While I was in Detroit this past week there was no time to see anything besides airport, hotel and office. So in order to show you something from my latest travel destination I went back to my 2013 archive where I did spend a weekend in Motown. Back then I visited the Detroit Institutes of Arts, one of the principal art museums in the US, the Ford automotive plant in Dearborn and the nearby Henry Ford Museum. From this awesome museum are the photos for today’s post, triggered by a conversation I had with fellow blogger Tim S. Allen (check out his great site!) about a vintage airplane, the Ford Tri-Motor, that first flew in the 1920s. Tim, this is for you!
To see more photos of this magnificent vintage passenger liner, read about its history (it was the first plane that flew over the South Pole) and some interesting information about the Henry Ford museum (it has some really historic artifacts on display) continue reading after the jump…
The Ford Tri-Motor (nicknamed “Tin Goose”) was the most popular airliner of the late 1920s and early 1930s. The plane with its rugged all-metal design was powered by three Wright radial engines with 525 hp (center engine) and 200 hp (outboard engines). Because of its high reliability polar aviation pioneer Richard Byrd choose a Ford Tri-Motor for his attempt to be the first person to fly over the South Pole, which he achieved on November 28 1929 in this very plane named “Floyd Bennett” which is on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan near Detroit.
All of the below photographs were taken with my Olympus OM-D E-M5 with the mZuiko 14-150mm F/4.0-5.6 travel zoom. Most images were taken with an aperture between f/5.6 and f/6.3 and ISO 1600, which gave me shutter speeds between 1/15 sec and 1/25 sec. Because of the excellent stabilization of the Olympus m4/3 cameras these low shutter speeds still allow sharp hand held shooting. B&W conversion was done in Adobe Lightroom CC.
Here is the link to the Henry Ford Museum where I took these images of the Tin Goose:
https://www.thehenryford.org
The museum is quite spectacular, containing a great collection of vintage airplanes, cars, trains and great historic artifacts like the presidential limousine in which John F. Kennedy was assassinated, the chair from Ford’s Theatre in which Abraham Lincoln was shot, Thomas Edison’s laboratory and the Wright Brothers’ bicycle shop. The Henry Ford is the largest indoor-outdoor museum complex in the US and is visited by 1.6 million people each year. A visit can be combined with a factory tour of the Ford Rouge plant where the Ford F150 trucks are manufactured.
Have a great Sunday!
Marcus
Related Posts:
Love this airplane! Very nostalgic in the aviation community 🖒
Thank you so much for taking the time to visit and comment! Marcus
I love the texture of the photos! There seems to be a lot of amazing memorabilia in that museum. We’ve driving through Michigan on our move from California to Virginia, but we didn’t stop in Detroit. I know my husband would have loved this museum!
Thanks 😊🙏! There will always be another opportunity, and then you know it’s so much worth a visit!
So interesting, we would definitely like to visit these museums sometime. Have a great Sunday.
Thanks, you too!
Marcus these are wonderful. The B&W really work well. The under the starboard wing and side view of the engine are on the top of my list for excellent images. The corrugation really pops in the first mentioned image. The side view of the engine gives you the accurate impression of the size of the engine. It’s hard to image trying to get all of these firing accurately using corroborators.
I’m honored that you mentioned me. Thank you.
Thank you so much Tim, this coming from you really means a lot! So glad we share this passion for those wonderful technical masterpieces. Each time I’m close to an aircraft I want to take the controls again and take it to the skies. I did have a Private Pilots License but it expired more than 10 years ago. Once in a while I book myself 90 minutes in on of those full motion simulators at an airline training center and fly the big Boeings.
And you deserved that mentioning, because I admire your work, so you are very welcome for that.
Have a great Sunday! Marcus
Marcus, you’re welcome. Those simulators are fun. I spent a few minutes in one while a friend was repairing it. Can’t say I flew anything but the aspiration was there.
I’ve spent a fair amount of time in the cockpit and rear seat of F4s. I was an aviation electrician with a U.S. Navy fighter squadron in the 1960s. My last assignment was as trouble shooter on the flight deck of the USS Independence. It was an interesting experience. That’s maybe the reason for my interest in aircraft.
By the way, one of the best areas to see many different types of aircraft is the Lancaster California in the southern part of the state. This was and still is a huge production area for aircraft manufactures. Edwards Air Force Base is here and a huge commercial aircraft grave yard in Mojave, North of Lancaster. It is worth a three or four day stay. Go in the spring if you can arrange it.
Working on the USS Independence must have been quite an experience indeed. I have so much respect for aviation technicians. I trusted on those mechanics keeping the Cessnas I used to rent in shape. And I definitely want to visit one of those commercial aircraft graveyards, thanks for pointing out some options. So I’ll keep that on my watchlist should I be in LA on business in spring. Thanks! Marcus
You’re welcome. Lancaster is about 2 hours drive from LA. Here are two links I thought you might find interesting. Joe Davis Heritage Airpark http://www.cityofpalmdale.org/Airpark – Blackbird Airpark http://afftcmuseum.org/visit/blackbird-airpark/ – The parks are in Palmdale next to Lancaster. The two are right next to each other and worth a visit. The aircraft are separated enough to get some excellent images.
Thank you so much for providing these details, this is very helpful! Have a great week!
You’re welcome and safe return travel to your home. Maybe you’ll get a chance to relax.
Excellent piece of history
Thank you, very much appreciated! Marcus
you are welcome Marcus 🙂
Very cool Marcus. I love the look of the metal. That image with the large Ford logo is super cool!
Thank you, Janet, so happy you like the photos. Have a great Sunday! Marcus
You too Marcus! 🙂
Some fabulous images.
Thank you so much 🙂 !!!