1929 Ford Tri-Motor
Nov 7, 2017 07:31:53 #
My two brothers and I had opportunity to fly in this bird last Saturday. Eddie Rickenbacker bought this one and formed what would become Eastern Airlines using it to fly mail and passengers. He promised to get people from New York to California in 48 hours. This was done by train out of New York to Ohio. There the trimotor took passengers to Oklahoma making several fuel stops. In Oklahoma a train was waiting to take them past the mountains of New Mexico. Another trimotor waited to complete the trip. The reason for the trains.... the trimotor could not fly over mountains nor at night.
Nov 7, 2017 07:59:35 #
Nov 7, 2017 08:09:45 #
I am local to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum that operates one of these. I haven't been up in it yet, but it is neat to see it flying around. Wikipedia claims that 199 were made and nine are still airworthy.
Nov 7, 2017 08:15:56 #
EAA believes only about 6 are airworthy but this is the only one that flies full time taking people for rides. One is in Tn. Our pilot will be there this weekend flying it. One which has serial #10 is for sale for $3.5 million. Pocket change for a guy like yourself. EAA has serial #69 and only charges $75 to go up....$70 if paid in advance.
Nov 7, 2017 08:19:32 #
There was an outfitter in Alaska with a Ford Tri-motor on floats- flew out of McNeil River in it... pretty cool...
Nov 7, 2017 08:29:30 #
Nov 7, 2017 10:52:13 #
A Ford Tri-Motor came here a few years ago. I went for a ride in it and posted pictures of that plane on UHH a couple years ago. I'm not sure if this is the same plane but the one I was on had those same decals on the prop blades and the S (as in RIDES) on the wing next to the right engine and an N (as in NC8407) on the wing next to the left engine. It had "Eastern Air Transport, Inc" on the fuselage. It was 75 bucks for a flight, also
Nov 7, 2017 11:08:01 #
Sounds like the one EAA operates. Best experience since I flew on their B-17 about 15 yrs ago. That one was $350.
Nov 7, 2017 13:42:39 #
Back in the 60s, I got my 1st airplane ride in a Tri-motor, operated by Island Airlines. It flew several times a day between Port Clinton and Put-in-Bay, Ohio. It took the mail, supplies,and passengers to and from the islands on Lake Erie. It served as the school bus for the children going to and from school on the mainland. Last I heard, they were restoring the aircraft to return to service going back and forth on the lake.
Grand Canyon Airlines use to fly one as a sightseeing plane around the Grand Canyon. I think it has been replaced by Cessna 206s.
I took the EAA B17 flight back in the late 1990s. I wore my dad's "20 mission crush" WWll hat (he flew B17s) and my own flight jacket from when I flew B52s in the AirForce. Ah, such memories.
Grand Canyon Airlines use to fly one as a sightseeing plane around the Grand Canyon. I think it has been replaced by Cessna 206s.
I took the EAA B17 flight back in the late 1990s. I wore my dad's "20 mission crush" WWll hat (he flew B17s) and my own flight jacket from when I flew B52s in the AirForce. Ah, such memories.
Nov 8, 2017 06:33:59 #
Nov 8, 2017 07:40:31 #
The Owl's Head Transportation museum in Maine used to have a flying Trimotor and routinely sold rides. They eventually sold the Trimotor to purchase several WWI fighters but they said they had to stop giving rides because the insurance costs were too high. I remember seeing the plane sitting out on the tarmac...with a big drip pan under each engine.
Nov 8, 2017 07:53:53 #
Nov 8, 2017 08:21:35 #
fourlocks wrote:
The Owl's Head Transportation museum in Maine used to have a flying Trimotor and routinely sold rides. They eventually sold the Trimotor to purchase several WWI fighters but they said they had to stop giving rides because the insurance costs were too high. I remember seeing the plane sitting out on the tarmac...with a big drip pan under each engine.
You should begin to worry if there is no need for those drip pans. Lol,
Clint
Nov 8, 2017 08:52:33 #
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