Origins in Mountain Country
The CallAir A-2 emerged from the practical needs of Wyoming ranchers operating in high mountain country where conventional aircraft struggled with short, rough airstrips and challenging terrain. In 1942, Reuel Call, his uncle Ivan Call, and his brother Spencer Call—all Wyoming ranchers—sat down to design an airplane specifically for mountain operations. The Call family had identified a gap in the aviation market: no existing aircraft adequately served the unique demands of ranch work in the American West.
Design and development work began in earnest in 1942, with the prototype Model A first taking flight in 1940. The original prototype was powered by a Continental A-80 engine, but performance requirements led to its redesignation as the Model A-1 when re-engined with an Avco Lycoming O-235-A engine. The Call Aircraft Company conducted extensive research and development throughout World War II, earning a United States type certificate in July 1944 for what would become the production Model A-2.
Wartime Delays and Post-War Production
World War II significantly impacted CallAir's production timeline. Although the company hoped to begin manufacturing in 1940, wartime material shortages forced them to operate their Afton, Wyoming factory as an aircraft repair facility throughout the conflict. This delay proved fortuitous, allowing the Call team to refine their design extensively before committing to production tooling.
Production finally commenced in late 1945 when the company obtained necessary raw materials, including inventory purchased from Interstate Aircraft and Engineering. Between 1946 and approximately the early 1950s, CallAir manufactured exactly 16 A-2 aircraft at their Wyoming facility. Each aircraft featured fabric-covered wooden wings and a fabric-covered welded steel tube fuselage with fixed tailwheel landing gear—a robust construction method well-suited to rough-field operations.
Technical Innovation for Mountain Flying
The A-2's design prioritized short and rough field performance over speed, reflecting its intended role serving remote ranch operations. Powered by the Avco Lycoming O-290-A engine producing 125 horsepower, the aircraft achieved a maximum speed of 112 mph while maintaining a remarkably low landing speed of 42 mph. This combination of power and low-speed handling made it ideal for the short mountain airstrips typical of Wyoming ranching operations.
The two-seat braced low-wing configuration provided excellent ground handling characteristics and structural strength for utility operations. With a gross weight of 1,550 pounds, the A-2 could carry meaningful payloads while maintaining its short-field capabilities. The aircraft's design philosophy emphasized practicality and ruggedness over luxury or high performance—characteristics that would define all subsequent CallAir models.
Company Evolution and Legacy
Despite the A-2's limited production run, it established the foundation for CallAir's more successful variants. The company evolved the basic design into the A-4, a two or three-seat variant with 65 aircraft built, which was adapted in 1954 for agricultural use. This agricultural adaptation proved highly successful, leading to the A-5—the best-selling model of the series with 83 built, including the A-5 Texan variant.
Reuel Call sold CallAir in the early 1960s to new owners Doyle Child and Ted Frome of Afton, who shifted production toward larger agricultural aircraft. Under this new ownership, the company produced the highly successful A-9 agricultural aircraft, with approximately 850 built during the 1960s. The Call Aircraft Company continued operations until approximately 1970, when it ceased aircraft manufacturing.
Surviving Examples and Museum Preservation
Today, surviving CallAir A-2 aircraft represent rare examples of post-war American utility aviation. The Port Townsend Aero Museum in Washington state maintains a 1949 CallAir A-2 that has been upgraded with a Lycoming O-320 150-horsepower engine for improved performance while preserving the aircraft's historical significance. This particular example demonstrates the type's enduring utility, as owners have found the basic airframe design sound enough to warrant modern engine upgrades.
A 1956 CallAir A-2 was documented at AirVenture 2022, described as a unique find among the thousands of aircraft displayed at the world's largest aviation gathering. The rarity of surviving A-2s makes each example significant for aviation historians and enthusiasts interested in the development of American utility aviation.
Historical Significance
The CallAir A-2 represents an important chapter in post-World War II general aviation development, demonstrating how small manufacturers identified and served specialized market niches. While major manufacturers focused on returning military pilots and growing airline markets, the Call family recognized the specific needs of rural and mountain communities. Their Wyoming-based operation exemplified practical innovation, creating aircraft designs that prioritized function over form.
Though the A-2 itself achieved limited commercial success with only 16 examples built, it established design principles and manufacturing capabilities that would make CallAir a significant player in agricultural aviation. The company's evolution from utility aircraft to specialized agricultural planes illustrates how successful aviation companies adapted to changing market demands in the rapidly expanding post-war aviation industry.