May 9, 20215 yr The 3-engined airplanes are quite fascinating. The so-called "Trimotors" were some of the very first 3-engined transport aircraft in the world....way before, the world came to know of the 727, Trident, Tristar etc....Trijets... I found this new Ford Trimotor upload file today, in the library. The first Ford Trimotor had flown on June 11, 1926. [Side Note: Ford's highly successful Model-T automobile was introduced in 1908.] Ford Trimotors' (all-metal) structural principles were inspired by the (pioneering) work of Professor Hugo Junkers, whose (3-engined) Junkers 52 also comes to mind, here, that flew first time, later, on 13 October 1930. The Ford Trimotor resembled Anthony Fokker's F.VII Trimotor, the first flight of which had already occurred less than 2 years earlier, on 24 November 1924. So, for comparison, please find three pictures, below, one each of Fokker Trimotor (model F.VII), Ford Trimotor (nicknamed "Tin Goose"), and Junkers 52. The (Fokker and Ford) Trimotors are both shown in the livery of Pan American Airways (PAA). From the Ford skin, however, one can see it's now all "metal"...! PAA had operated 3 F.VIIs, between (1927-1930), starting in the year, the airline was founded (1927). Fokker F.VII was the first Pan Am owned airplane to carry air mail (see U.S. MAIL marking on the fuselage). PAA, next, operated 11 Ford Trimotors, between (1929-1940)...fleet modernization...🙂...those were the days...! There is no record of PAA ever using Ju-52. The Junkers 52 "Trimotor" is shown below in one of Lufthansa colors. Enjoy...! Edited May 9, 20215 yr by P_7878
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.