Transcontinental air travel in 1930 in the Tin Goose

Ford's venerable Tri-Motor - NC8407

If you had flown across the USA on a commercial airliner in 1930, the chances are good it would have been on this airplane -- or one similar to it. 


There were about 300 of these built, and they were obsolete in less than 5 years (1935).  The next generation was the Boeing 247 (for a short time) and then the magnificent Douglas DC-3, the capabilities of which engendered the explosion of airline travel that took place very quickly thereafter.  But the Tin Goose was the first real step toward the "modern" airliner, and was very rugged and safe -- not only for its time, but even today. They were built from about 1927 up into the early 30s.


Back then, you would have only flown during daylight hours. You and nine other lucky passengers typically changed to the train at dusk, at least in the beginning. Either way, the speeds were about the same -- 80-90 mph on the train, not much more on the airplane (about 105 mph). Overnight airline flights were still mostly a thing of the future (not until the mid-nineteen-thirties).   Trivia: Shirley Temple was a passenger on the very first westbound overnight airline flight on a DC-3!


You would have landed about every 300 to 500 miles along the way, to fuel up the three thirsty radial engines in places like Liberal, KS or Winslow, AZ where Charles Lindbergh sited the airfield and arranged for services. It wasn't only fuel - they burned LOTS of oil. This was part of the engine design and helped to keep the motors cool.  So they topped off the oil tanks as well as the gas tanks. 


Most of these old Fords came with Wright Whirlwind engines of about 300 hp ( 3 motors, so 900 hp total).  Later models switched to early models of the Pratt and Whitney radials that produced 450 hp.  The Pratts increased the airplane's climb performance, but decreased its cruise speed to about 90 mph. This had less to do with engine power and more to do with propeller design. 

These were air-cooled engines of similar "technology" as the motors installed on Harley-Davidson motorcycles.  They were reliable way beyond other engines of their day. This particular airplane (NC8407) later got upgraded with two 450 hp motors, and one 550 hp motor - making it the most powerful Ford 4-AT-E Tri-Motor ever built.  Just for contrast, the single engine of a P-51D fighter in 1944, 15 years later, produced 1,500 hp!


In-flight service in those early days was mostly coffee served out of a thermos - just like today, there was no such thing as an in-flight hot meal on most flights (but for different reasons). Unlike today, the passengers would get off the airplane at intermediate stops for meals, when that was necessary.

Ford Tri-Motor at Lake of the Ozarks, June 1968

The total trip time, coast to coast, was probably in the range of about 30 hours or more of flight, in a noisy, drafty and cold cabin. There was no cabin pressurization, so the Fords flew low and slow - along the way, you were still a part of the passing environment (and weather), not soaring above it like we do today.  Because of that, crashes (and deaths) were frequent.

Cabin heating was very ineffective. But most folks considered it an adventure!  This was the cutting edge of the most advanced technology existing -- and only 27 years after the Wright Brothers first got into the air. 


I took these pictures of NC8407 in 1968 at a little airport in Missouri - but you can still fly on this airplane today. It eventually found its way into the ownership of the EAA, and makes its way around the airshow circuit on a regular basis. If you search on the EAA's website, you can view some of their photos of this aircraft, in flight, inside and out.  They bought it years ago, and restored it from a storm-damaged wreck into beautiful condition.  These aircraft were built so strong, that this aircraft is probably just as safe today as it was in 1929 when it was built. 

The Big Jet

This, my friends, is the great granddaddy of that Big Boeing Jet that takes you to wherever you are going today in just a few minutes or hours - it was the Model T Ford of airliners. We went from the Tri-Motor to inter-continental jet travel in just 30 years.  Flying was certainly quite different when this venerable Ford was first on the line.  As for me, I'd rather fly on an old Tri-Motor than I would a new 737 - just for the sheer fun of it!