Auster B.8 Agricola
For a description of the format and data included in Production Tables, see here.
Contents
Type Description
- Model B.8 Agricola
- Low wing agricultral aircraft constructed of fabric over a corrosion-proofed steel frame, featuring a fixed tailwheel undercarriage, an aft cabin that could seat two passengers aft of the hopper, located over the centre of the wing. The two spar metal wing was of constant chord over the centre section, the outer wing tapering by neary 30% and having 7 deg. dihedral. Metal covered leading edge, fabric covered aft of the front spar. Large fabric covered slotted ailerons spanned the whole of the outer wing, with all metal split flaps inboard. The cantiveler tailplane was a metal structure with fabric covering, with horn balanced on rudder and elevators. One 240 h.p. Continental O-470-B powerplant.
| Model B.8 Agricola Specification | |||||||||
| Span | Length | Height | Wing Area | Empty Wt | Max AUW | Cruise Speed | Maximum Speed | Range | Service Ceiling |
| 42 ft | 28 ft 1 in | 8 ft 4 in | 254.7 sq ft | 1600 lb | 3280 lb | 107 mph/ 93 kn | 122 mph/ 106 kn | 260 mi | 10500 ft |
| 12.8 m | 8.56 m | 2.54 m | 23.66 m2 | 726 kg | 1488 kg | 172 km/h | 196 km/h | 418 km | 3200 m |
Production Details
| C/n | Initial Registration |
Notes |
| 8 aircraft built by Auster Aircraft Ltd, Rearsby, between 1955 and 1957, plus one further example builts from spares and crashed airframes. | ||
| B.101 | ZK-BMI | Initially registered to Auster Aircraft Ltd as G-ANYG, but marks not used. First flew under B conditions as G-25-3 on 8 December 1955. To the Bristol Aeroplane (NZ) Co Ltd, Wellington, but retained in the UK. |
| B.102 | ZK-BMJ | To Airlift (NZ) Ltd, Wellington, via the Bristol Aeroplane (NZ) Co Ltd, Wellington. |
| B.103 | ZK-BMK | To Airlift (NZ) Ltd, Wellington, via the Bristol Aeroplane (NZ) Co Ltd, Wellington. |
| B.104 | ZK-BML | To Rangitikei Air Services Ltd, Taihape, via the Bristol Aeroplane (NZ) Co Ltd, Wellington. |
| B.105 | ZK-BMM | To Airlift (NZ) Ltd, Wellington, via the Bristol Aeroplane (NZ) Co Ltd, Wellington. Rebuilt by Airepair Ltd, Hastings, with new c/n AIPR850, using parts from c/ns B.103, B.104 and B.118. To Associated Farmers Aerial Work Ltd in June 1965 as ZK-CCV. |
| B.106 | ZK-BMN | To Air Contracts Ltd, Masterton, via the Bristol Aeroplane (NZ) Co Ltd, Wellington. Rebuilt by Airepair Ltd, Hastings in 1966, with new c/n AIPR860. To Associated Farmers Aerial Work Ltd in October 1966 as ZK-BXO. To G-CBOA and reuilt using parts from c/n B.105. To ZK-BXO. |
| B.107 | (ZK-BMO) | Alloted but never delivered. Rebuilt as c/n B.118. |
| B.108 | (ZK-BMP) | Alloted but never delivered. Rebuilt as c/n B.117. |
| B.109 | (ZK-BMQ) | stored incomplete |
| B.110 | (ZK-BMS) | stored incomplete |
| B.111 | (ZK-BMT) | not completed |
| B.112 | (ZK-BMU) | not completed |
| B.113 | (ZK-BMV) | not completed |
| B.114 | (ZK-BMW) | not completed |
| B.115 | (ZK-BMX) | not completed |
| B.116 | (none) | Series 1A prototype, but not completed. |
| B.117 | VP-GAZ | Ex-B.108. To Bookers Sugar Estates Ltd, Georgetown. |
| B.118 | G-APFZ | Retained by Auster Aircraft Ltd and used for various modifications. To ZK-CCV. |
| B.119 | ZK-DEU | Built from spares and crashed airframes by Associated Farmers Aerial Work Ltd, New Zealand, in 1971. Also used c/n AF-001R |
| Total Production 8 | ||
| Total Production, Built from Spares 1 | ||
| Total Production (Not Completed) 10 | ||
Production Summary
All Aircraft By Type
| Type | Built New | Conv | Canc'd | Total |
| Model B.8 Agricola ** | 8 | 10 | 18 | |
| Model B.8 Srs 1A Agricola | 1 | 1 | ||
| 8 | (0) | 11 |
** Plus one aircraft built from from spares and crashed airframes.
Production References
- Auster - The Company and the Aircraft, Tom Wenham, Rod Simpson, Malcolm Filmore (Air Britain Publishing, 2018)
- Auster Production Histories, Malcolm Filmore (Air Britain Publishing, 2020)
- British Civil Aircraft Since 1919 Vol 1, A.J. Jackson (Putnam, 1973)
- Austers - 'Nearly All You Want To Know', Mike Preston and Mick Ames (International Club Heritage Group, 2002 - available to download from the Auster Heritage Group)
- https://rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/12319
Page Revision History
Revised at Version 2.0.0- Page completely rewritten based on [1] and [2].
- B.105 rebuild corrected from ZK-CCU to ZK-CCV.
- Added rebuild of c/n B.105.