VH-SSX Edgar Percival EP-9C
(c/n 27)
After the EP-9s had been in operation for a
couple of years it was found that the 270 h.p.
Lycoming
GO-480-B tended to overheat during low-level flying in hot
weather. Kingsford
Smith Aviation at Bankstown converted two of them to take a 375
h.p. Armstrong-Siddeley
Cheetah
10 engine. VH-SSX was one (the other was VH-FBZ) and it is
seen above at
Parafield
in
April 1966 wearing a rather
ugly red and black livery whilst employed by TonAir
of
Tintinara, SA. Geoff Goodall, who took this shot
also captured it again (immediately
below) at its home base a
year later. Like all Percival EP-9s, this one
originally had
been
given a
class B UK registration (G-43-6)
before receiving its full C of A as G-APAD.
It was
exported to
Super Spread at
Moorabbin in 1957. Image # 3 is a rare one of it in
Superspread titling taken at Moorabbin in February 1960 by Neil Follett
still with its in-line
Lycoming
up front. Rare insofar as all records indicate that the
conversion to the A-S
Cheetah
was made in 1959. Clearly, in the case of -SSX it was somewhat
later. Finally,
at the
foot of the page is another photo from Geoff's collection showing it as
G-APAD
at Maylands,
Perth in June 1957 whilst on a demonstration tour. It was
flown by British
racing
pilot Beverly Snook, who is posing for the
photograph. After the sales tour, it
was
sold to
Superspread Aviation at Moorabbin first as VH-SSW, later VH-SSX .
