Here's the photographs of the WW2 Austers at the mass Auster fly-in at Middle Wallop this weekend to coincide with the annual 656 Squadron reunion. I managed to achieve my ambition in flying all of the UK's Auster III's - all three of them! Great claim to fame and what better way to spend my 21st Birthday weekend
Descending to land at Middle Wallop on the Saturday in an Auster III that landed in Normandy two days after D day
Back view of the same Auster showing the large glazed area which made them so well suited to air observation
Here it is on the left with two post-war military Austers
Auster V, showing the snub-nosed look of Austers fitted with the Lycoming O-290
My favourite - Auster III MT438, which served in Burma during WW2 with 656 Squadron
Auster IV MT197, which also landed in Normandy two days after D day, serving with 662 Squadron after joining them in March 1944. In 1945 it suffered major battle damage, but has been restored and is still airworthy
Auster V
Auster III MT438 and a Westland Scout of the Army Air Corps Historic Flight
Austers - faaaaasands of 'em!
My favourite photo of the weekend - me and Ted Maslen-Jones, who flew with 656 Squadron in Burma during the Second World War, and today was the first time he'd been in an Auster since the end of the war. Of course, we got him in the Burma Auster, and was a great pleasure to meet him, a very entertaining and interesting gentleman.
The third Auster III, a recently completed restoration
Coming in to land in the above Auster
Civilianised Auster V, built in 1944 with the military serial number RT475, but now with a de Havilland engine (would have originally had the snub nosed Lycoming) and shorter civilian rear glazing
Another Auster IV or V hiding away