Don’t be surprised this weekend if you see a propeller-driven vintage plane flying overhead.
A Ford Tri-Motor plane will return Oct. 17-20 to the Capital City Airport in Fairview Township. The visit is organized by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 122.
Rides are available for $72 per person in advance and $52 for those 17 and under. Proceeds are dedicated to ongoing restoration and maintenance costs of the aircraft.
The plane, manufactured in 1929 by Ford Motor Company, was the first transcontinental airliner. From 1926 through 1933, Ford Motor Company built 199 Tri-Motors. EAA’s model 4-AT-E, NC8407, was the 146th off Ford’s innovative assembly line and first flew on Aug. 21, 1929.
It was sold to Pitcairn Aviation’s passenger division, Eastern Air Transport, whose paint scheme is replicated on EAA’s Tri-Motor.
In 1930, NC8407 was leased to Cubana Airlines, where it inaugurated air service between Havana and Santiago de Cuba. The airplane was later flown by the government of the Dominican Republic.
EAA’s Ford Tri-Motor returned to the U.S. in 1949 for barnstorming use. In 1950 it was moved from Miami, Florida to Phoenix, Arizona and was refitted with more powerful engines for use as a crop duster. With two 450 HP engines and one 550 HP engine, it became the most powerful Model 4-AT ever flown. In 1955 it was moved to Idaho and fitted with two 275 gallon tanks and bomb doors for use as a borate bomber in aerial firefighting. Then in 1958, it was further modified for use by smoke jumpers.
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After working for a variety of crop spraying businesses, the EAA’s Tri-Motor moved to Lawrence, Kansas in 1964, where its new owner flew barnstorming tours.
During this period it had a variety of roles, including serving as the primary setting for the Jerry Lewis comedy, “The Family Jewels.” In 1973, the aircraft was being used for air show rides, including the EAA’s Fly-In at Burlington, Wisconsin, when a severe thunderstorm ripped the plane from its tiedowns, lifted it 50 feet into the air and smashed it to the ground on its back. EAA subsequently purchased the wreckage for its Aviation Foundation.
A 12-year restoration was performed on the plane, which is owned by the Experimental Aircraft Association.
The community of aviation enthusiasts is based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and has more than 200,000 members in nearly 900 local chapters.
If you want to fly in the plane, rides cost $72 per person in advance and $52 for those 17 or under. Proceeds are dedicated to ongoing restoration and maintenance costs of the aircraft.
Public Flight Information
- Dates: Oct. 17-20, 2019
- Times: 2-5 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Sunday.
- Place: Capital City Airport Field Location: Main Airport Entrance at Skyport Aviation, 112 Airport Road, Harrisburg, PA 17070
Ford Tri-Motor Pricing
- $72 Adult (advance)
- $77 Adult (walk-up)
- $52 Children 17 & Under
- $77 All AirVenture Passengers
You can reserve your flight online at http://flytheford.org.
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