Ninety year-old Ford Tri-Motor Coming at Me

A 1928 Ford Tri-Motor, TAT NC8645 now named “City of Port Clinton” was in town last weekend. Unfortunately I was unable to get out to Double Eagle II airport to see it. This aircraft is owned by the Liberty Aviation Museum of Port Clinton, Ohio, and operated by the Experimental Aviation Association chapter based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

http://eaa179.org/fly-the-ford-tri-motor/

This was one of the original Transcontinental Air Transport aircraft that used Albuquerque as a fuel stop in 1929 and early 1930s. It then carried the name of “City of Wichita”. The route in the southwest U.S. was from Waynoka, Oklahoma to Clovis, New Mexico on to Albuquerque, New Mexico then to Winslow, Arizona and eventually to Los Angeles, California.

On Sept. 3, 1929, the Ford Tri-Motor called “City of San Francisco” flew west out of Albuquerque into a storm and crashed on Mount Taylor in western New Mexico, killing three crew members five passengers.

The Aviation Heritage Museum complex at the Grants-Milan Airport has much more information on aviation during that era including the beacon towers and concrete arrows used as navigation aids. http://www.cibolahistory.org/airway-heritage-museum.html

Late Sunday afternoon I heard an unusual sounding propeller aircraft, so I grabbed my camera, ran outside and saw the Ford Tri-Motor heading directly toward my house at approximately 1,000 feet AGL.

Because it was almost directly head on I could not get very good shots of it. This is what I got:

Click to Enlarge

Very nice Larry! I saw the heading on listing of posts, and said, I've got to tell them, I was born just south of Port Clinton, Fremont, Ohio, and, yes, they used to use the Ford Tri-Motor aircraft for ferrying passengers between Port Clinton and Put-in-Bay. I was just a small boy back in those days, but I often heard my Dad and Grand Dad talking about the Ford Tri-Motor, my Dad used to always tell us, "Safest aircraft" in US History! They weren't much to look at, but they were truly safe! I guess from what you are saying, they have all been officially retired and reside at their retirement home of the Museum! Good for them!

Thanks for sharing Larry! Rick :cool:

Thanks Rick, Jan, Gérard, Khalid & Vlad. :) Khalid it is adjustable from 40mm to 180mm.

Yes Larry, with lens you cant get enough focal length for aero shots. I took this casual snap of a Bird Dog over Dundee a couple of years back. This guy is on long final over the Tay and he couldn't have been higher than 1000 feet as well. I also had a zoom, 16-85mm and this was at 85, but my camera is a Nikon DX format so there is a crop factor of 1.5, making this the equivalent of 128mm. At one Shoreham air show I used a 300mm on a film camera (35mm) and that was adequate.

The upper right inset is the full blown size of the Cessna

Khalid

Hey, you're 'home spotters!' :):):)

BTW, I could also, as at LFSD, Dijon airport, the Breitling Team has its home base, and irregularly, they downwind, or base leg over :)

Very nice Larry! I saw the heading on listing of posts, and said, I've got to tell them, I was born just south of Port Clinton, Fremont, Ohio, and, yes, they used to use the Ford Tri-Motor aircraft for ferrying passengers between Port Clinton and Put-in-Bay. I was just a small boy back in those days, but I often heard my Dad and Grand Dad talking about the Ford Tri-Motor, my Dad used to always tell us, "Safest aircraft" in US History! They weren't much to look at, but they were truly safe! I guess from what you are saying, they have all been officially retired and reside at their retirement home of the Museum! Good for them!

 

Thanks for sharing Larry! Rick :cool:

not all tri-motors are retired. there is still a couple in full flying order and take people up for flights! I know, because I went on one about a year or so ago

not all tri-motors are retired. there is still a couple in full flying order and take people up for flights! I know, because I went on one about a year or so ago

YES!! That's history worth repeating again and again!! ;)