Norwegianpilot wrote:Hi
My plan for the Auster is to put Vortex generators on it, and with a new proppeller from Hoffman it is much better to fly, both in climb and Cruise, the cruise is now +95MPH, with stall speed at 28 Mph with full flaps, this is before I have installed the VG, that will hopefully make it better on skis..
Or do anyone have some other experience with the Auster, or T-craft???
Anders
I have owned three T-crafts and one Auster, and am fairly familiar with them. Both the T-craft and the Auster are excellent airplanes, but they are difrferent even though they have identical external dimansions. The Auster is heavier and built stronger, and it requires more power. Once you give it the power it needs (150-180HP) it becomes an exceptional airplane.
That 28 mph stall speed (with flaps) allows you to get in and out of very very short strips. The original "split flap" (Auster 3 through 5) gives you drag on demand, which is what the American Taylorcraft so desperately lacks for STOL work. The later "Junkers Flap" (Auster 6 and 7) gives you more drag and probably more lift if needed.
The Auster control sticks are more enjoyable than yokes, however the Auster stick is once again different than any other stick. It is a little bit strange, because the pivot point on the stick is not where it is on "normal" sticks, but it is still more fun to fly than yokes.
The Auster company immediately identified the need for more visibility and provided a very large skylight, rear window, etc. The military versions had more visibility that you really need, and the civil variants all have much more transparent area than any American T-craft.
The Auster is much heavier because the structure was over-built for toughness. However, the T-craft/Auster's giant high aspect wing carries that load well. You definitely need more power to fly an Auster... an 85 or 90 HP T-craft will likely give you the same takeoff performance as a 150HP Auster. But the Auster actually is a FOUR seat airplane (technically) . The Auster has a larger baggage/cargo area than the "big baggage" F-19 Taylorcraft, perhaps even more than the F-22 Taylorcraft.
The Taylorcraft, however, is the efficiency king of them all. A T-craft will achieve the same cruise speed as the Auster on 50-75% the horsepower because of the lighter weight. The T-craft will fly you into some back country strips at 4.5 gallons per hour (65HP), and just about all of them at under 6 gallons an hour (85-95 HP). If you need the maximum flying and fun per dollar for one or two normal sized people, the 65-85 HP T-craft is a better choice. If you are hauling big people and camping gear, the Auster with an O-320 or O-360 will be very hard to beat.
I will offer a semi-educated guess that the Auster will respond very well to vortex generators. The T-craft is known to respond very well to them, and once again the external dimensions and aerodynamics of the Auster and the T-craft are identical.
As far as my own flying experiences with the Taylorcraft and the Auster, again you can read several interesting stories about my experiences in the "aviation" section of
http://www.grantstar.net
)
After reading the the last few post's, I forgot what the original question was. 
