This is the Press release for the Ford Tri-motor up coming visit. Enjoy. Flying in Style in EAA’s Ford Tri-Motor “The 1929 airliner coming to Santa Teresa, NM was the height of flying luxury 85 years ago!” Flying the airlines has not always meant connecting the entire world in a single day. Nor did it mean flight delays, security lines or baggage carousels. At one time, flying to a destination was an adventure and a completely new perspective on travel. That sensation is coming back as a rare 1929 Ford Tri-Motor airliner, owned, and operated by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in Oshkosh, Wis., makes a 4-day stop in Santa Teresa, NM as part of its nationwide tour. The Tri-Motor airliner will be at Dona Ana County Airport in Santa Teresa, Feb 5-8. Hosted by the War Eagles Air Museum & EAA CH-555, all are invited to see and fly in this historic aircraft. Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford, who had already changed America through his automobiles, also had a vision for moving people through flight. He saw a time when people would travel across America in airplanes at speed surpassing the even fastest railroad. “Preposterous!” some uttered. After all, Charles Lindbergh had, (only 2 years before) survived a harrowing 33-hour solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean and became a worldwide celebrity for doing it. The idea of the average person being able to fly to a distant destination on a scheduled flight … well that was just a dream. Ford was driven to prove his concept, though. Although fewer than 200 of the Ford Tri-Motors were built before they were overtaken by newer technology, it showed that passenger flights were possible on a grander scale than ever imagined. “What Henry Ford did was bring the possibility of powered flight to the public, beyond the barnstorming and pioneer era that defined aviation to that point,” said Sean Elliott, an EAA vice president who is also an experienced pilot of the Tri-Motor. “His position as an influential industrial leader brought credibility to the nation of passenger air service.” While you might consider today’s air travel less than luxurious, accommodations aboard the Tri-Motor were less so. However, no one cared – it was the adventure of it all. There were only 10 straight-back seats, no more than parlor chairs, really. Passengers had a straight-in view of the cockpit. And the roar of the three-radial engines was loud, but also reassuring. Three engines in Ford’s view were safer for long-haul flights. The Ford Tri-Motor appearing locally was No. 146 of the aircraft’s run, coming off the line in August 1929. It served for Pitcairn Aviation, a forerunner of Eastern Airlines, and then had its own adventure flying as an airliner in Cuba, working as a crop duster and aerial firefighting aircraft. It later became a barnstorming aircraft, offering flights for passengers throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. After the airplane was damaged in a 1973 thunderstorm, EAA founder Paul Poberezny bought No. 146 and worked with the EAA staff and volunteers for 12 years to bring the airplane back to life. It made its return to the air in 1985 and has been carrying passengers since. The aircraft has also starred in two major motion pictures: “The Family Jewels” starting Jerry Lewis in 1965 and “Public Enemies” starring Johnny Depp in 2009. Primarily, though, EAA’s Ford Tri-Motor spends it ninth decade of existence much as it started life: carrying passengers on an aerial adventure unlike anything else available today. Today, it harkens back to a pioneering era in flight. It welcomes all to join in the fun while the airplane is at Santa Teresa NM. You can find out more and reserve your own seat on the airplane by going to FlyTheFord.org. About the War Eagles Air Museum: A non-profit organization supported by memberships, admission and contributions. They are dedicated to the restoration and display of the world’s most important aircraft. Operation of the museum is made possible by a group of enthusiastic volunteers and members. war-eagles-air-museum About The EAA: The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is a diverse organization of members with a wide range of aviation interests and backgrounds. EAA expanded its mission of growing participation in aviation to include antiques, classics, “warbirds”, aerobatic aircraft, ultra-lights, helicopters, and contemporary manufactured aircraft. eaa.org Please direct all questions, sponsorship & media inquiries to: Brett Hahn Tri-Motor Marketing & Media Chairman EAA’s 1929 Ford Tri-Motor | FlyTheFord.org
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 01:55:12 +0000
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