Taylorcraft Model Plus C and Model Plus C/2
For a description of the format and data included in Production Tables, see here.
Contents
Type Description
- Model Plus C
- Two seat, braced high-wing, touring monoplane, a strengthened version of the American Taylorcraft Model B.The fuselage was a welded steel tube braced truss structure, with wooden stringers to allow attachment of the fabric covering. The basic structure was to remain constant throughout all the Taylorcraft based aircraft, with later variations in fuselage shape being created by wooden formers.
The wing had a main spar of spruce, with ribs fabricated from drawn steel sections, the whole being fabric covered. The wing was supported by a faired tubular steel V-brace attached to the fuselage lower longeron. There were no flaps. The basic wing structure would also remain constant throught the Taylorcraft based aircraft, with the exception of variation in span, flaps and ailerons.
The tailplane was a wire braced unit, the rudder being mass balanced. For pitch trim, there was an unusual separate trimming surface fitted near the rudder hinge, below the tailplane. Port elevator and rudder both featured ground adjustable trim tabs. Pilot and passenger were accommodated on a single bench seat, both being provided with flying controls. Access was via a single door on the starboard side. The windscreen was in three parts, with flat centre panel and curved side panels. At some point, rear visibilty was improved by the addition of triangular side windows aft of the passenger cabin. Photographic evidence has it not there on c/n 109, but fitted in c/n 112, so it is feasible it was intruduced following the first Model D, c/n 110. Upward view was improved, probably at the same time, by the addition of two clear panels in the roof. One 55 h.p. Lycoming O-145-A2 powerplant.
- Model Plus C/2
- Model Plus C brought up to near Plus D standard with a 90 h.p. Blackburn Cirrus Minor 1 powerplant.
| Model Plus C Specification | |||||||||
| Span | Length | Height | Wing Area | Empty Wt | Max AUW | Cruise Speed | Maximum Speed | Range | Service Ceiling |
| 36 ft | 22 ft | 6 ft 8 in | 185 sq ft | 700 lb | 1200 lb | 90 mph/ 78 kn | 110 mph/ 96 kn | 275 mi | |
| 10.97 m | 6.71 m | 2.03 m | 17.19 m2 | 318 kg | 544 kg | 145 km/h | 177 km/h | 443 km | |
Production Details
| C/n | Initial Registration |
Notes |
| 23 aircraft built by Taylorcraft Aeroplanes (England) Ltd, Rearsby. Built between May and August 1939. | ||
| 100 | G-AFNW | To the County Flying Co Ltd, Rearsby. Impressed as ES956 (See Table). Converted to Plus C/2 in November 1941. |
| 101 | G-AFTT | To the West Suffolk Aero Club, Bury St Edmonds. Impressed but scrapped. |
| 102 | G-AFTN | To Wiltshire School of Flying Ltd, High Post. Impressed as HL535 (See Table). Converted to Plus C/2 in April 1942. Restored to G-AFTN May 1946, registered to Bertram Arden, Exeter. |
| 103 | G-AFTO | To Coventry (Civil) Aviation Ltd, Whitley. Impressed as HL533 (See Table). Converted to Plus C/2 in May 1942. |
| 104 | G-AFTP | To the West Suffolk Aero Club, Bury St Edmonds. Impressed but scrapped. |
| 105 | G-AFTY | To Wiltshire School of Flying Ltd, High Post. Impressed as HL536 (See Table). Converted to Plus C/2 in March 1942. |
| 106 | G-AFTZ | To the West Suffolk Aero Club, Bury St Edmonds. Impressed as HH987 (See Table). Converted to Plus C/2 in November 1941. Restored to Register as G-AHLJ May 1946, registered to Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd, Winchester. To Charles Hamilton Foott in May 1960 as EI-ALH. |
| 107 | G-AFUA | To Arthur Harriso, Birmingha, via Malling Aviatio Ltd, West Malling. Converted to Plus C/2 in 1947. |
| 108 | G-AFUB | To Coventry (Civil) Aviation Ltd, Whitley. Impressed as HL534 (See Table). Converted to Plus C/2 in 1942. Restored to G-AFUB January 1946, registered to John Leslie Brockhouse, West Bromwich. |
| 109 | G-AFUD | To Personal Airways Ltd, Croydon, but not deld. Impressed as HH986 (See Table). Converted to Plus C/2 in April 1942.Restored to Register as G-AHBO December 1945, registered to the Oxford Flying Club |
| 111 | G-AFUX | To John Wilfred Waldron Hurndall, Stockbridge. Impressed as HH988 (See Table). Converted to Plus C/2 in May 1942. |
| 112 | G-AFUY | To Stanley Lawrence, Alfreton, Derby. Impressed as ES957 (See Table). |
| 113 | G-AFUZ | To the County Flying Co Ltd, Rearsby. Impressed as ES960 (See Table). |
| 114 | G-AFVA | To norman Manby, Pitsford, Northampton. Impressed as HH982 (See Table). Converted to Plus C/2 in March 1942. Restored to Register as G-AHAE February 1946, registered to the Wiltshire School of Flying Ltd. |
| 115 | G-AFVB | To Luton Flying Club Ltd, Luton, Beds. Impressed as HH985 (See Table). Converted to Plus C/2 in April 1942. |
| 116 | G-AFVU | To the Romford Flying Club, Maylands. |
| 117 | G-AFVW | To Coventry (Civil) Aviation Ltd, Whitley. Impressed as HL532 (See Table). Converted to Plus C/2 in February 1942. |
| 118 | G-AFVX | To Kenneth Ernest Milland and William Henry Binns, Wolverhampton. Impressed as HM501 (See Table). Converted to Plus C/2 in May 1942. |
| 119 | G-AFVY | To Derby Aero Club Ltd, Burnaston. Impressed as HH984 (See Table). Converted to Plus C/2 in April 1942. |
| 120 | G-AFVZ | To Derby Aero Club Ltd, Burnaston. Impressed as HH983 (See Table). |
| 121 | G-AFWK | To William Greenwell Turnbull, Leicester. Impressed as ES958 (See Table). Converted to Plus C/2 in February 1942. |
| 122 | G-AFWL | To Taylorcraft Aeroplanes (England) Ltd. Rebuilt as Plus D c/n 131. |
| 123 | G-AFWM | To the County Flying Co Ltd, Rearsby. Impressed as ES959 (See Table). Converted to Plus C/2 in April 1942. Restored to G-AFWM May 1946, registered to Chandos Sydney Cedric Brudenell-Bruce, The Earl of Cardigan, Marlborough. |
| Total Production 23 | ||
Impressed Model Plus C
| Serial Range | C/n | Batch Qty |
Notes |
| 18 aircraft impressed to Contract H.546122/41 on dates shown. | |||
| ES956 - ES960 | 100, 112, 121, 123, 113 | 5 | Impressed 31 July 1941. ES956, ES958 and ES959 Converted to Model C/2, November 1941 - May 1942. |
| HH982 - HH988 | 114, 120, 119, 115, 109, 106, 111 |
7 | Impressed 31 August 1941. All except HH983 converted to Model C/2, November 1941 - May 1942. |
| HL532 - HL536 | 117, 103, 108, 102, 105 | 5 | Impressed 31 September 1941. All converted to Model C/2, March - May 1942. |
| HM501 | 118 | 1 | Impressed 31 October 1941. Converted to Model C/2, May 1942. |
| Total | 18 | ||
Production Summary
All Aircraft By Type
| Type | Built New | Conv | Canc'd | Total |
| Model Plus C | 23 | 23 | ||
| Model Plus C/2 | (16) | 16 | ||
| 23 | (16) | 0 |
Notes
- G-AHLJ (c/n 106), G-AHBO (c/n 109) and G-AHAE (c/n 114) are indicated in G-INFO [4] as Model Plus D, but it is this authors opinion that they in fact remained Model Plus C/2s
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)
- Auster Quarterly (Issues 1 to 6) (available to download from the Auster Heritage Group)
- Impressments Logs, Peter W. Moss (Air Britain Publications, 1962-66)
Page Revision History
Revised at Version 2.0.0- Page completely rewritten based on [1] and [2].