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Rides are available on 1929 Ford Tri-Motor featured in new movie
By Mary Beth Breckenridge
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Tuesday, Jun 30, 2009
GREEN: This was the cutting edge of travel in the late 1920s.
The Ford Tri-Motor was the embodiment of automaker Henry Ford's vision for public air transportation, a boxy aircraft that could carry eight passengers at what was then a speedy 100 mph.
Today the early airliner is owned by Experimental Aircraft Association, which uses the plane as a sort of flying museum. For three days this week, the Military Aviation Preservation Society is housing the plane at its MAPS Air Museum adjacent to Akron-Canton Airport, giving the public an opportunity to experience a bit of aviation history by climbing aboard for a 15-minute flight.
It's also a chance to get close to a movie star. The aircraft appears in the new film Public Enemies, sporting a temporary paint job for its role. The cast and crew spent several days at the plane's home base near Oshkosh, Wis., filming the flying scenes.
The plane first flew on Aug. 21, 1929, the 146th of 199 Tri-Motors built by the Ford Motor Co. from 1926 to 1933. It was originally owned by Pitcairn Aviation's passenger division, Eastern Air Transport, which later became Eastern Airlines.
Henry Ford specified three motors to counter concerns about engine reliability. The plane, nicknamed the Tin Goose, also had an enclosed cabin, making it more comfortable for the passengers.
Wintersville resident Jeff Evans, however, preferred the view from the cockpit during his flight Monday. His son paid extra for his father to sit in the co-pilot's seat as an early gift for his 58th birthday next month.
It turned out to be a thrill. Although he's an aviation buff, Evans said, he has flown relatively little and only once on a smaller craft, many years ago.
He wore a headset during his flight on the Tri-Motor, enabling him to talk to the pilot and overhear communication with the control tower. ''It really gives
you the feeling of what's going on,'' Evans said.
Kelsi Sampsel, 5, and her brother, Christian, 10, weren't sure what to expect. The Massillon youngsters waited eagerly with their grandmother, Sherry Sampsel of Jackson Township, to board for what would be their first airplane ride.
To Christian, the vintage aircraft looked like something out of an Indiana Jones movie.
''I think it's going to be exciting, but it's my first time,'' he said. ''I think it's going to be bumpy.''
He was right. The airplane swayed and bumped a bit on the air currents as it headed away from the airport, making a lazy circle that took its passengers over new developments and old farmhouses and past the Akron Airdock before turning for home.
By today's standards, it's a no-frills ride. The cabin is only two seats wide and the ceiling so low that most passengers have to duck as they enter. The interior walls are covered in sheet metal with the fasteners exposed, the only decoration a simple Art Deco design on a painted, faux wood-grain background.
Two of the engines are attached to the wings and the third to the nose. At full throttle, their noise drowns out all but shouted conversation. The plane seems slow and almost awkward in the air, sort of like an enormous bumble bee.
In its day, though, the aircraft must have been a wonder. It could take people to their destinations in a fraction of the time of the still-young automobile, noted Wayne Noall, chairman of the board of directors of the MAPS Air Museum and vice president of Wadsworth Chapter 846 of the Experimental Aircraft Association.
The plane's visit helps the museum in its mission to teach about airplanes, aviation and their place in history, Noall said.
In the case of this craft, it's a history that has included flying for Cubana Airlines and the government of the Dominican Republic, barnstorming, crop dusting and aerial firefighting. The plane even appeared in another movie, the Jerry Lewis comedy The Family Jewels.
In 1973, it was badly damaged when it was ripped from its tie-downs during a storm, lifted 50 feet in the air and smashed to the ground on its back. The Experimental Aircraft Association bought the wreckage and spent 12 years restoring it.
Rides on the plane are available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Wednesday. The cost is $60, with a limited number of co-pilot seats available for $100.
Reservations are no longer being accepted; tickets can be purchased on site.
The MAPS Air Museum is at 2260 International Parkway, off state Route 241. Information about the flights and directions to the museum are at http://www.mapsairmuseum.org, or by calling 330-896-6332.
Mary Beth Breckenridge can be reached at 330-996-3756 or mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com.
GREEN: This was the cutting edge of travel in the late 1920s.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 09:38 AM, 06/30/2009
All five of us flew on one of these--me co-pilot-- while on a camping trip around Lake Erie, about 40 years ago. At that time, school children from Kelley's Island made trips to Cleveland schools on a fleet of Tri's.
Canton, OH
Posted 10:06 AM, 06/30/2009
sweet.
Mogadore, OH
Posted 06:58 PM, 06/30/2009
I saw this plane today flying over rt 91 near 619! It is a slow mover,impressive!
