Flying the Friendly Skies

I have had the chance to y the friendly skies many times over the years, but none of those came close to matching up to my experience last week.
As part of a media promotion, I had the unique opportunity to experience the excitement of the Roaring Twenties Thursday afternoon in Rochester.
I hopped aboard the Ford Tri-Motor, which is known as the rst luxury airliner in the world. The Ford, also known as the Tin Goose, is widely known to have refined world travel and marked the beginning of commercial ight. It was opened up to the general public throughout the weekend.
Production of the three-engine aircraft started in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and ended in 1933.
Up until last week, I had no clue that Ford was in the aircraft business at one time.
The particular plane I flew in was constructed in 1928 for $51,000. There were 199 Ford Tri-Motors built.
Like Ford tractors and cars, the Tri-Motors were well-designed, relatively inexpensive, and reliable for the era. The combination of a metal structure and simple systems led to their reputation for ruggedness.

The Tri-Motor using all-metal construction was not a revolutionary concept, but it was certainly more advanced than the standard construction techniques of the 1920s.
Something I found interesting in researching the Tri-Motor is that it had been used for the ight of Elm Farm Ollie, the rst cow to y in an aircraft and to be milked mid-flight.
Another tidbit about the airliner is that Franklin Roosevelt ew aboard a Tri-Motor in 1932 during his presidential campaign in one of the first uses of an aircraft in an election, replacing the traditional “whistle stop” train trips.
According to reports, with the rapid development of aircraft during this time period, namely the Douglas DC-2, along with the death of his personal pilot on a test ight, Ford quickly lost interest in aviation. Though Ford ceased making aircrafts, the Tri-Motor is a signi cant piece of aviation history.

I must admit I was a little apprehensive when I rst jumped into the plane, which can carry up to nine passengers. The aisle is barely large enough to squeeze between both sides of seats. It also was a little unnerving to hear the engines re up and sputter, but once we were in the air, it was an unforgettable experience.
Every seat on the plane is a window seat and allows you to get a birds-eye view of the friendly skies.
Perhaps the greatest joy for me was being a part of something that propelled us into the aviation world as we know it today. Airliners have made signi cant progress since the rst Tri-Motor went in the air nearly a century ago.
It gave me a whole new perspective of being in hot pursuit of flying the friendly skies.