General History

Henry Ford could see that aviation had a bright future. The Tri-Motor was developed from several earlier designs and became America’s first successful airliner. The Ford Tri-Motor came out at the end of the barnstorming era.  Public distrust of aviation was at an all time high because accidents were very common in those days. The government just began to regulate aircraft. Most of the surplus World War I aircraft that were part of the problem could not meet the new standards. Starting in 1925, Ford sponsored “Air Safety” tours in an attempt to show the public that aviation could be safe and reliable.

The Ford Tri-Motor was involved in another interesting attempt to get the public to fly. The plan was to take people “Coast to Coast” in 48 hours. Starting in the evening in New York, passengers would board a train where they were treated to a nice meal and went to bed. Waking up in Port Columbus, Ohio they disembarked and were whisked to an airport where they would fly all day in a Ford Tri-Motor. Arriving late afternoon in Waynoka, Kansas they then boarded another train for an all night run to Clovis, New Mexico. The final leg of the journey was on a Ford Tri-Motor, which would arrive in Los Angeles by nightfall and in less than 48 hours.

Personal History

In 1929, famous film actress Gloria Swanson christened this aircraft the “City of Philadelphia”.  It was owned by Transcontinental Air Transport and was actually used on the “Coast to Coast” run between Clovis and Los Angeles. In 1956, this aircraft was involved in a very interesting mishap. The left engine shook free and FELL OFF the aircraft in flight!  The pilot flew the airplane with the 2 remaining engines and made a safe landing at the next airport.

This aircraft was purchased in an auction at the Flying Lady Ranch in Morgan Hill, California in 1993. Irving Perch owned it and was forced to sell it because of bankruptcy. At the time, Kermit already owned a Ford 4AT Tri-Motor but it recently was severely damaged in Hurricane Andrew. The auctioneer in charge of selling the aircraft called Kermit. He was sure that Kermit would buy it with insurance money from his damaged one. Kermit informed him that there was no insurance, and that he could rebuild his damaged one for far less than the going rate for Ford Tri-Motors, which was about 1.2 million. The auctioneer counter offered and said that if Kermit would commit to an opening bid of $600,000 he would only increase bids in $100,000 increments. Kermit agreed to the offer, hoping to help keep market values up, knowing full well that the aircraft was worth far more. When no one else showed up to bid on the airplane, Kermit acquired this second Ford Tri-Motor at half-price!

In 1929, a newsreel film was made called “Coast to Coast in 48 hours” to promote the new transcontinental service. This actual aircraft shows up in the film as the aircraft flying the Clovis to Los Angeles run. Continuing its film career in 1984, it starred with Harrison Ford in the first 10 minutes of the 'Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom' film!

Kermit Comment

Airline travel has come a long way since 1929. When I went out to fly the airplane back from California, the trip out on the airline was 4 ½ hours. Flying home, the trip included 14 stops, 26.6 hours of flying and took place over 4 ½ days!