1929 Ford Tri-Motor Airplane For Sale

[Mark B. Morrow]

http://www.ipass.net/ginkgo/N9612home.html

[Edstock]

Thank-you. My father got his start with Ford, rivetting Tri-Motors together.

[Ford Jellymoulds]

Thank-you. My father got his start with Ford, rivetting Tri-Motors together.

What a lovely old airplane it was did you father go a bit deaf early Ed, l noticed the square bottoms on the windows they didnot catch on the comet put an end to that, why do so many modern car these days still have sharp right angled sharp points on doors and tailgates cut yourself on, why don't they have a nice large radius on them?

[Hemiman]

http://www.ipass.net/ginkgo/N9612home.html

 

 

Probably the wrong forum for this, but does anyone know the relationship between this plane and the Junkers, Ju-52? The Ju-52 looks a lot like a low wing version of the Ford. I know the corrigated duraluminum skin was a Junkers developement, but the rest of the history I'm not sure about.

 

Thanks

[piper87C]

Probably the wrong forum for this, but does anyone know the relationship between this plane and the Junkers, Ju-52? The Ju-52 looks a lot like a low wing version of the Ford. I know the corrigated duraluminum skin was a Junkers developement, but the rest of the history I'm not sure about.

 

Thanks

 

I am afraid that I am no help, but being an aviation buff myself, you are correct in that they certainly look like close cousins.

I had the opportunity to take a ride in one of the Ford airplanes at the Osh Kosh air show in WI.

It was an interesting step back in time

[OAC_Sparky]

why do so many modern car these days still have sharp right angled sharp points on doors and tailgates cut yourself on, why don't they have a nice large radius on them?

Difference in purpose and construction. Doors (and tailgates) are made with strength and rigidity for crash safety and durability. When you build a door (or tailgate), the outer skin is folded over the inner skin. While a "corner" forms a little thick nub at the corner, a "radius" forms ripples of pinched metal as the metal has to go somewhere. Take a look at the inside of a round door seam, you'll see them. That's why manufacturers avoid them (radii on a seam).

 

An airplane's construction is made with weight and aerodynamics as a priority. A lot of surfaces don't have the same rigidity as a car. I fly a Piper Cherokee PA28-140. Its empty weight is 1350 pounds, allowing a 160HP motor and can move 4 people at 125 MPH. In my preflight checks I put my back under the wing and lift the wing 4-6" to check the oleos (struts) for function and leaks. You can feel it flex under your back as you push. A car made like that would get wrecked in no time. Plus a square (non-radius) opening forms a stress point that under flexing leaves is susceptible to tearing at the corner. An airframe has way more flex than a car does.

 

Probably the wrong forum for this, but does anyone know the relationship between this plane and the Junkers, Ju-52? The Ju-52 looks a lot like a low wing version of the Ford. I know the corrigated duraluminum skin was a Junkers developement, but the rest of the history I'm not sure about.

 

Aluminum corrugation is not strictly a Junkers development, a lot of early metal plane manufacturers used it as a means of creating rigidity without reinforcement. And while the TriMotor and the Junkers look similar, if you look close they aren't as much alike as you would think, just in basic shape.

 

The basic fuselage shape, the swept up back end is common to both (and many other similar planes) because they're both tail draggers. The cockpit designs are similarly forward and high so that the pilot can see over the nose on the ground without having to weave back and forth to look up the sides to see forward (if you've ever been up front of a tail dragger at takeoff, there's a tense moment you're blind and going on faith until the plane raises the ass end off the ground).

 

But these similarities are from a functional standpoint, not necessarily from a direct relationship. Construction-wise under the skin, a high-wing and low-wing are a very different.

Edited March 21, 2008 by OAC_Sparky

[DUCKRACER]

Probably the wrong forum for this, but does anyone know the relationship between this plane and the Junkers, Ju-52? The Ju-52 looks a lot like a low wing version of the Ford. I know the corrigated duraluminum skin was a Junkers developement, but the rest of the history I'm not sure about.

 

Thanks

When I was much younger I heard this story. Appararently Henry senior asked the head guy at Junkers how much he wanted for the design of the airplane and the Junkers guy quoted a high price. Henry said "That is too much! What if I build it using my own design?" The Junkers guy said " Yes, you can do that, but it will not fly"

[bbf2530]

When I was much younger I heard this story. Appararently Henry senior asked the head guy at Junkers how much he wanted for the design of the airplane and the Junkers guy quoted a high price. Henry said "That is too much! What if I build it using my own design?" The Junkers guy said " Yes, you can do that, but it will not fly"

 

Hi DUCKRACER. :D Actually, that story is a myth (probably told by the Germans).

 

The design of the Ford Tri-Motor pre-dated the JU-52 by several years. It even pre-dated the JU-52's predecessor, the W-33.

 

The entire story is actually quite interesting. In 1925 Ford purchased an aviation company which had been in business since the early 1920's, run by a William B. Stout and used similar design principles to Junkers. Too involved to get into here, but just Google "Ford Tri-Motor" and it's all there for the reading.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

Edited April 30, 2008 by bbf2530