Marc_B Posted July 25 Report Posted July 25 In reading a book about Al Mooney, he mentioned that he was involved in the 1927 National Air Reliability Tour. I hadn't heard of that before so I started looking more into it. Surprisingly it it will be the 100th anniversary of the original tour this year! So a friend and I are working to set up a commemorative flight of the original tour The Centennial Celebration of the 1925 Ford National Air Reliability Tour September 25 – September 28, 2025 Come join us for the 100th anniversary of the Ford Air Reliability Tour! It’s hard to imagine a time that routine commercial air travel wasn’t common place. The dream of connecting the country, much less connecting world, was yet to be realized. Aircraft and flight were on the verge of such a rapid growth in the following 25 years that no one would have imagined where an airplane could take us all. We’re going to recreate the original 1925 Ford Air Reliability Tour in style…stopping at each of the original destinations, although now we’ll have the benefit of actual airports, and we’ll reimagine what it was like to live in a world where aviators were dreamers! Ford Airport, October 4, 1925. Right to left, DH4, Fokker, Junkers, Curtiss, Laird, Waco #10, two Travel Airs, Yackey, Swallow #16, two Martins, Travel Air, Swallow. (Stout #3 was not in tour) ---------------------------------------------------------- By 1925, Americans could travel long distances by train or automobile. Rail lines and new numbered highways nearly spanned the country. Though air travel was an interesting suggestion, it seemed unreliable. Airplanes were incredible inventions that had crossed oceans and navigated the globe. But there had been accidents, and too many had been fatal. Americans thought it best to leave planes to the brave—soldiers who’d flown in World War I, entrepreneurial barnstormers, and the few intrepid airmail pilots. Still, airplane manufacturers hoped to develop commercial aviation. To generate potential customers, the industry needed to promote airfields with dependable runways and modern facilities, demonstrate that air travel was safe and reliable, and help people become comfortable with the idea of flight. The Detroit Board of Commerce and the Detroit Aviation Society suggested a national air tour. The spectacle would encourage the construction of commercial airports and promote airplanes as a sensible and trustworthy means of transportation. To emphasize reliability, tour guidelines required pilots to maintain a steady – albeit quick – speed between each stop along the predetermined circuit. A first-place finish did not guarantee a top score. The first Commercial Airplane Reliability Tour in 1925 was a sensational success. Seventeen planes from eleven different manufacturers drew tremendous crowds at all of the tour’s thirteen stops. Spectators waited in anticipation, erupting into cheers as the planes appeared in the sky and approached each landing field. The tour was repeated each year through 1931, when waning public interest and a poor national economy ended the once-popular event. Over seven years, National Air Tours generated a great deal of welcome publicity for the commercial aviation industry. At tour stops, airports across the United States and Canada unveiled modern runways and pristine buildings. Airplane manufacturers paraded sleek, powerful new aircraft. And most significantly, the tours introduced millions of Americans to air travel. Today, aviation is a central facet of our national transportation network. But it may never have taken off without the promotional efforts of the National Air Tours. ORIGINAL 1925 TOUR ITINERARY (*note the mileage is in statute miles): ITINERARY 2025 COMMEMORATIVE TOUR: DATE LEG LENGTH MILEAGE/DAY TOWN AIRPORT Thurs Sept 25 402 Kansas City KMKC 187 St. Louis KSUS 163 Terre Haute KHUF 52 Indianapolis KEYE Fri Sept 26 149 358 Columbus KOSU 107 Cleveland KBKL 102 Detroit KARB Sat Sept 27 91 214 Fort Wayne KSMD 123 Chicago KMDW Sun Sept 28 128 503 Moline KDVN 134 Des Moines KIKV 102 Omaha KCBF 97 St. Joseph KSTJ 42 Kansas City KMKC TOTAL NM: 1477 We're from Colorado, so were planning on starting/finishing at Kansas City (KMKC). I also chose to start on the same day as the original tour so that we'll get a bye week for Michigan, and an away game for OSU, so that hopefully the ramp has space! I'm planning on putting together a flight packet for the airports/FBOs and once a point person at each FBO is set, I'll send them a stamper for a flight "passport" so that anyone can recreate their own tour at some other time. There's a lot of history here that's fascinating...more to come! 1
Marc_B Posted July 25 Author Report Posted July 25 Airplanes participating in the First National Air Tour, Ford Airport, October 3, 1925. From 1925-1931, Ford Motor Company sponsored annual air tours to promote safety and reliability in commercial aircraft. Participating airplanes were rated on their ability to take off and land quickly and maintain consistent speeds. The 1925 contest included 17 planes from 11 different manufacturers. Participants traveled to 13 cities and covered 1,775 miles in six days. The aircraft above is the Fokker F.VII, aka Fokker Trimotor that was copied with the Ford Trimotor. In 1925, while living in the US, Anthony Fokker heard of the inaugural Ford Reliability Tour, which was proposed as a competition for transport aircraft. Fokker had the company's head designer, Reinhold Platz, convert a single-engine F.VIIA airliner to a trimotor configuration, powered by 200 hp (150 kW) Wright Whirlwind radial engines. The resulting aircraft was designated the Fokker F.VIIA-3m. Following shipment to the US, it won the Ford Reliability Tour in late 1925. The Trimotor's structure consisted of a fabric-covered steel-tube fuselage and a plywood-skinned wooden wing. I just left Osh yesterday in a 2-ship Mooney flight with a friend and lo and behold the Ford Trimotor was over my right shoulder taxiing behind me! Nicknamed the "Tin Goose," production started in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and ended on June 7, 1933, after 199 had been made. The EAA Trimotor pictured was produced in 1929. I spoke with the Trimotor team and I'm trying to get them to join us for the Tour... 1
Pinecone Posted July 25 Report Posted July 25 Sounds like a great time. Too bad it was not announced earlier. I am already booked for that time frame.
Marc_B Posted Sunday at 02:25 AM Author Report Posted Sunday at 02:25 AM Wrapped up the 2025 Commemorative Air Reliability Tour and was joined by 2 other Mooneys. Met in Kansas City on Wednesday, Sept 24, made the loop and got back to KC Sunday, Sept 25. Flew formation in route for most of the tour, which turned out to be an excellent way to get up, get down and stay together. Had overnight stays in Kansas City, Indianapolis, Detroit, and Chicago. Highlights included a stop at Garmin in Olathe, KS for a tour of the aviation factory hosted by Jarrett Haffner; a tour of the Wright Brothers National Museum in Carillon Park in Dayton, OH; a quick trip out to Portage Lake in Pinckney, MI for evening air tours in a '46 Piper J3 Cub, and a trip to Wrigley Field to see the Chicago Cubs best St. Louis 7-3. Airports Visited: KMKC Charles B. Wheeler Downtown – Kansas City, MO; KSUS Spirit of St. Louis – St. Louis, MO; KHUF – Terre Haute Regional Airport – Terre Haute, IN; KEYE Eagle Creek – Indianapolis, IN; KMGY – Dayton/Wright Brothers Airport – Dayton, OH (not on original tour but a worthy stop for us); KOSU Ohio State University – Columbus, OH; KBKL Burke Lakefront Airport – Cleveland, OH; KARB Ann Arbor Municipal – Ann Arbor, MI; KSMD Smith Field Airport – Fort Wayne, IN; KMDW Chicago Midway International – Chicago, IL; KDVN Davenport Municipal – Davenport, IA; KIKV Ankeny Regional Airport – Ankeny, IA; KCBF Council Bluffs Municipal – Council Bluffs, IA; KSTJ Rosecrans Memorial Airport – St. Joseph, MO. Airports in bold were overnight stops. Around 2000 miles total from home and about 24 hours of flight time x 3 Mooneys = 6000 miles of reliability without any issues, mechanicals or wx difficulties. So much fun in the Mooney!! https://fordairtour.org/ 2
Fly Boomer Posted Sunday at 12:59 PM Report Posted Sunday at 12:59 PM 10 hours ago, Marc_B said: Around 2000 miles total from home and about 24 hours of flight time Nice trip. Thanks for sharing.
bonal Posted 22 hours ago Report Posted 22 hours ago This beauty visited our home field some years back and was taking folks for rides. What’s important about this photo is the signage in the background. 2
Marc_B Posted 13 hours ago Author Report Posted 13 hours ago @bonal the Ford Trimotors were produced between 1925 and 1933. The one that flies at Osh every year is from 1929. The beginning of commercial flight! Design was taken from the Fokker F.VII Trimotor produced by Anthony Fokker. He was super excited to fly the Fokker Trimotor in the original 1925 Air tour that he painted his name in large letters all over the aircraft as advertising. https://www.fokker-history.com/en-gb/ford-national-reliability-air-tour I’ll have to check when the Ford Trimotor first flew in the tour…I was thinking it was the 1927 tour… Amazing to think of the early titans of industry and intrepid aviators of the time.
N201MKTurbo Posted 13 hours ago Report Posted 13 hours ago Scenic Airlines used to offer flight training in their Ford Tri-Motor. It wasn’t crazy expensive. Another life regret that I didn’t take advantage of.
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