CallAir Museum to open Saturday
By News Release on Aug 7, 2008 in Afton
The CallAir Museum, located in the new Afton Civic Center, will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008 at 11 a.m. The museum will portray a living history of CallAir airplanes.
A look back in the past shows that a man named Reuel Call, his uncle Ivan Call, and his brother Spencer Call sat down to design an airplane that would perform well in high mountain valleys.
“Their task was daunting, and they picked a tough time to accomplish it,” wrote Bill Call. Following a rough start in 1942 and in the middle of World War II, the legendary CallAir cabin plane was created and was designed as a mountain plane.
Early on CallAir’s history, Barlow Call came to Star Valley and brought many flying skills that would really show what the CallAir aircraft could do. He used the plane for hunting, ferrying, and measuring snow, like the CallAir airplane, Barlow Call has been named a legend of Star Valley.
The CallAir Aircraft factory had be flexible in order to stay afloat, so in the early fifties Herb Andersen was hired as the new plant manager and he brought with him efficiency and discipline and a new marketing plan. During Andersen’s management, CallAir discontinued its cabin plane and began manufacturing a new crop-duster plane.
CallAir changed owners in the sixties with new owners being Doyle Child and Ted Frome. The new owners then replaced the previous crop-duster plane with the CallAir A-9. It was a success from its beginning with as many as 850 manufactured and sold in subsequent years.
Following that, a still-bigger spray plane was designed, the B-1. About 35 of them were built in Afton.
From that point on the company progressed to make many different types of aircrafts and today manufactures the famous Pitt Special Acrobatic Biplane and the rugged upper-winged Husky.
The CallAir factory has over the years employed literally hundreds of Star Valley residents. Star Valley is and will long be known as the place in the Mountain West where airplane manufacturing has thrived for more than 70 years.
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billie miles | Sep 2, 2008 | Reply
I flew to the factory in the early years to ferry an A-9 back to Ar. for my boss. I flew this plane for 2 years and then moved up to the B model. I have about 9000 hrs in Callairs. Tough & rugged, could carry the 215 gallon hopper full. I had Ag-Cat pilots to look in the hopper to make sure I was not lying. Worked rice and cotton. Loved the machine.
Dirty Bird / Billie Miles
Carey Petersen | Feb 4, 2009 | Reply
These airplanes have a special place in my heart as my Father worked as a part of the company for many years. He loved CallAir!
wayne white | May 5, 2009 | Reply
I HAVE PURCHESSED A BASKET CASE A5 AND AM LOOKING FOR SOME INFORMATION ON IT TO HELP WITH THE RESTORATION. AMY INFO WOULD HELP . THANKS
Gary Scott | May 10, 2009 | Reply
This would be an interesting feature or magazine article for someone to pick up. I have a friend, whose name shall be undisclosed for the time being, who was employed as a teenager by Reuel Call. He was able to save enough to purchase a CallAir duster. As yet I do not know the model. He flew it for a couple of years for fun, exploration and a few bucks dusting. He’s very taciturn, so it’s like pulling teeth but always fascinating to get details from him.
Reuel Call impressed him greatly, and he was baptized into the LDS church in his teens. When he wanted to serve a mission, and lacking support from his Catholic family, he had to sell his VW and the plane to get enough money.
Spencer Call was the buyer.
My friend served in the SE US and eventually married a girl from here. I learned much of this because I was home teacher to his father in law, who passed away just last month at a very advanced age.
Forgive me for being reticent; I value this man’s friendship and privacy, but feel the story needs to be told, and eventually to make it into the archives of the Church. I’m qualified to authenticate this fantastic tale. I’m a retired US naval aviator with over 5000 pilot hours in 33 types.
Someone who is qualified to write the story may contact me by this email or at 864-497-7484, which today is out of service, but I hope to restore it Monday 11 May. Alternative fone: 864-497-6201, my wife’s.
As far as I could guess, MrX is the only person who sold his AIRPLANE to serve a mission.
Tom Arnold | Jun 7, 2009 | Reply
Hello Wayne White,
Please contact me at: tearnold@alluretech.net
or 307-232-9195
I have a number of cabin models and am restoring them one at a time and probably could help a bit as I learned the hard way how not to do a couple of things! They are a neat airplane but it amazes me to think they were considered a “mass produced” airplane as the detail labor involved is closer to a home built. Looking forward to hearing of your project.
Yours
Tom Arnold
Casper WY
Isaac D. White | Nov 17, 2009 | Reply
I also have been trying to get a A-5, but have been unsuccesful!! Have you found any information? I have a limited amount of historical type data! Can sned if it would help!! Thanks!!
Isaac
Dan Cullman | Dec 8, 2009 | Reply
I bought an A5 project years ago and have been working on it on and off. My idea was to make it like a Kinner Sportster. If it was the only project I had, I could have it flying by spring. dhcullman@aol.com
Dale Summers | Dec 23, 2009 | Reply
after the winter of 1949, the Wyoming Army National Guard bought a Callair, snow machine. In the late 50′s I was emplowed by the Guard as an Aviation mechanic at their hanger in Cheyenne and maintained that sled. it was a thrill to ride and hairy to stop. It had a two place tandem cockpit with 3 snow skis, and an aircraft engine with a pusher prop for propelling it. It was also widely used on Jackson Lake for ice fishing. What happened to them? I still read about not allowing them to be used for ice fishing. But never a picture. Any update on it. ?
B Winfield | Dec 23, 2009 | Reply
Where do I find a Callair for sale??
John Parish | Jan 6, 2010 | Reply
Dale,
Some of those snowplanes are still around, in fact I have one that I am in-process of restoring and it sounds like what you worked on. I am trying to find blue prints or documents to put it back together.
ira walker | Jan 24, 2010 | Reply
are you stell looking to put your Call Air back to gether? iam looking for work
i was factory traned At Aviat and have worked in GA avation for allmost 15 years. i know many of the people that may beabel to help you out fell free to call me i would be happy to help.
ira walker
307 887 1265
Ps i restored the call snow plane for the musueam
Jerry Haire | Jan 28, 2010 | Reply
This is to Carey Petersen,
I knew your father, Carl, back in the fifties when he was flying a CallAir crop sprayer out of Littlefield, Texas, where I operated the FBO. My father-in-law and I ferried several CallAirs from Afton to Texas. That was flying at its purest, open cockpit, about 75 mph, and landing for fuel about every two hours. I was just a smart alecky kid at the time and didn’t realize I was in the company of aviation history.
Regards,
Jerry Haire
Dale Summers | Feb 5, 2010 | Reply
John,
glad to hear some one has one.I have never seen any plans for one. the frame was tubing with a fabric cover, like a piper cub. Attempting to put brakes on it. They welded a hinge to the rear axle, but a spark hit the dope and fabric cover and went up like black gun powder in 40 seconds. We restored it, but from experience, covered it in aircraft aluminum. Much more fire proof as warmer. Don’t know what happened to it, after I left the Guard. Sad part, I never took a picture of it, either before or after the restore job.
carner | Mar 7, 2010 | Reply
Still flying A-9 in crop spraying operation. Works pretty good. Parts are hard to find.
WAYNE WHITE | Mar 26, 2010 | Reply
I FINALLY FINISHED MY A5 AND AM NOW FLYING IT. IT FLIES GREAT, JUST A LITTLE HEAVY ON THE AILERONS BUT NO PROBLEN. USES LITTLE OR NO RUNWAY AND CLIMBS AT 1000 FPM JUST A GREAT SUNDAY FLIER. IF I CAN BE OF ANY HELP TO ANYONE PLEASE CALL ME (904)813-8915 OR E-MALE AT TAILSPIN19@AOL.COM. WAYNE
Gene Ypma | May 30, 2010 | Reply
I flew A9B’s for 14 years have a few parts lying around,I alsohave a wrecked B1 that needs rebuilt my phone no is 406 685 3494
Randy M. Erickson | Jun 3, 2010 | Reply
I have had a long history with CallAir, back to the time my mom was Reuel’s office manager. You may have met mom, Marcia Erickson. I would like to request that the portrait of my mother be removed from the CallAir museum as it does not portray the beauty of mom. Whomever painted the portrait should give his/her commission back to the Call’s.
Regards
Randy M. Erickson