In 1925, air travel in America, or really anywhere, was a very chancy undertaking. Cramped, drafty, open cockpit biplanes with a handful of passengers crammed inside where the US Mail usually went.

And Henry Ford, the man who made motorcars affordable, wanted to change that. In 1926, he produced the Ford Tri-Motor, an essentially modern airliner with power, range and relative comfort for around 10 passengers. There was even a flight attendant as you cruised along at 107 miles an hour.

In total, 199 were built before production ended in 1933. By then, companies like Boeing with it’s 247 and Douglas with its DC-2 and DC-3 had come along to truly up the ante in terms of luxurious passenger planes.

The so-called Tin Goose, with its distinctive corrugated aluminum body, had shown the way, and now was obsolete. But, they continued to serve small airlines and cargo companies for years after.

There are only 8 left in flying condition and this one, built in 1929, is owned and operated by the EAA, the Experimental Aircraft Association.

And for the next three days, she is taking on paying passengers for a trip around Casper.

And trust us when we say, it’s worth the time and money. Because the Ford Tri-Motor is a living, breathing time machine that will take you back to a simpler era.  An era when flying was an adventure, not a chore. An era when a man who made autos could simply say, “I want to build an airplane” and it would happened two years later.

The Tin Goose is a link to that time, and a trip you’ll never forget.

Call  1-800-359-6217 or come by the Warbirds Museum at the Tyler/Natrona County International Airport, Friday through Sunday, 9AM-5PM.

 

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