If you have never seen a Ford Trimotor, the very first commercial airliner in the United States, watch your newspaper. That is because if you live in the United States you most likely will get a chance to see the one flown around the country by the Experimental Aviation Association located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
I saw it and actually got to get close to it by being a volunteer the weekend it came to Columbus, Ohio. Being just that close to it was fun, and then seeing it take off, fly and land, well, if you like aviation you have to enjoy seeing this wonder of the sky actually fly. I say wonder because, it looks almost something like Jules Verne might have imagined. I say that because of its wavy metal surface, which the designers no doubt believed gave the craft strength. I also say that because of the general look of the plane, from the very interesting tail and the size of the three big engines, the one that sticks out the nose and the two that hang from the wings. Does the craft look interesting or what?
Oh, and the original had wicker seats and had direct connection with my hometown, Columbus, Ohio. That connection came when someone came up with the idea of marrying the Ford Trimotor to railroad service. What happened is people rode a train overnight from New York City, and once they got to Columbus, they boarded the Ford Trimotor. It then flew them, I think to St. Louis. Then they would board another train for the night, and the next morning be awakened for yet another flight in another Ford Trimotor. I do not recall how many hops like that it took to get to California, but it was much faster than going by train. I actually saw a television program about this service that featured Charles Lindburgh flying one leg of the trip.
Again, that is all gone, but the Ford Trimotor owned by EAA is still around for all to see and even fly. People here in Columbus paid $60 for a flight of maybe 15 or 20 minutes. And, they were lined up for the opportunity!
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