High Flying History

This past Friday, The Colonel and I saw an old airplane flying over our house. We had not seen this one before. That same day I saw an article in the local paper about said airplane. For a fee of $75 the public could take a ride in the old airplane. The rides would continue through Sunday. Of course, we had to have a ride.

We called My-Favorite-In-Laws and asked if they would like to join us the next day...but of course!

The Colonel and I went to the airport to see about signing up for a ride. There was no signing up. We would have to come back Saturday morning and stand in line to get a ride. The gate would be open at 8:30 a.m.

Saturday morning arrived. The Colonel and I awoke earlier than normal for a quick breakfast and some Fox and Friends before we headed over to The Colonel's parent's house. We wanted to leave their house by 8 a.m. so that we could get to the airport, park and get in line by 8:30 a.m. I love my small town...just about everything is ten to fifteen minutes away (unless you have to cross the bridge over the Peace River and/or it is snowbird season).

We got in line at 8:30 a.m., paid our $75 each, and signed all essential paperwork. Now it was time to wait. We waited inside the building of the local Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). This building is the only original building left from the time when the local airport was an Army Airfield during WWII.

We were finally given tickets and then lead to a small building next to the EAA building for a safety briefing before we were to board the old airplane.

It was now time to board...but before we do, let me tell you about the historical airplane.

It is a Ford Tri-Motor 5-AT and it was the first all-metal (corrugated...love it!) multi-engine commercial airliner. The cost to buy this airplane straight from the factory was $55,000. All models of this airplane (199 total) were built from 1926-1933. This particular model was the eighth one built in 1928 and began service on December 1, 1928.

The manufacturing of these models led to the construction of the first airline terminal for passengers and was the first regularly scheduled passenger airliner to operate for Transcontinental Air Transport. Its construction also led to the first hotel, the Dearborn Inn, designed and built for air travelers. The first paved runway was also built because of this airplane.

After the Tri-Motor was replaced as a passenger airliner it was used for quite some time to carry heavy-freight to mining operations in jungles and mountains. The Ford Tri-Motor 5-AT was the first aircraft manufactured to mandate crew training for its airline passengers.

I had read these facts on the back of my ticket as I waited for the flight...with these new-found facts swimming in my cranium, I was more excited about flying in the Ford Tri-Motor.

It was finally time to board...

Every seat was a window seat and there were only ten (plus for a fee of $125 someone could sit in the right seat of the cockpit). The Colonel and his dad took seats towards the front and his mom and I sat in the back. The airplane was beautiful inside. The ten seats were cushioned in green leather. The walls were paneled and the windows were dressed in tasseled, golden curtains.

The Pilot and Right-Seater were the last ones to board the plane. The Pilot fired up the left engine, the nose engine and finally the right engine (I was sitting on the right side of the plane and a puff of smoke erupted from the right engine upon ignition).

When all three engines were rumbling the plane was vibrating too much for me to take any photos. I had to wait until we were airborne. I looked out of my window and watched the wheel lift off of the runway...at 9:30 a.m. we were flying!

We were about 1200 feet in the air as we flew above our town and along the Peace River. They were beautiful from this vantage point. We were amazed again at just how much water surrounds our area.

My-Favorite-In-Laws were enjoying the flight too.

I passed the camera up to The Colonel so that he could take some photos from his perspective. He took one of the two in the cockpit and took one of his mom and I.

Our awesome flight lasted for an amazing fifteen minutes. Everyone on board wished it could have lasted longer. The touchdown was as smooth as peanut butter; the tires butterfly-kissed the runway.

The Colonel stayed back inside the plane as everyone else exited. He wanted to take a couple more pictures before the next group of passengers boarded.

Taking a flight in a rare, 90-year old airplane was certainly a unique experience. The beautiful, "Golden-Age of Aviation" interior was a pleasant surprise but the bigger surprise, upon boarding, was the incline of the seats and aisle due to the fact that the airplane is a tail-dragger. Once the airplane was in the air, the tail came up and there was no more incline.

The Old and the New...

I am glad that air travel is quicker these days but the silhouettes and interiors of current passenger planes have lost much of their charm in the evolution.

Every time we heard those three throaty engines above us, we turned our eyes skyward to watch the Ford Tri-Motor 5-AT lumber by and we'd smile because we knew what it was like to "slip the surly bonds of earth" from within her belly.