OK which one of you aviation guys

[weewillie]

are bidding on the Ford trimotor on Barrett Jackson

 

[aeronca65t]

are bidding on the Ford trimotor on Barrett Jackson

I don't know but he better be a zillionaire.

Did you know that the R&D guys at Ford built the first Tri-motor on the sly and didn't tell Henry until it was complete?
But Henry was a real control-freak. He was so ticked off for being left out that he had them chop it up with axes!

And then he had them build another one that he was "in" on... :crazy:

 

[weewillie]

$1,210,000.00 including buyers premium

 

[Gliderman8]

Real men don't use engines

 

[weewillie]

There was also a '64 healy 3000 that went for $100,000
Just goes to show there is still money around,just not in my pocket

 

[TRDejaVu]

Real men don't use engines

Then how does a glider take-off? Tow plane or ground winch uses motive power of some sort.

 

[TR6oldtimer]

Real men don't use engines

Then how does a glider take-off? Tow plane or ground winch uses motive power of some sort.

I seem to recall they need lots of hot air to stay aloft. :laugh:

 

[Gliderman8]

Ian-
Of course you are correct. Most gliders are launched with tugs or tow planes. You are on tow for a short time then when you lose the "engine" by releasing, you are off in free flight with no engine except for the thermals or ridge soaring.

 

[TRDejaVu]

Just an older A&P messing with you

Your line was proven true by the A320 pilots recently; now that was a big glider.

 

[Gliderman8]

I am not so sure the A320 was even a glider.... more like a flying phone booth!
Geez, I am dating myself.... many younger people probably never heard of a phone booth.

 

[jackq]

Isn't that where Superman used to change clothes??? If He tried that now he'd be arrested for flashing

 

[weewillie]

Wasn't Dr Who's tardis a Police box. :confuse:

 

[PAUL161]

In 1933 they sold for $42,000.00. Out of 199 built, there's only 18 left. I'm not sure how many of those are airworthy. I guess a million bucks isn't all that bad of a price for one, especially for a 75 year old aircraft, or I should say airliner.

The modern office. It was modern in the 1930s!

What, NO radar?

Slightly different than this airbus, wouldn't you say!

 

[Gliderman8]

I actually got to fly in a Ford Tri-Motor a couple of years ago at the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh. I feel humble to say that I flew in one.

 

[PAUL161]

Good for you Elliot! Some people have all the luck!

 

[NutmegCT]

There's a video somewhere of Barry Schiff checking out a Trimotor. Couple interesting things:

- Schiff showed how to check the fuel level; one of the crew actually had to open a hatch above the cockpit, climb up and out on the wing and look in the tanks.

- many (most?) passengers who traveled on the original Trimotors exited the plane nearly deaf. No sound proofing at all back then.

- Barry wanted to demonstrate yoke control, so he slowly pulled back on the yoke. Nothing happened for nearly 30 seconds. (think about the massive thickness of that wing)

- he then turned the yoke left. Nothing happened for about 20 seconds.

- he then looked at the camera, smiled, and yanked the yoke back and forth, left and right. Nothing happened.

Guess you couldn't over-control it!

Tom
PS - on my bucket list: fly in a Trimotor, in a Connie (not a super connie ...), and in a DC3.

 

[MGjoc]

I too got to fly one several years ago as a young man in Kansas. Also got to fly an old Beech Staggerwing. Both were incredible airplanes.

Cheers - Dennis

 

[PAUL161]

There's a video somewhere of Barry Schiff checking out a Trimotor. Couple interesting things:

- Schiff showed how to check the fuel level; one of the crew actually had to open a hatch above the cockpit, climb up and out on the wing and look in the tanks.

- many (most?) passengers who traveled on the original Trimotors exited the plane nearly deaf. No sound proofing at all back then.

- Barry wanted to demonstrate yoke control, so he slowly pulled back on the yoke. Nothing happened for nearly 30 seconds. (think about the massive thickness of that wing)

- he then turned the yoke left. Nothing happened for about 20 seconds.

- he then looked at the camera, smiled, and yanked the yoke back and forth, left and right. Nothing happened.

Guess you couldn't over-control it!

Tom
PS - on my bucket list: fly in a Trimotor, in a Connie (not a super connie ...), and in a DC3.

A few years ago, and I use the term "few" loosely, I flew a Stearman that had very thick National High Lift wings on it. Specially made for crop dusting, those wings reacted pretty much in the same way. You had to think ahead and pull the stick back a little before you would on a conventional wing. They were designed to carry more weight and did, but they did get some fellows in trouble on take off with a grossed out load as the aircraft would actually jump off the ground but would hang in ground effect until your airspeed would come up another 20 knots. Not a good scenario for the faint of heart. I put about 400 hours in that aircraft. We retired it and three others in Fort Lauderdale Fla. a "few" years ago.

One thing I forgot to say is why some fellows didn't make it off the runway was, With the National High Lift wing, once off the ground, you actually had to push the stick forward to get the wings to work and create more lift. As I said before, "Not for the faint of heart"!

 

[Gliderman8]

Paul-
It was luck and $50 bucks! :laugh:
Well worth it

 

[TR6oldtimer]

Would you want to test fly this Japanese concept?

Or this Russian version that actually flew once?