Identify this Aircraft

[goingbush]

Im thinking its an Auster but i'm not sure.
I'd like to find information on the incident.

The Vehicle is a LHD 52-55 Dodge Power Wagon, Snowy Hydro Power Wagons had the same mechanical hand signal .

All I know is its near Alice Springs , PW driver looks like NT Police ???
That dark colour it would be hot as hell to drive, (I don't need to run the heater on mine even in winter)

181145 181146 181147

[JDNSW]

Side by side seating, high wing, steel frame, but wooden main spars (now largely burnt, hinged main undercarriage, inverted inline four engine. Almost certainly is a Taylorcraft or derivative, but most of thee had opposed engines. Just about has to be an Auster. Not sure which model though. Very few had wheel spats. Definitely not the same model as the J5F I used to own - it had thicker wing struts and shorter wingspan. I am guessing an Aiglet or an Archer. I think the Autocar had a balanced rudder like the J5F.

[p38arover]

The rudder doesn't look big enough nor does the fin look to be the right shape for an Aiglet, Archer, nor Autocar.

There's no aerodynmic balancing of the rudder like on an Autocar.

[goingbush]

Solved, I sent the pictures to Geoffrey Goodall who replied thus:

Thanks so much for sending these pictures. I agree, it looks like an Auster, except for the tail shape - it's a rare American Rearwin Cloudster VH-ABL which was burnt out during refuelling at Wave Hill NT in October 1958.


This Rearwin had its radial engine replaced by a Gipsy Major. You'll find its story here as the second aircraft in this listing on my website:
GEOFF GOODALL'S AVIATION HISTORY SITE (https://www.goodall.com.au/australian-aviation/rearwin/rearwin.html)

[JDNSW]

Thanks for that - I wonder if the Cloudster is a related design. The Auster, as you probably know, started as an English licence built Taylorcraft, whose designer, Clarence Taylor, also designed the Piper Cub. Taylor apparently designed for a number of different manufacturers - or licenced his designs anyway.