The Call Aircraft Company (CAC or CallAir) was established by Reuel Call in 1939 at Afton, Wyoming to build a touring aircraft of his own design.

Call Aircraft Company
IndustryAerospace
FounderReuel T. Call
Defunct1962 (1962)
SuccessorIntermountain Manufacturing Company
Headquarters
Afton, Wyoming
,
United States
Number of employees
10[1] (1946)

History

The Call Aircraft Company hoped to advance the development of its CallAir Model A to the point of starting production in 1940, but the start of World War II delayed their plans, with the factory operating as an aircraft repair facility for the duration of the conflict. The company was able to continue doing research and development on the Model A, earning a type certificate in July 1944, with the future production model was designated the Model A-2.

CallAir started production of the Model A-2 in late 1945, but first it had to obtain the raw materials. That same year it purchased the inventory of materials from Interstate Aircraft and Engineering as supplies of steel tubing, engines, instruments, fittings, etc had been diverted to those companies with government contracts during the war. Rights to both models of the Interstate Cadet (the S-1A and S-1B) were first transferred to the Harlow Aircraft Company in what Joseph Juptner described in his U.S. Civil Aircraft, Vol 8, as a "deal of some kind" in 1945 and then to CallAir for a reported $5,000 in 1950 [2] ($55,000 in 2022). CallAir built two S-1A Cadets: The first, built in 1951 with the ambitious serial number of 1001, was badged as an Interstate, likely due to the preponderance of built-up Interstate components used in construction; the second was badged a CallAir, serial number 1002, the only Cadet built with their name on it, in 1952.

Production of the Model A commenced after the war with variations developed over time. Sales of the Model A grew with the A-4, which was adapted in 1954 into what Carl Petersen described as the world's first purpose-built agricultural aircraft.[3] This was pure advertising hype as the first purpose built agricultural aircraft was the Huff-Daland Duster designed in 1923-1924, some of which were built for Delta Dusters, later Delta Air Lines [4] The CallAir A-4 evolved into the A-5, the best seller (83 built, including the A-5 Texan) of the Model A-series.

CallAir found itself struggling against fierce competition from Cessna, Piper, and the masses of war-surplus aircraft flooding the market.[5] After 20 years of ownership, founder Reuel Call sold the company in 1959, and the company foundered by the end of the year.

In 1962 the company's assets were purchased by the Intermountain Manufacturing Company (IMCO), headed by Barlow Call, Sr. and Carl Petersen.[6] IMCO, less the Cadet type certificates, was later purchased by Aero Commander in December 1966.[7] However, in 1968 Polaris leased the former factory buildings to build snowmobiles.[8] Following the death of Barlow Call in a mid-air collision while herding horses,[9][10] the Cadet type certificates were sold separately by the Barlow Call estate to William Diehl as Nikiski Marine Corporation of Anchorage, Alaska in 1969 and Arctic Aircraft Company, Inc in 1970.[11]

Museum

The CallAir Foundation maintains a museum of the company in its hometown.

Aircraft

Callair A-2
CallAir Cadet sn1002
Model name First flight Number built Type
CallAir S-1 1[12] Single engine cabin monoplane
CallAir A 1940 1 Single engine cabin monoplane
CallAir A-1 5 Single engine cabin monoplane
CallAir A-2 16 Single engine cabin monoplane
CallAir A-3 15 Single engine cabin monoplane
CallAir A-4 65 Single engine cabin monoplane
CallAir A-5 74 Single engine cabin monoplane
CallAir A-5T Texan 9 Single engine cabin monoplane
CallAir A-6 34 Single engine cabin monoplane
CallAir A-7 1 Single engine cabin monoplane
CallAir A-9 1963 Single engine monoplane agricultural airplane

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Unique Wyoming Aircraft Plant Builds Planes for Mountain Work". Aviation Week. Vol. 5, no. 4. McGraw-Hill Publishing Company. 4 February 1946. p. 19. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  2. ↑ FAA Type Certificate Data Sheets A-737 and A-754
  3. ↑ Petersen, The CallAir Affair, self-pub 1989
  4. ↑ Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce of America (1926). Aircraft year book 1925.
  5. ↑ "The Quiet Professor". Air Progress Sport Aircraft. Winter 1969.
  6. ↑ "Star Valley Group Seeks to Reopen Plane Plant". Billings Gazette. AP. 18 March 1962. p. 2W.
  7. ↑ "R-S Buys Aero Firm". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. AP. 24 December 1966. p. 7.
  8. ↑ "Afton Gets Snowmobile Plant". Billings Gazette. AP. 7 July 1968. p. 14.
  9. ↑ AviationDB.com: NTSB Pre 1982 Accident Query
  10. ↑ Wheelan, Joan (17 September 1968). "Father and Son Collide in Air". Casper Star-Tribune. p. 1. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  11. ↑ FAA Type Certificate Data Sheets A-737 and A-754
  12. ↑ Nelon, Alex (26 July 2018). "The One and Only CallAir Cadet". General Aviation News. Retrieved 20 December 2020.

Further reading

  • Petersen, Carl J. (1989). CallAir Affair (PDF). Denver, Colorado. Retrieved 19 October 2020.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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