Edsel Ford, Richard E. Byrd and Henry Ford with 1926 Ford Tri-Motor 4-AT-1
THF98779 / Edsel Ford, Richard E. Byrd and Henry Ford with 1926 Ford Tri-Motor 4-AT-1
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Artifact Overview
On November 28-29, 1929, Richard E. Byrd successfully flew over the South Pole in a Ford 4-AT-B Tri-Motor. Byrd's expedition was financed in part by a $100,000 contribution from Edsel Ford. Byrd initially left the Tri-Motor in the Antarctic but, at Edsel Ford's request, retrieved the airplane in 1935 and shipped it to Dearborn for display in Henry Ford Museum.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Photographic print
Subject Date
1926
Collection Title
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
84.1.1660.1249
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Technique
Gelatin silver process
Color
Black-and-white (Colors)
Dimensions
Height: 4.25 in
Width: 4.75 in
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Related Content
SetFord Tri-Motor
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The Ford Tri-Motor was the most popular airliner of the late 1920s and early 1930s. Its rugged dependability led Richard Byrd to choose a Tri-Motor for his attempt to be the first person to fly over the South Pole. On November 28-29, 1929, Byrd and a crew of three achieved that goal in this plane.
SetRichard Byrd’s North Pole Flight
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On May 9, 1926, explorer Richard Byrd and pilot Floyd Bennett took off from Norway on a round-trip flight to the North Pole in their Fokker Tri-Motor airplane Josephine Ford. Though Byrd is generally credited with reaching the pole, controversy remains over whether he could have made the 1,350-mile journey in the 16 hours he and Bennett spent aloft. Whatever doubts remain today, Byrd was celebrated as a leading polar explorer of his time.