VH-APC (3)      Callair A9A Quail                             (c/n  1074)

                            

                                 The Callair A9A sub model was a modification of the normal A9 built for Australian certification.
                                 By the time the A9 was developed from the A7, Callair had been taken over by Intermountain
                                 Manufacturing Company (IMCO) and all A9s were built by them in the old Callair plant at Afton,
                                 Wyoming.   VH-APC was first registered to Queensland Airplanters Pty Ltd of Bundaberg in
                                 September 1964.   Airplanters' founder, Don Adams, did not like the Piper Pawnees. The image
                                 above, from the Geoff Goodall collection, was taken in the Bundaberg hangar in 1967.  The shot
                                 immediately below is from the Roger McDonald collection and shows -APC at Cootamundra in
                                 May 1969 when it was with Aerial Agriculture Ltd of Bankstown.  At that time it was still in its
                                 original factory yellow and black paint scheme.  After over two decades of agricultural duties with
                                 various outfits (including SuperSpread), this A9A was, like many of its ilk, converted into a glider
                                 tug.  Ross Gorman spotted it at Benalla (foot of the page) on 14 January 2009 sweltering in 42C
                                 heat.  It is currently privately owned and presumably rented out for glider towing

                           

                           
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