Ford
Tri-Motor Flies Triumphant!
April 16 - The Experimental Aircraft Association is celebrating this
year's 75th anniversary of its prized Ford Tri-Motor passenger airplane,
and the 75th anniversary of transcontinental air service, by taking this
rare aircraft to selected cities in the Midwest this summer.
Two "mini-tours" are scheduled with the Ford Tri-Motor, one running June
25-July 18 in Michigan, Ohio and Illinois and a second tour to
yet-undetermined Midwest cities in September.
"As part of EAA's mission of preserving our magnificent aviation
heritage, we are very pleased to celebrate this historic airplane's 75th
anniversary by flying it to selected communities," said Adam Smith, EAA
AirVenture Museum Director. "We welcome everybody to experience true
living history by flying in the world's first mass-produced airliner or
seeing it when we land in their area."
The Ford Tri-Motor will land at cities that have a historic connection
to the aircraft or the Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT) Company,
which began the coast-to-coast flights with 11 Tri-Motors in 1929. The
airplane was fully restored by EAA over a decade-long span and first
flown again in the mid-1980s. For this special anniversary tour, EAA's
Tri-Motor has been completely refurbished and repainted once again to
appear as it did when it made its first flights 75 years ago.
The June/July tour will begin June 25 at Oakland County International
Airport near Detroit, and continue to stops in Port Clinton and
Columbus, Ohio; Kalamazoo, Mich.; and Aurora, Ill. (near Chicago). The
September tour dates and stops will be announced as they are finalized.
At each tour stop, visitors will have the opportunity to take 20-minute
flights aboard this unique aircraft, nicknamed the "Tin Goose." Those
flights are available for $40 per person when booked in advance, or $50
per person the day of the flights. A secure flight-reservation system
and complete information are available through EAA's Tri-Motor tour web
site at www.flytheford.org.
"We invite people not only to experience this wonderful aircraft during
the tour, but to also discover more about EAA's mission and activities
which allows people to fully participate in the world of flight," Smith
said.
Throughout the year, the Tri-Motor is based at the EAA AirVenture Museum
in Oshkosh, Wis., where it actively carries passengers at the museum's
Pioneer Airport facility. Pioneer Airport is designed as an aerodrome
of the 1920s and 1930s, complete with round-roofed hangars and
2,000-foot grass airstrip. It operates from May through mid-October
each year, allowing visitors to experience the early days of aviation
including flights in rare vintage aircraft and other airplanes.
EAA, The Leader in Recreational Aviation, is an international
association with 170,000 members and more than 1,000 local Chapters.
For more information on EAA and its programs, call 1-800-JOIN-EAA
(1-800-564-6322) or explore EAA's World Wide Web site (www.eaa.org).
EAA'S FORD TRI-MOTOR 75TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR
June 25-July 2 Pontiac, Mich. (Oakland County International Airport)
July 3-6 Port Clinton, Ohio (Carl Keller Field)
July 8-11 Columbus, Ohio (Bolton Field)
July 12-15 Kalamazoo, Mich. (Kalamazoo Air Zoo)
July 16-18 Aurora, Ill. (Aurora Municipal Airport)
September Tour To Be Determined
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