Ford Tri-Motor Airplane Equipped with Pontoons, 1931

THF115340 / Ford Tri-Motor Airplane Equipped with Pontoons, 1931
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Artifact Overview

The Ford Tri-Motor's versatility was a big part of its success. By mounting a set of pontoon floats on the airplane's landing gear, any sufficiently large body of water became a runway. This modification was especially useful in places where landing strips -- paved or not -- were few and far between.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Subject Date

04 September 1931

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

P.833.56422.B

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)
Linen (Material)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 8 in
Width: 11 in

Inscriptions

Handwritten on lower right front border: 56422 9-4-31 / No.2
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    Ford Tri-Motor

    • 14 Artifacts
    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.