1929 Ford Tri Motor Visits Elmira N.Y.

A beautiful 1929 C-4A A.C. 29-058 or Ford Tri Motor made a visit to EAA Chapter 533 in Elmira NY and gave aviation enthusiasts a chance to ride in a piece of history.

My wife, Brenda and I hopped a June 29, 2013 flight in one of the 199 Tri Motors ever built

The skin looks like it was designed by a sluice pipe manufacturer.  Maybe it was designed by Mr. Corrugated himself?

Actually the aircraft was manufactured by Stout Metal Airplane Division of the Ford Motor Company. They were constructed between 1926 and 1933 as of 2008 18 still existed

There is room for 10 passengers.  The Tri Motors were used by Pan American Airlines for its first International flights, which were to Cuba and eventually South America in the early 1930's.

 

The cockpit of the C-4A.  This aircraft was built at a unit cost of $42,000 in 1933. It first flew on June 11, 1926.  Franklin Roosevelt flew aboard a Tri-Motor in 1932 during his presidential campaign in the first use of an aircraft in an election

How can you go wrong when two guys with big smiles wearing Hawaiian shirts climb behind the controls.  These pilots were fun guys, willing to answer questions and truly loved to fly.

I had the chance to sit in the first row behind the pilot.  I said they enjoyed flying.  Check out the pilots foot just to the left of his hand.  He was barefoot on the rudders!! 

One of the 3 Pratt and Whitney's.  The original C-4A's were 450 HP R-1340-11 Wasp piston engines. The engines were so reliable that in 1929 Commander Richard Byrd (navigator) and Bernt Balchen (chief pilot) and two other crewmen made the first flight above the south pole in a Tri Motor

Right downwind for runway 24 at KELM

The flight left KELM and flew all the way to Corning and back!  The cruise speed was 85 mph.  This aircraft stalls at 49 mph and has an empty weight of 7,840 lbs

The captain gives a post flight thumbs up.  Notice the first passenger window below the prop.  The next photo shows what it is like to sit in that seat and look UP to the cockpit.

Firing up the 1929 old bird

Taking 24 at KELM June 29, 2013. Can you smell the oil and AV gas?

If you ever see one of these....do what the sign says. Check-In.  You will leave with a smile :)

 

Ford Tri Motor Flight June 29, 2013. Elmira NY