on his only flight aboard a commercial airliner.
History Relived With Revival
Was a pioneer and a flight
"I it was always a thrill
The old “tin goose” was
in action recently and
an old-timer with Fire
stone will remember her
a touch of nostalgia.
American Airlines has re
purchased one of its Ford
^'^i-Motors, which it operat
ed in the 1920s and 1930s.
It was scheduled to tour the
'Country and then, bearing the
colors of American Airways and
®^uipped with Firestone tires,
to be turned over to the
^^ithsonian Institution’s Na
tional Air Museum.
American disposed of the
plane in 1936 and it experienced
^ Wide and varied career during
the
ensumg years, seeing service
Alaska to Central America.
Was rediscovered beside a
®'^all airfield at Oaxaca, Mex
ico.
It had been damaged while
^Ming ihere and had been
^andoned. While no longer fly-
it was slill in use, for
^oitieone was living in il. The
pccupanj had inslalled a wood-
burj
chi:
*iing stove complete with
^ney sticking out the top of
fuselage.
^hen American Airlines be-
restoring and refurbishing
he Venerable airplane at the AA
ulsa Maintenance Base, just
“Out the first new item re-
^’^ired was a set of tires. South-
Airmotive Company, Fire
stone’s aircraft parts distributor
Tulsa, won the bid.
Although the size and type
tire originally used on the
ord Tri-Motor is no longer
'^^nufactured, this posed no
Problem. The wheel assembly on
Ford comes from a Lock-
Lodestar. Firestone’s Lode
star and Piper Cub tires filled
bill promptly.
. ^'irestone and the Ford Tri-
''lotor are closely linked in his-
ory, for the company operated
Wo of these planes from 1929
1932. The first, called “The
firestone,” was traded back to
o^'d for the second and more
Powerful aircraft. “The Fire
stone IF' was sold to American
Airways and shortly after its
had the distinction of mak-
what airline officials call
Of Ford Tri-Motor
“the most noteworthy Ford Tri-
Motor flight in the company’s
history.”
It happened in 1932.
The Democratic National Con
vention at Chicago had nomi
nated New York Governor
Franklin D. Roosevelt for Presi
dent on July 1. Traditionally, a
presidential nominee always ac
cepted the nomination at a for
mal ceremony sometime after
the convention, but Roosevelt
decided to take advantage of air
travel, then in its infancy.
He flew directly to Chicago on
the former Firestone plane to
make his acceptance speech. It
was his only trip on a com
mercial airliner.
Firestone’s Ford Tri-Motors
created a sensation wherever
they went and during the four
years they were in company
service, they hauled more tharf
200,000 passengers in aU parts
of the nation.
WHILE CRUDE by today’s
standards, the appointments of
“The Firestone” and its succes
sor were considered at the time
to be “deluxe fittings providing
the last word in comfort and
luxuriance” according to an old
issue of company’s headquarters
employee publication, the Non-
Skid.
Firestone employees who re
member the company’s tri
motors may have wondered for
years what happened to them.
Unlike an automobile, which
has a few years of use after one
or two owners, most airplanes—
being more costly investments—
last for considerable time.
Like old friends who have
moved out of town, they go on
to new and interesting careers
until they fade away with time.
Firestone’s second tri-motor, for
example, after being sold to
American, saw service on the
airline for four years, then was
sold to the Chilean Navy. Out
fitted as a medical airplane, it
became the world’s first flying
hospital.
Then all records of it came to
an end and the craft, in all re
spects, vanished into history.
MANY of today’s jet travelers
first flew in a Ford Tri-Motor.
^’‘frecting
Record . . .
CHAIRMAN
Is STILL
Chairman
In the June issue of Firestone News we
miswrote the headline on the story about
changes in the responsibilities of the chair
man and the president of the company. The
headline said that President Raymond C.
Firestone was the new company chairman.
This was an error.
Harvey S. Firestone Jr. is still chairman (as
indicated in the story), but has turned over
responsibility of chief executive officer,
which he has held since he became chairman,
to President Raymond C. Firestone.
The plane carried up to 13 pas
sengers, most of them making
their first trips by air. They
didn’t mind the near-deafening
noise of the three engines, the
teeth-rattling vibration nor the
drafts swirling around in the
cabin.
These pioneer air travelers
were taking advantage of the
speed and “comfort” of the new
tri-motor airliner.
A comparison of the Ford Tri-
Motor with today’s 990 Astro-jet
vividly illustrates how far avia
tion has progressed in 30 years.
The tri-motor had a range of 400
miles. The Ford cost about $55,-
500; the jet $4,500,000. Top speed
of the old plane was 110 mph,
while the jet can reach 639 mph
—close to the speed of sound
(Mach. 91).
But the old Ford Tri-Motor,
“the tin goose,” or “the work
horse of the air” as it was af-
LUXURY—Old-fashioned by today's standards, the interior of
The Firestone was considered the last word in plushness. Passen
gers didn't mind drafts, rallies and gasoline fumes.
BACK TO LIFE—Ford Tri-Motor which once belonged to
American Airways was made to fly again recently, then was to be
turned over to Smithsonian Institute as an historical item.
fectionately dubbed, had a cer
tain atmosphere about it that is
missing in today’s sleek jet air
liners.
It was a pioneer, and a flight
in it was always a thrill. Today
that thrill lives again as one of
the last of the old-timers takes
to the air once more before be
ing retired and preserved in the
Smithsonian Institution’s Na
tional Air Museum.
Festivals And Much More On Calendar
July is peak month for the May-October travel
and recreation season in the Carolinas and
neighboring states Down South. In North Caro
lina alone. Eastern America’s highest mountains
and a seacoast famed for fishing and surf-and-
sun fun offer their best travel attractions and
accommodations.
The NC mountain country, “Land of the Sky”,
offers natural air conditioning, resorts, lakes, golf
courses and magnificent scenic points of interest.
It is meeting place of two National Park Service
units—the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Great
Smoky Mountains National Park.
ACROSS other sections of the mountains are
thousands of acres of National Forest lands,
linked by good roads to resorts offering recrea
tion for the whole family.
At the other end of the state are beach resorts
on narrow barrier islands or “banks”. Surf-and-
sun fun are tops this month. Seaside resorts and
noted fishing centers are reached by paved high
ways and auto ferry.
On the banks and along the central and south
eastern coast are many historical attractions.
Samples are Fort Raleigh on Roanoke Island,
Civil War sites such as Fort Macon near More-
head City, and Fort Fisher near Wilmington. US
17 leads through charming cities and towns
which are treasuries of Colonial history and
architecture.
Between coast and mountains are historical
attractions, parks, lakes and golf courses in the
Piedmont, all reached by good roads.
Trail Of Handicrafts
North Carolina is one of the country’s great
centers of fine craftsmanship, and its crafts cen
ters, schools and shops—^mostly in the Blue Ridge
and Great Smokies region—welcome visitors.
Asheville is headquarters of the Southern
Highland Handicrafts Guild, made up of crafts
men from seven states. The Guild sponsors the
annual Craftsman’s Fair—this year July 15-19—in
City Auditorium.
Visitors see elaborate crafts displays, observe
craftsmen at work, and enjoy folk music and
RECREATION
TRAVEL
NOTES
dancing. Crafts are sold. A ‘do-yourself’ program
invites visitors to try their hand at loom or
workbench.
The fair also features crafts of the Cherokee
Indians, and talks by authorities on crafts and
folklore.
Calling All Rockhounds
Minerals and gems collectors find good hunting
in North Carolina’s mountains. The NC Minerals
Museum at Spruce Pine features the NC 300th
Anniversary program at the annual Mineral and
Gem Festival, July 31. The festival will last
through Aug. 3, displaying gemstones and min
erals from many states and countries. There are
guided field trips to collecting grounds in the
area.
A rock swap-shop at Gorgarama, Almond, will
be held July 13-14.
The topmost section of the Blue Ridge Park
way, opened in June, is a new 20-mile link
swinging up to 6,053 feet in the Great Balsam
Mountains.
There are more than 400 miles of the Parkway
open for travel between Shenandoah National
Park in Virginia and the North Carolina entrance
to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
near Cherokee.
Summertime Stage Entertainment
Besides North Carolina’s three great outdoor
dramas—“The Lost Colony” at Manteo, “Unto
These Hills” at Cherokee, and “Horn in the
West” at Boone—summer theatres are in business
this month. The Parkway Playhouse at Burns
ville offers productions July 11-Aug. 12, The
Charlotte Summer Theatre season begins July 16.
A sampling of other events in July: Junior
Rodeo and Junior Horse Show at Love Valley
near Statesville, 13-14; Grandfather Mountain
Highland Games and Gathering of Scottish Clans,
Linville, 13-14; Charity Horse Show, Henderson
ville, 18-20; Sailboat Races on Kerr Lake, Hen
derson, 20-21; Annual Basket Picnic, Whitewater
Falls, 24; Horse Show, Waynesville, 26-28.
August preview: Mountain Dance and Folk
Festival, Asheville. Aug. 1-3.