Significant progress with restoration of Army air observation post

The Newark Air Museum is in the process of re-covering the fuselage of its Auster AOP9. Taking place in Hangar 1 at the Winthorpe Nottinghamshire site, the work is being carried out by the same team which was responsible for finishing the museum’s Clutton FRED and General Aircraft Monospar.

The Auster’s fuselage and wings are now listed by the museum as coming from AOP9 XR268, an example which ended up in a derelict state with an Air Training Corps unit at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, before being brought back to the UK. Other identities had been cited in the past. At Newark, the airframe sections were held in deep storage until the long-term restoration project began with a move into Hangar 1 during January 2012.