Miles/Beagle reunion 2

[Hagar]

More photos & a little history to go with them.
Beagle Aircraft Ltd (British Executive General Aviation) was formed by Peter Masefield in 1961 by amalgamating the Auster (Rearsby) and Miles (Shoreham) companies. (He also brought some design staff with him from Bristol where he had been managing director.) While his pet project the B206 was being developed at Shoreham the Rearsby factory continued producing typical Austers. This is an earlier J1 Autocrat designed before Beagle existed.


The first offering from Rearsby was a refurbished (as new) ex-Army Auster AOP 6 like this one. The civil version was named the Beagle-Auster Terrier & sold for just under

[Ben_M_K]

Great series Doug! Loved them all!

[C]

Interesting tank underneath the first one Doug - looks like someones stuck a Tiger Moth tank underneath it...

[ozzy72]

Agreed Charlie that does look like a Moth slipper-tank
Beautiful aircraft Doug, I'm curious why don't you like the Auster? Quite a nice kite by all accounts (okay nothing will ever beat a Moth as a basic trainer and aerobatic toy but...)

Mark

[Hagar]

Interesting tank underneath the first one Doug - looks like someones stuck a Tiger Moth tank underneath it...

I hadn't noticed it. Think it was developed for the WWII Army Austers. I've seen them fitted to the Auster V.

I'm curious why don't you like the Auster? Quite a nice kite by all accounts (okay nothing will ever beat a Moth as a basic trainer and aerobatic toy but...)

I never really liked them. Built like a battleship & surprising heavy compared with a Moth - or a Cub come to that. Try pushing one out of the hangar.

Course, it's different now they're vintage types. Plenty still about but some variants are quite rare.

[FLYING_TRUCKER]

Very nice Doug

We have an Auster here at the RCAF Memorial Museum.

They used to fly it to different airshows but the insurance got to much so she is a static now.

It is done up in the Canadian Army Artillery Spotting Livery.

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug