almost certain that they are in two pieces.

I am going to see G-AGOH again next week, so I will be able to make absolutely sure, then post again.

I can't believe that I could have got such a major detail so wrong despite having "crawled all over" this plane no fewer than three times already!!

I thought I had better mention it on the off chance that I misled someone.

OOLILISSIMA

Further apologies. Even more embarrassingly, having been for a further visit to measure G-AGOH today, I have to report that the canopy is in THREE pieces.

This will be clear from photographs that I shall be posting over the next few days in my gallery.

The good news is, of course, that it makes moulding the canopy much easier.

wonwinglo

Paul,did you also know that clear canopies can also be made from clear casting resin obtainable from art shops ? this is normally used for encapsulating small objects,firstly you need to make a plug from wood or plaster then stretch cling film tightly over the former to aid release,break the surface tension on the cling film first by applying one thin coat of model aeroplane clear dope,clear casting resin is then mixed up and applied in thin layers with a brush,once cured the resin form is gently eased from the plug and trimmed up.
The secret of using the resin is to measure out the quantities carefully,mix and allow to settle so the air bubbles go away,and always use well in date material and not old stock.

__________________
'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/