The story
Before airlines had a shape, Henry Ford built one in corrugated metal: three radial engines, a high wing and a cabin for passengers who had never flown before. The Tri-Motor helped prove people would pay to travel by air, then got passed by faster planes within a few years. 199 were built. A handful still fly, a few of them selling rides, so a family can climb into the same cabin as the 1929 passengers.
The first flight over the South Pole, in 1929, was made in a Ford Tri-Motor named Floyd Bennett, with Richard Byrd aboard.
Quick answers
How do you identify a Tri-Motor?
Three engines, one on the nose and one hanging under each wing. Corrugated metal skin, like a tin roof. High wing, fixed gear, slow and low.
What does a Tri-Motor sound like?
Three radials at once: a loud, clattering, old-machine roar you feel in your chest.
How fast is the Tri-Motor?
Top speed is 115 kts.
How many people does the Tri-Motor carry?
Typical configuration: Up to 11 passengers.
How far can the Tri-Motor fly?
Range is about 495 nmi.
How big is the Tri-Motor?
It is 49 ft 10 in long and 74 ft 0 in across the wings.
When did the Tri-Motor first fly?
Its first flight was in 1926.
How many Tri-Motors have been built?
199 built.
What do crews call the Tri-Motor?
The Tin Goose.
How rare is a Tri-Motor in Bogey?
LEGENDARY. The top tier. Spotters plan trips around a catch like this. Your first Tri-Motor catch is worth 1,000 points.
