On Wednesday 10-29-14,
I had the privilege of working on EAA’s Ford tri-motor NC8407 (built in 1929), as part of a team of volunteers, doing a 100-hour inspection. This was at the McGregor, Texas,
airport, and I did this just after
completing the annual inspection on my own plane (a Cessna 170B, N2794D, see "Super Red-Letter Event", posted 1-18-14 on this site).
On Saturday 11-1-14,
I got to take a ride in that same Ford tri-motor. It was a really nice ride, and very comfortable. The seat pitch allowed one to stretch one’s
legs, something ignored by airlines
today. We flew around the Waco, Texas,
area for about 20 minutes, at
about 90 mph, at around 3000 feet. Very comfortable.
The pilots that morning were Jeff Skiles and Ashley
Messenger. Yes, it was THE Jeff Skiles, Capt. Sullenberger’s copilot during the “Miracle
on the Hudson” water landing. I got to
talk extensively with both of them.
I found a good image of this aircraft overall, and a unique image of the engine gauges on
the outboard engine. You read them by looking out the window at them. Enjoy
3-Gauge Instrument Cluster on No. 1 (Left) Engine
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