Ford tri-motor Media Kit
TRI-MOTOR TOUR MEDIA KIT TABLE OF CONTENTS About EAA History and Information 2 EAA Publications 2 Annual Dues 3 Special Activities 3 Ford Tri-Motor Tour History 4 5 About the Tour 6 Tour Schedule 7 Booking a Flight 7 Aircraft Information: Wing Span: 74 8 Length: 49 10 Height: 13 Fuel: 100LL Avgas Cruise Speed: 80-110 MPH Turning Radius: 60 wide runway 1 Media Kit
Our Mission... Year Founded: 1953 Current Membership: Approximately 180,000 Website: www.eaa.org EAA Aviation Center, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086 ABOUT EAA The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and embodies the spirit of aviation through the world s most engaged community of aviation enthusiasts. EAA s 180,000 members and 1,000 local chapters enjoy the fun and camaraderie of sharing their passion for flying, building, and restoring recreational aircraft. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 800.JOIN.EAA (800.564.6322) or go to www.eaa.org. For continual news updates, connect with www.twitter.com/eaaupdate. EAA PUBLICATIONS Experimenter and Sport Aviation are produced by EAA staff and contributors. Sport Aviation: Published monthly and distributed to all EAA members. Scope ranges from current aviation-related news to how-to, safety and construction articles, restoration techniques, aircraft features, and monthly columns. Experimenter: A monthly digital magazine for individuals who have an interest in building as well as flying experimental aircraft. The digital magazine also addresses questions, and provides learning tips for prospective and new builders. Vintage Airplane, Warbirds, and Sport Aerobatics are publications from EAA s special interest communities for those who have an interest in specific areas of aviation. Vintage Airplane: Published bimonthly and distributed to all Vintage Aircraft Association members. The magazine deals specifically with maintenance, safety and restoration of antique, classic, and contemporary classic aircraft. It also includes how-to articles, reports on antique and classic aircraft restoration and fly-ins, monthly columns, and editorials. Warbirds: Published eight times a year and distributed to EAA Warbirds of America members. The magazine deals with the maintenance, safety, and restoration of Warbird aircraft and also includes how-to articles, specific aircraft restoration case histories, monthly columns, and editorials. Sport Aerobatics: Published monthly and distributed to EAA International Aerobatic Club (IAC) members. The magazine deals primarily with maintenance and safety articles that relate to aerobatic aircraft owners and competitors and also includes articles on aerobatic judging, technical tips, monthly columns, and editorials. 2 Media Kit
...To grow participation in aviation by sharing the spirit of aviation. ANNUAL DUES EAA Membership (regular or corporate): $40 EAA Membership Plus Spouse: $50 Student Membership (age 18 or under): $10 Vintage Aircraft Association (must be an EAA member to join): $42 Warbirds of America (must be an EAA member to join): $45 International Aerobatic Club (must be an EAA member to join): $45 SPECIAL ACTIVITIES The annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (www.airventure.org) gathering is known as one of the world s largest and most significant aviation events. Each summer in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, more than 500,000 people and 10,000 airplanes attend a week-long celebration of flight. EAA AirVenture features nearly 1,000 educational forums, seminars, and workshops presented by the top names in aviation. It also includes judging of the best aircraft in a variety of different categories, from design and restoration to actual construction. EAA also has a very active network of chapters located worldwide. Many of the nearly 1,000 EAA chapters sponsor their own fly-ins, workshops, airport days, and other aviation-related events. EAA chapters alone account for more than 14,000 aviation activities each year. EAA headquarters Oshkosh, WI Ford Tri-Motor 3
History of the... Henry Ford brought mobility to millions of Americans and created a new market with his Model T Tin Lizzie automobile from 1909 to 1926. After World War I, he recognized the growing potential for mass air transportation. Ford s Tri-Motor aircraft, nicknamed the Tin Goose, was designed to build another new market, airline travel. To overcome concerns of engine reliability, Ford specified three engines and added features for passenger comfort, such as an enclosed cabin. The first three tri-motors placed the pilot in an open cockpit, as many pilots doubted a plane could be flown without direct feel of the wind. Ford Motor Company built 199 tri-motors from 1926 through 1933. EAA s model 4-AT-E was number 146 off Ford s innovative assembly line and first flew on August 21, 1929. It was sold to Pitcairn Aviation s passenger division, Eastern Air Transport, whose paint scheme is replicated on EAA s Tri-Motor. This is why our Ford resides in the Pitcairn Hangar at Pioneer Airport. Eastern Air Transport later became Eastern Airlines. 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. After working for a variety of crop spraying businesses, our 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 tie-downs, 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. 4 Media Kit
...1929 Ford Tri-Motor 4-AT-E - NC8407 After an arduous, twelve-year restoration process by EAA staff and volunteers, and with assistance from Ford Tri-Motor operators nationwide, the old Tri-Motor once again took to the air. Its official debut was at the 1985 EAA convention in Oshkosh. It was displayed in the AirVenture Museum until 1991 when it returned to its former role of delighting passengers on tour. Ford Tri-Motor NC8407 is the flagship of EAA s Pioneer Airport, a part of the EAA AirVenture Museum experience. To find out more information on EAA and its Ford Tri-Motor please go to www.flytheford.org. EAA s 1929 Ford Tri-Motor Ford Tri-Motor 5
Experience 1920s luxury aviation during EAA s Ford Tri-Motor Tour A one-of-a-kind flight experience is now possible for people in cities nationwide, as the Experimental Aircraft Association s immaculate 1929 Ford Tri-Motor will be touring the country offering an opportunity to experience flight aboard the world s first mass-produced airliner. During EAA s Ford Tri-Motor Tour, passengers will travel back to the early days of what was considered luxurious commercial air travel. The Ford Tri-Motor, or the Tin Goose as it is often called, was first built by the Ford Motor Company in the late 1920s. EAA s Ford Tri-Motor was constructed in 1929 and has a colorful history, with roles ranging from service as a Cuban airliner to fighting forest fires and transporting smoke jumpers. After a thunderstorm flipped and nearly destroyed the airplane in 1973, EAA founder Paul Poberezny purchased the aircraft. It then underwent a 12-year restoration to return to flying status with many of the same features it had in the late 1920s. Since then, it has been hangared at the EAA AirVenture Museum s historic Pioneer Airport when it is not on its national tours or making special appearances. The airplane also has a Hollywood pedigree, as it made cameo appearances in two major motion pictures 1965 s The Family Jewels starring Jerry Lewis and 2009 s Public Enemies starring Johnny Depp. EAA s Tri-Motor can carry up to ten passengers at a time, with every seat a window seat. Passengers are encouraged to bring a camera to record and share this experience. Tickets purchased in advance are $70 for adults and $50 for children 17 years old and under. Walk up tickets are $75. Book your spot on the historic Tin Goose through a secure flight-reservation system at www.flytheford.org, EAA s Tri-Motor tour website. You can also pre-book a flight by calling 1.877.952.5395. 6 Media Kit
EAA Ford Tri-Motor Tour Schedule (as of 4/16/15 - Schedule subject to change without notice.) Dates City Airport 4/17-4/18... Paso Robles, CA... Paso Robles Municipal Airport 4/19-4/20... San Luis Obispo, CA... San Luis County Regional Airport 4/23-4/26... Fresno, CA... Fresno Chandler Executive Airport 4/30-5/3...Concord, CA.... Buchanan Field 5/7-5/10... San Carlos, CA... San Carlos Airport 5/14-5/17...Hayward, CA... Hayward Executive Airport 5/16... Salinas, CA...Salinas Municipal Airport (AOPA Fly-In) 5/21-5/25...Napa, CA...Napa County Airport 5/28-5/31...Redding, CA...Redding Municipal Airport 6/4-6/7....Lincoln, CA...Lincoln Regional Airport/Karl Harder Field 6/11-6/14... Carson City, NV...Carson Airport 6/18-6/21... Bountiful, UT...Bountiful Skypark Airport 7/2-7/5... Bemidji, MN... Bemidji Regional Airport 7/20-7/26... Oshkosh, WI...Airventure Booking your Media Flight During EAA s 2015 Experience History Ford Tri-Motor tour, media representatives are invited to experience a complimentary flight in the remarkable Ford Tri-Motor to complete your coverage. Up to two members of your news staff are eligible for a flight that will take place the afternoon of the aircraft s arrival. To RSVP, please email the following information to Darian Grosskreuz (dgrosskreuz@eaa.org): Name of media outlet The tour location where you will be taking the media flight Name(s) of your media representative(s) Contact phone number and email address (in the event of a schedule change) This invitation is for working media only. Once your information is received we will confirm your reservation via email. Accompanying the confirmation will be a release form. This form must be completed by each of the media representatives going on the flight and delivered to on-site EAA personnel on the day of the media flight. Potential Ford Tri-Motor Storylines Local individual(s) who flew the Ford Tri-Motor for the airlines Individual who remembers first flying on the Ford Tri-Motor as a child Community member that visited the airport and watched the Ford Tri-Motor fly when it was first introduced An individual that flew for Eastern Airlines or Island Air Someone who served as a smoke jumper off of the Ford Tri-Motor Ford Tri-Motor 7
EAA 3000 Poberezny Road Oshkosh, WI 54903 FlyTheFord.org 1-800-843-3612