VH-SSX  Edgar Percival EP-9C                     (c/n  27)

                               

                                     This Prospector was built as G-APAD and toured Australia in 1957 flown by British racing
                                     pilot Beverly Snook.    At the foot of the page is a shot by Geoff Goodall taken at Perth's
                                     Maylands Airport in June 1957 in its original rego with Snook standing on the strut.   After
                                     the sales tour, it was sold to Super Spread Aviation at Moorabbin first as VH-SSW, later
                                     VH-SSX     Neil Follett's photo above was at Moorabbin in 1960.                                  
                                     After the EP-9 had been in operation for a couple of years it was found that the original
                                     Lycoming engine tended to overheat during low-level flying in hot weather and Kingsford                                                           
                                     Smith Aviation at Bankstown converted it, and one other machine (VH-FBZ)  to take a
                                     375 h.p Armstrong-Siddeley Cheetah 10 engine  . It is seen below at Parafield in April
                                     1966 in a shot by Geoff Goodall with this engine and wearing a rather ugly red and black
                                     livery whilst owned by TonAir of Tintinara, SA.