ford4atb

When I was born, this is what an airliner looked like. Now, when I fly on a jumbo jet, I think about those old tri-motors. We've come a long way.

I've heard stories about Ford Trimotors that crashed, and were rebuilt. They were not very fast, usually cruising at about 100 mph. They probably had a stall speed of about 60. (Guessing). At that speed, landing in a cow pasture might not destroy the whole plane.

Probably Ford 4-AT-B NC7865 c/n 4-AT-50 which started out with Curtiss Flying Service in New York, then New England. Had various subsequent owners, and crashed at Powellsville, NC on October 20, 1928.

Fatal plane crash of the sole Ford 4-AT-C Trimotor built for Sunbeam Air Transport, approximately 10 miles north of Spur, Texas. The December 1, 1928 crash killed all five persons aboard, including the President of Sunbeam Air Transport, Homer D. Ballard. The 4-AT-C was unusual in that it used two types of engines, consisting of a single 450 horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp radial in the nose, and two 220 horsepower Wright J-5 Whirlwind radials under the wings. See: aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19281201-1

Here's the same aircraft in better times from the SDASM's Robert Reedy Collection: www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/27166999446/