Fall Schedule Includes Stops In Missouri, Ohio

The Experimental Aircraft Association is celebrating this year's 75th anniversary of its prized Ford Tri-Motor passenger airplane, and the 75th anniversary of transcontinental air service, by taking this rare aircraft to selected cities in the Midwest this fall.

The Ford Tri-Motor's fall tour runs September 8-26, with stops in Missouri and Ohio.

"As part of EAA's mission of preserving our magnificent aviation heritage, we are very pleased to celebrate this historic airplane's 75th anniversary by flying it to selected communities," said Adam Smith, EAA AirVenture Museum Director. "We welcome everybody to experience true living history by flying in the world's first mass-produced airliner or seeing it when we land in their area."

The Ford Tri-Motor will land at cities that have a historic connection to the aircraft or the Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT) Company, which began the coast-to-coast flights with 11 Tri-Motors in 1929. The airplane was fully restored by EAA over a decade-long span and first flown again in the mid-1980s. For this special anniversary tour, EAA's Tri-Motor has been completely refurbished and repainted once again to appear as it did when it made its first flights 75 years ago.

The fall tour will begin September 9 at Columbus (OH), and continue to stops in Cincinnati, St. Louis and Kansas City (MO).

At each tour stop, visitors will have the opportunity to take 20-minute flights aboard this unique aircraft, nicknamed the "Tin Goose." Those flights are available for $40 per person when booked in advance, or $50 per person the day of the flights.

"We invite people not only to experience this wonderful aircraft during the tour, but to also discover more about EAA's mission and activities which allows people to fully participate in the world of flight," Smith said.

Throughout the year, the Tri-Motor is based at the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, where it actively carries passengers at the museum's Pioneer Airport facility. Pioneer Airport is designed as an aerodrome of the 1920s and 1930s, complete with round-roofed hangars and 2,000-foot grass airstrip. It operates from May through mid-October each year, allowing visitors to experience the early days of aviation including flights in rare vintage aircraft and other airplanes.

FMI: www.flytheford.org