Valley residents can take a ride in 1928 vintage plane out of Goodyear Airport
Mar 21, 2017, 5:07 AM
PHOENIX — This weekend, take a trip back in time right here in the Valley.
The Experimental Aircraft Association is bringing its 1928 Ford Tri-Motor plane to Goodyear Airport starting on Thursday through Saturday.
Not only will people get the opportunity to check out the first type of commercial airplane used in the United States up close, they’ll even get the chance to take a flight in one.
Jack Norris with the association said a ride in the Ford Tri-Motor plane is like none other.
“You can feel the torque in the power when they start up,” he said. “And if you’ve never flown, it’s a great experience of sensing the take-off roll, the climb out and taking steeper turns than you might experience in a commercial airliner.”
In its hay day, the plane was not only a workhorse, Norris said, but it was also revolutionary.
“The Ford Tri-Motor is the aviation equivalent of the Model-T, the first of it’s commercial aircraft kind,” he said.
Norris said the name of the Tri-Motor plane that is coming to the Valley is called the “City Of Wichita” and has been restored by the association.
The Tri-Motor plane is still operating with Pratt and Whitney R985 engines, although they have been updated throughout the years. It can carry 11 people, including the pilot.
Tickets for flights in the Tri-Motor plane can be purchased in advance on the EAA website for $70 each. At the door, ticket price increases to $75 for walk-ups and $50 for children 17 and under.
