×

Mid-Ohio Valley residents take to sky aboard 1920s airplane

Photo by Brett Dunlap The Ford Tri-Motor NC9645 was at the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport over the weekend. Aviation buffs and people interested in vintage aircraft came out to look at the plane while others bought tickets for short flights around the area.

PARKERSBURG — Going up in a Ford Tri-Motor airplane was a once in a lifetime opportunity for those who got the chance at the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport over the weekend.

The plane had been at the airport since Thursday where organizers with the local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association were offering rides at $70 for adults and $50 for children for a short flight around the Parkersburg/Marietta area.

Nicknamed the Tin Goose, the Ford Tri-Motor ushered in commercial air transportation in the 1920s. The plane on display is leased from the Liberty Aviation Museum of Port Clinton, Ohio, by the Experimental Aircraft Association for display around the country.

A DC-3 from Ohio University and a Cessna Skyhawk Trainer from Fairmont State University as well as a number of static displays were up Saturday as part of the weekend program, airport officials said.

The local event was a big success.

Photo by Brett Dunlap Many people came out to the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport to see the Ford Tri-Motor NC9645. Some brought tickets for a short flight around the area while others came to look at the airplane while it was on the ground.

“It has been outstanding,” said Dick Smith, member of the local Experimental Aircraft Association chapter.

Even with the forecast of rain throughout the weekend, organizers were able to get 11 flights in Saturday and around 11 flights Sunday with 10 passengers for each flight.

“We had 11 full planes Saturday and only one brief little rain shower which didn’t bother us at all,” Smith said. “We have not had any problems.”

Many people came out over the weekend out of an interest in the history of the plane.

“We have had a lot of questions about the plane,” Smith said. “This model of plane was the first type of all metal airliner that flew from New York to L.A. (Los Angeles).

Photo by Brett Dunlap The Ford Tri-Motor NC9645 on takeoff at the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport on Sunday. The plane had 11 full flights Saturday and 10-11 full flights on Sunday. Each flight had 10 passengers.

“It only took two and a half days. They would fly from New York to Columbus then go from Columbus to Wichita, Kansas. They would get on a train and travel somewhere I am not sure of and then get back on a plane and fly to L.A.”

The cost of a trip like that was around $1,000 which would be the same as $20,000 today.

“That is a pretty good airfare,” Smith said. “Today, you could go around the world a couple of times for that.”

They have had a variety of people who came through, from the young to the old.

“Some were a little bit apprehensive to get on, but when they come off after the flight, they have a great big smile,” Smith said. “Everyone was happy.

Photo by Brett Dunlap The Ford Tri-Motor NC9645 was at the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport over the weekend where people could buy tickets to take a short flight in the aircraft around the Parkersburg/Marietta area. Nicknamed the Tin Goose, the Ford Tri-Motor ushered in commercial air transportation in the 1920s.

“We didn’t have anyone who got off said ‘I will never do that again.'”

For many people, it was the history of the aircraft that brought them out and wanted to go up in it.

“You are going back to a bygone era,” Smith said.

These planes have hosted such aviation greats as Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt used it for campaigning.

“Flying in this plane is flying in history,” Smith said.

Photo by Brett Dunlap The interior of the Ford Tri-Motor NC9645 while it was on the ground at the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport on Sunday. A number of people paid $50-$70 for tickets to take a short flight in the plane while others came out to look at the aircraft while it was on the ground and to watch it take off and land.

The plane itself weighs 12,499 pounds, has a wing span of 77 feet and 6 inches and a length of 50 feet and 3 inches. It has a service ceiling of 18,500 feet, a cruising speed of 122 mph and a range of 560 miles. It has three fuel tanks with 130-gallon tanks for each wing and a 100-gallon center tank.

The EAA hosts a tour with the aircraft, making six or so stops each summer around the country.

Things went smoothly at the airport with the coordination of passengers and everything else.

“They have told us this is the best stop they have had,” Smith said. “It has been very nice.”

Just seeing the plane in the skies around the local airport brought many people out who were curious.

“People look up and see this huge airplane flying at 85 knots and it peaks their curiosity,” Smith said.

People have called into the airport about seeing and hearing the plane with many checking to see if everything was O.K.

It was very exciting for those who got to go up. Susie Owens, of Parkersburg, and her sister Linda Sartor, of Parkersburg, came out at Sartor’s urging Sunday.

“I just like aviation and called her and said ‘you want to do this,'” she said.

Owens was surprised with how smooth of a flight it was.

“It was very fun,” she said. “It wasn’t as bumpy as I thought it would be.

“I thought it was pretty smooth.”

Sartor said they had a perfect take-off and a perfect landing.

“It was a nice ride,” she said. “The pilot is definitely in tune with the aircraft.”

Greg Waybright, of Parkersburg, is an aviation buff and his son and daughter-in-law got him a ticket for a flight as a birthday gift.

“It is far different than flying in a modern plane,” he said. “It is slow enough and low enough you can actually see things.

“It was really enjoyable. It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

Val and Steve Carnell, of Kenna, saw it being advertised on Facebook and the chance to fly in a plane, circa 1928, was too good to pass up.

“I said to him, ‘Want to go for a ride … in an old airplane,'” Val said with a laugh. “We have done trains, boats and helicopter. Why not an old plane?”

The fact it was a vintage aircraft that brought them out and it was something they hadn’t done before, Steve said.

“It was because it was an old airplane,” he said. “No doubt, we would definitely do it again.”

Val had nothing but praise for their time up in the plane.

“The flight was fantastic, It was worth every penny. It was a little rough at times, but I would do it again.”

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today