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{{Short description|American three-engined transport aircraft}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox aircraft
 |name = Trimotor
 |image = File:Ford Trimotor EAA.jpg
 |caption = [[Experimental Aircraft Association]] (EAA) - Oshkosh. Ford 4-AT-E Trimotor (2014)
 |type = Transport aircraft
 |manufacturer = [[Stout Metal Airplane Division of the Ford Motor Company]]
 |designer = [[William Bushnell Stout]]
 |first_flight =  June 11, 1926
 |introduction = 1926
 |retired =
 |status = Limited excursion service
 |primary_user = about 100 [[airline]]s
 |more_users = [[United States Army Air Corps]]<br> [[United States Navy]]<br> [[Royal Canadian Air Force]]
 |number_built = 199
 |developed_from =
 |variants = [[Stout Bushmaster 2000]]
}}

The '''Ford Trimotor''' (also called the "Tri-Motor", and nicknamed the '''"Tin Goose"''') is an American [[Trimotor|three-engined]] [[transport plane|transport aircraft]]. Production started in 1925 by the companies of [[Henry Ford]] and ended on June 7, 1933, after 199 had been made.<ref name="Herrick 2004" /> It was designed for the [[civil aviation]] market, but also saw service with military units.

==Design and development==
[[File:NC8407 Ford 4-AT Tri-Motor MD2.jpg|thumb|Modernized Ford Trimotor interior]]

In the early 1920s, [[Henry Ford]], along with a group of 19 others including his son [[Edsel Ford|Edsel]], invested in the [[Stout Metal Airplane Company]]. Stout, a bold and imaginative salesman, sent a [[mimeograph]]ed form letter to leading manufacturers, blithely asking for $1,000 with the line, "For your one thousand dollars you will get one definite promise: You will never get your money back" to convince them. Stout raised $20,000, including $1,000 each from Edsel and Henry Ford.<ref>[http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/aero/aircraft/fordtri.htm "Ford Trimotor."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060423084858/http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/aero/aircraft/fordtri.htm |date=April 23, 2006 }} ''Smithsonian''. Retrieved: July 14, 2010.</ref>

In 1925, Ford bought Stout and its aircraft designs. The single-engined Stout monoplane was turned into a [[trimotor]], the [[Stout 3-AT]] with three [[Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company|Curtiss-Wright]] [[aircooling|air-cooled]] radial engines. After a prototype was built and test-flown with poor results, the "4-AT" and "5-AT" emerged.

The Ford Trimotor using all-metal construction was not a revolutionary concept, but it was certainly more advanced than the standard construction techniques of the 1920s. The aircraft resembled the [[Fokker F.VII]] Trimotor (except for being all metal which Henry Ford claimed made it "the safest airliner around").<ref name= "Winchester p. 151.">Winchester 2004, p.151.</ref> Its fuselage and wings followed a design pioneered by [[Junkers]]<ref>Larkins 1992, p.29</ref> during World War I with the [[Junkers J.I]] and used postwar in a series of airliners starting with the [[Junkers F.13]] low-wing monoplane of 1920 of which a number were exported to the US, the [[Junkers K 16]] high-wing airliner of 1921, and the [[Junkers G 24]] trimotor of 1924. All of these were constructed of [[aluminum alloy]], which was corrugated for added stiffness, although the resulting [[drag (physics)|drag]] reduced its overall performance.<ref name= "Winchester p. 150."/> So similar were the designs that Junkers sued and won when Ford attempted to export an aircraft to Europe.<ref name=LarkinsLawsuit>Larkins 1992, pp.154–156</ref> In 1930, Ford countersued in [[Prague]], and despite the possibility of anti-German sentiment, was decisively defeated a second time, with the court finding that Ford had infringed upon Junkers' patents.<ref name=LarkinsLawsuit />

Although designed primarily for passenger use, the Trimotor could be easily adapted for hauling cargo, since its seats in the fuselage could be removed. To increase cargo capacity, one unusual feature was the provision of "drop-down" cargo holds below the lower inner wing sections of the 5-AT version.<ref name= "Winchester p. 151."/><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=u-IDAAAAMBAJ&dq=Popular+Mechanics+1931+curtiss&pg=PA290 "Plane Carries Mail In Wing To Increase Load"(photo of under wing cargo carriers).] ''Popular Mechanics'', February 1931.</ref>

[[File:FordTriMotorCorrugatedWing.jpg|thumb|Corrugated wing of a 1929 Ford 4-AT-E Trimotor]]

One 4-AT with [[Wright J-4]] 200-hp engines was built for the [[U.S. Army Air Corps]] as the '''C-3''', and seven with [[Wright R-790|Wright R-790-3]] (235&nbsp;hp) as '''C-3As'''. The latter were upgraded to [[Wright R-975|Wright R-975-1]] (J6-9) radials at 300&nbsp;hp and redesignated '''C-9'''. Five 5-ATs were built as '''C-4s''' or '''C-4As'''.

The original (commercial production) 4-AT had three air-cooled Wright radial engines. It carried a crew of three: a pilot, a copilot, and a stewardess, as well as eight or nine passengers {{#tag:ref| Up to 12 passengers could be accommodated in special configurations.|group=N}}.<ref name= "Winchester p. 151."/>  The later 5-AT had more powerful [[Pratt & Whitney]] engines. All models had an aluminum corrugated sheet-metal body and wings. Unlike many aircraft of this era, extending through [[World War II]], its control surfaces ([[aileron]]s, [[Elevator (aeronautics)|elevators]], and [[rudder]]s) were not fabric covered, but were also made of corrugated metal. As was common for the time, its rudder and elevators were actuated by metal cables that were strung along the external surface of the aircraft. Engine gauges were also mounted externally, on the engines, to be read by the pilot while looking through the aircraft windshield.<ref name= "Winchester p. 151."/> Another interesting feature was the use of the hand-operated "[[Johnson bar (vehicle)|Johnny brake]]."<ref name= "Time"/>

Like Ford cars and tractors, these Ford aircraft were well designed, relatively inexpensive, and reliable (for the era).{{citation needed|date=October 2014}} The combination of a metal structure and simple systems led to their reputation for ruggedness. Rudimentary service could be accomplished "in the field" with ground crews able to work on engines using scaffolding and platforms.<ref name= "Winchester p. 150.">Winchester 2004, p. 150.</ref> To fly into otherwise-inaccessible sites, the Ford Trimotor could be fitted with skis or floats.<ref name= "Winchester p. 150."/>

[[File:FordTriMotorControlWires.JPG|thumb|Externally mounted control wires of a Ford Trimotor]]

The rapid development of aircraft at this time (the vastly superior [[Boeing 247]] first flew at start of 1933), along with the death of his personal pilot, [[Harry J. Brooks]], on a test flight, led to Ford losing interest in aviation. While he did not make a profit on its aircraft business, Ford's reputation lent credibility to the infant aviation and [[airline]] industries, and he helped introduce many aspects of the modern aviation infrastructure, including paved [[runway]]s, [[airport terminal|passenger terminals]], [[hangar]]s, [[airmail]], and [[radio navigation]].<ref name="Herrick 2004">Herrick, Greg A. {{Cite web |url=http://fordtri-motor.com/pdf/Trimotorx3WEB2.pdf |title=The Amazing Story of America's Oldest Flying Airliner |access-date=2019-04-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628104542/http://fordtri-motor.com/pdf/Trimotorx3WEB2.pdf |archive-date=2017-06-28 |url-status=usurped }}  ''fordtri-motor.com'', Yellowstone Aviation, Inc (Jackson, Wyoming), 2004. Retrieved: April 4, 2019.</ref> {{#tag:ref| Note: The 28-page booklet, ''The Amazing Story of America's Oldest Flying Airliner,'' describes the history of the Ford Trimotor 4-AT-10, C-1077, also known as G-CARC "Niagara". It also describes the restoration process and some general history of Ford's Trimotor, as well as his aviation enterprises.|group=N}}

In the late 1920s, the Ford Aircraft Division was reputedly the "largest manufacturer of commercial airplanes in the world."<ref name = "Head and Pretzer p. 53.">Head and Pretzer 1990, p. 53.</ref> Alongside the Ford Trimotor, a new single-seat commuter aircraft, the [[Ford Flivver]] or "Sky Flivver" had been designed and flown in prototype form, but never entered series production.<ref name = "Head and Pretzer p. 53."/>  The Trimotor was not to be Ford's last venture in aircraft production. During World War II, the largest aircraft manufacturing plant in the world was built at the [[Willow Run]], Michigan plant, where Ford produced thousands of [[B-24 Liberator]] bombers under license from [[Consolidated Aircraft]].<ref name = "Head and Pretzer p. 57.">Head and Pretzer 1990, p. 57.</ref>

William Stout left the Metal Airplane division of the Ford Motor Company in 1930. He continued to operate the Stout Engineering Laboratory, producing various aircraft. In 1954, Stout purchased the rights to the Ford Trimotor in an attempt to produce new examples. A new company formed from this effort brought back two modern examples of the trimotor aircraft, renamed the [[Stout Bushmaster 2000]], but even with improvements that had been incorporated, performance was judged inferior to modern designs.

==Operational history==
[[File:EAA Ford Trimotor.jpg|thumb|Restored 1929 Ford 4-AT-E Trimotor "NC8407" owned by the [[Experimental Aircraft Association]] (EAA) and painted in the colors of [[Eastern Air Lines|Eastern Air Transport]]]]

Production ran from  1926 and 1933 and 199 were built, including 79 4-ATs, and 117 5-ATs, plus some experimental craft. Well over 100 airlines of the world flew the Ford Trimotor.<ref name="Herrick 2004"/> From mid-1927, the type was also flown on executive transportation duties by several commercial nonairline operators, including oil and manufacturing companies.

The impact of the Ford Trimotor on commercial aviation was immediate, as the design represented a "quantum leap over other airliners."<ref name= "O'Leary p. 54">O'Leary 2006, p. 54.</ref> Within a few months of its introduction, [[Transcontinental Air Transport]] was created to provide  coast-to-coast operation, capitalizing on the Trimotor's ability to provide reliable and, for the time, comfortable passenger service. While advertised as a transcontinental service, the airline had to rely on rail connections with a deluxe [[Pullman (car or coach)|Pullman train]] that would be based in New York being the first part of the journey. Passengers then met a Trimotor in [[John Glenn Columbus International Airport|Port Columbus, Ohio]], that would begin a hop across the continent ending at [[Waynoka, Oklahoma]], where another train would take the passengers to [[Clovis, New Mexico]], where the final journey would begin, again on a Trimotor, to end up at the [[Grand Central Airport (California)|Grand Central Air Terminal]] in [[Glendale, California|Glendale]], a few miles northeast of [[Los Angeles]].<ref name= "O'Leary p. 54"/>  This demanding trip would be available for only a year before Transcontinental was merged into a combine with Western Air Service.

Ford Trimotors were also used extensively by [[Pan American Airways]], for its first international scheduled flights from [[Key West]] to [[Havana]], [[Cuba]], in 1927. Eventually, Pan American extended service from North America and Cuba into Central and South America in the late 1920s and early 1930s.<ref name= "O'Leary p. 55">O'Leary 2006, p. 55.</ref> One of Latin America's earliest airlines, [[Cubana de Aviación]], was the first to use the Ford Trimotor in Latin America, starting in 1930, for its domestic services.

The heyday for Ford's transport was relatively brief, lasting only until 1933, when more modern airliners began to appear. Rather than completely disappearing, the Trimotors gained an enviable reputation for durability with Ford ads in 1929 proclaiming, "No Ford plane has yet worn out in service."<ref name= "O'Leary p. 55"/> First being relegated to second- and third-tier airlines, the Trimotors continued to fly into the 1960s, with numerous examples being converted into cargo transports to further lengthen their careers, and when World War II began, the commercial versions were soon modified for military applications.

[[File:FordTrimotor DC.JPG|thumb|On display in The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.]]

Some of the significant flights made by the Ford Trimotor in this period greatly enhanced the reputation of the type for strength and reliability. One example was Ford 4-AT Trimotor serial number 10, built in 1927. It flew in the United States and Mexico under registration number C-1077, and for several years in Canada under registration G-CARC. It had many notable accomplishments; it was flown by [[Charles Lindbergh]] and [[Amelia Earhart]], among many others. It made the first commercial flight from the [[United States]] to [[Mexico City]], as well as the first commercial flight over the [[Canadian Rockies]]. After damage on landing in 1936, it was grounded and remained for decades at [[Carcross, Yukon]]. In 1956, the wreck was salvaged and preserved, and in the mid-1980s, Greg Herrick took over C-1077 and began restoring it. As of 2006, C-1077 is in flying condition again, restored to its December 1927 appearance.<ref name="Herrick 2004"/>

On November 27 and 28, 1929, Commander [[Richard E. Byrd]] (navigator), chief pilot [[Bernt Balchen]], and two other crewmen, the copilot and the photographer, made the first flight above the [[geographic South Pole]] in a Ford Trimotor that Byrd named the ''Floyd Bennett''. This was one of three aircraft taken on this polar expedition, with the other two being named ''The Stars and Stripes'' and ''The Virginian'', replacing the [[Fokker]] Trimotors that Byrd previously used.<ref name= "Winchester p. 150."/>

In February 1930, a Ford Trimotor was used for the flight of [[Elm Farm Ollie]], the first cow to fly in an aircraft and to be milked mid-flight.<ref name="Harding2000">{{cite book|author=C. B. Harding|title=The Guernsey Breed: An Illustrated Chronicle|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qdkqAQAAMAAJ|year=2000|publisher=Hillsboro Press|isbn=978-1-57736-177-0}}</ref>

[[Franklin Delano Roosevelt|Franklin Roosevelt]] flew aboard a Ford Trimotor in 1932 during his presidential campaign in one of the first uses of an aircraft in an election, replacing the traditional "whistle stop" train trips.<ref name="Larkins 1992">Larkins 1992, p. 170.</ref>

[[File:NC8407 Ford 4-AT Tri-Motor MD1.jpg|thumb|The cockpit of NC-8407]]

A Ford Trimotor was used in a search for the lost flyers of the [[Sigizmund Levanevsky]] trans-polar flight in 1937. Movie stunt flyer [[Jimmie Mattern]] flew a specially modified [[Lockheed Model 10 Electra|Lockheed Electra]] along with fellow movie flyer, Garland Lincoln, flying a stripped-down Trimotor donated by the president of Superior Oil Company. With 1,800 gallons of avgas and 450 gallons of oil in the modified cabin, the Trimotor was intended to act as a "tanker" for the expedition. The Electra was able to transfer fuel in the air from the Trimotor, through a hose cast out the 4-AT's door. With the first aerial refueling test successful, the pair of pilots set out for Fairbanks, landing first at Burwash Landing, Yukon Territory, Canada, on August 15, 1937, but the Trimotor ran out of fuel and crashed in inclement weather the following day. The Trimotor was abandoned on the tundra.<ref>Wynne 1987, p. 53.</ref>

One of the major uses of the Trimotor after it was superseded as a passenger aircraft by more modern aircraft like the [[Boeing 247]] (1933) or the [[Douglas DC-2]] (1934), then DC-3, was the carrying of heavy freight to mining operations in jungles and mountains. The Trimotor was employed for decades in this role.<ref>Jardine, T. F. [https://books.google.com/books?id=IikDAAAAMBAJ&dq=Popular+Science+1932+plane&pg=PA22 "Airplanes Help Mine Gold" (photos of Trimotor hauling freight to mine operations in Andes).] ''Popular Science Monthly'', March 1935.</ref>

In 1942, during the [[Battle of Bataan]], a Trimotor was used in evacuations. The aircraft would haul 24 people nearly 500 miles a trip, twice daily. The aircraft was eventually strafed and destroyed by Japanese aircraft.<ref>"Those Fabulous Fords." ''Popular Mechanics,''June 1953.</ref>
[[File:Former Royal Australian Air Force (33 Squadron) Ford 5-AT-C A45-1 displayed at the National Museum and Art Gallery, Port Moresby.jpg|thumb|Former [[Royal Australian Air Force]] (33 Squadron) Ford 5-AT-C A45-1 displayed at the [[Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery]], [[Port Moresby]]]]

In postwar years, the Ford Trimotors continued in limited service with small, regional air carriers. Scenic Airways Ford Trimotor N414H was used for 65 years as a sightseeing aircraft flying over the Grand Canyon.<ref name= "Winchester p. 151."/>

==Variants==
===Ford designations===
;[[Stout 2-AT Pullman|2-AT Pullman]]: Stout's monoplane with a single {{cvt|400|hp}} [[Liberty L-12]] V-12 engine, developed into 3-AT. 11 Built.
;[[Stout 3-AT|3-AT]]: Stout's tri-motor prototype with three {{cvt|200|hp}} [[Wright J-4 Whirlwind]] radial engines. Outboard engines on wings, and nose engine mounted very low. One built.
;4-AT: Prototype with three {{cvt|200|hp}} J-4 Whirlwinds, with outer engines below wings. Two pilots in open cockpit, and eight passengers given half-round windows. One built.
;4-AT-A: Production enclosed-cockpit version with rectangular windows with top corners rounded. 14 built.
;4-AT-B: 4-AT-A with three {{cvt|220|hp}} [[Wright J-5 Whirlwind]] radials. Carried 12 passengers. 39 built.
;4-AT-C: 4-AT-B with nose engine replaced by a {{cvt|400|hp}} [[Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp]] radial. One built.
;4-AT-D: 4-AT-B with lengthened {{cvt|78|ft|0|in}} wings and fitted with various engines and other minor modifications. One built and two modified.
;4-AT-E: 4-AT-B with three {{cvt|300|hp}} [[Wright J-6-9 Whirlwind]] nine-cylinder radials. 24 built with rectangular windows as used on 5-AT-A.
;4-AT-F: 4-AT-E but stressed for higher loads. One built.
;5-AT-A: 4-AT-E with longer {{cvt|77|ft|10|in}} wing and fuselage with an extra window on each side, powered by three {{cvt|420|hp}} Wasps. Carried 13 passengers. Three built.
[[File:EL-2002-00560.jpg|thumb|TAT Ford 5-AT-B flown by Lindbergh]]
;5-AT-B: 5-AT-A powered by {{cvt|420|hp}} Wasp C-1 or SC-1 radials. Carried 15 passengers. 41 built.
;5-AT-C: Improved version with [[Townend ring|engine cowlings]] and wheel pants, similar to the Ford 5-AT-A. Carried 17 passengers. 51 built.
;5-AT-CS: 5-AT-C floatplane with twin [[Edo Aircraft Corporation|Edo floats]]. One built.
;5-AT-D: Wings {{cvt|8|in|cm}} higher for taller cabin, and weights increased. Powered by three {{cvt|450|hp}} Wasp SC radials. 20 built.
;5-AT-DS: 5-AT-D floatplane with Edo floats. One built.
;5-AT-E: Version with outboard engines moved to wing leading edges. One 5-AT-C modified for tests, but converted back.
;6-AT-A: Economy 5-AT-A with reduced power, load and performance. Three {{cvt|300|hp}} Wright J-6-9 Whirlwind radials. Three built.
;6-AT-AS: 6-AT-A floatplane with Edo floats. One modified.
;7-AT-A: 6-AT-A with {{cvt|420|hp}} Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial in the nose.
;8-AT: 5-AT-C converted to single-engine freighter. Six different engines ranging from {{cvt|575|to|700|hp}} installed. One built.<ref>{{cite journal|last=|first=|journal=AAHS Journal|date=Spring 2004|page=41}}</ref>
;9-AT: 4-AT-B with three {{cvt|300|hp}} [[Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior]] radial engines. One built.
;10-AT: Project for larger aircraft with two engines above fuselage and two on wings. None built but developed into 12-AT and built as 14-A as a trimotor.
;11-AT: 4-AT-E with three {{cvt|225|hp}} [[Packard DR-980]] [[Diesel engine|Diesel radial engines]]. One built.
;12-AT: Project, development of 10-AT, not built. 
;13-A: 5-AT-D with two {{cvt|300|hp}} Wright J-6-9 Whirlwind radials, and a {{cvt|575|hp}} [[Wright R-1820|Wright Cyclone]] radial in the nose. 1 built.
[[File:Ford_14_AT_L'Aerophile_May_1932.jpg|thumb|Ford 14-A photo from L'Aerophile May 1932]]
;[[Ford 14-A|14-A]]: Similar to 10-AT and 12-AT, 1 built but not flown, was to have carried 32 passengers.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

===United States military designations===
====United States Army Air Corps====
;XC-3: One 4-AT-A evaluated by the USAAC.<ref name="Andrade95">Andrade 1979, p. 95.</ref>
;C-3: 4-AT-A redesignated from XC-3 following evaluation<ref name="Andrade95" />
;C-3A: 4-AT-E with three {{cvt|235|hp}} Wright R-790-3 Whirlwind radials. Seven built, all converted to C-9 standard.<ref name="Andrade95" />
;C-4: One 4-AT-B for evaluation.<ref name="Andrade95" />
[[File:Ford C-4 Tri-Motor.jpg|thumb|Ford C-4A]]
;C-4A: 5-AT-D, with three {{cvt|450|hp}} Pratt & Whitney R-1340-11 Wasp radials. Four built<ref name="Andrade95" />
;C-4B: Single C-4A re-engined with three {{cvt|450|hp}} R-1340-7 Wasps.<ref name="Andrade95" />
;C-9: Redesignation of C-3As fitted with {{cvt|300|hp}} Wright R-975-1 Whirlwind radials<ref name="Andrade96">Andrade 1979, p. 96.</ref>
;XB-906: 5-AT-D modified into bomber with three {{cvt|500|hp}} Wasps for United States Army Air Corps. One built.

====US Navy and US Marines====
;XJR-1: One 4-AT-A evaluated by the United States Navy<ref name="Andrade197">Andrade 1979, p. 197.</ref>
;JR-2: U.S. Marine Corps 4-AT-E transport, with three Wright J-6-9 engines. Two built, redesignated RR-2 in 1931.<ref name="Andrade197" />
;JR-3: 5-AT-C for U.S. Navy (one) and U.S. Marine Corps (two). Three built.<ref name="Andrade197" />
[[File:EL-2002-00549.jpg|thumb|Ford RR-1 at Langley, Virginia 1934]]
;RR-1: XJR-1 redesignated in 1931.<ref name="Andrade218">Andrade 1979, p. 218.</ref>
;RR-2: JR-2 redesignated in 1931.<ref name="Andrade218" />
;RR-3: JR-3 redesignated in 1931.<ref name="Andrade218" />
;RR-4: Single 5-AT-C for Navy.<ref name="Andrade218" />
;RR-5: 4-AT-Ds, one each for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines.<ref name="Andrade218" />

==Operators==

===Civil operators===
[[File:Scenic Trimotor.JPG|thumb|Grand Canyon Airlines Ford Trimotor with wing baggage compartment open]]
;{{COL}}
*''[[SACO (Colombia)|SACO]]''
*''[[SCADTA]]''
;{{flag|Canada|1921}}
*BYN Co.(British Yukon Navigation Company) CF-AZB flew in the Yukon from April 1936 until damaged in August 1940.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.tc.gov.yk.ca/digitization/public/search_detail.php?imageId=137193#|title=Yukon Archives Image CF-AZB|work=tc.gov.yk.ca|last=Tidd|first=Claude|access-date=July 26, 2017}}</ref>
;{{ROC}}
* [[China National Aviation Corporation]] (CNAC) operated at least three 5-ATs<ref name="abas7p723">{{harvnb|Best|2007|pp=72–73}}</ref>
;{{CUB}}
*''[[History of Cubana de Aviación|Cubana]]''
;{{CZS}}
*[[Czech Airlines|Czechoslovak Airlines]]
;{{DOM}}
*''[[Dominicana de Aviación]]'', Dominican Republic airline flew Ford Trimotors in the early 1930s.<ref>[http://www.flydominicanrepublic.com/ "Ford Trimotor Videos."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427064520/http://www.flydominicanrepublic.com/ |date=2011-04-27 }} ''Fly Dominican Republic''. Retrieved: July 14, 2010.</ref>
;{{flag|Mexico|1934}}
*''[[Mexicana de Aviación (1921–2010)|Mexicana]]''
;{{flag|Spain|1923}}
*First [[CLASSA]], then [[LAPE]], after [[Iberia (airline)|Iberia]]
;{{flag|USA|1912}}
*[[American Airlines|American Airways]]
*[[Eastern Air Lines|Eastern Air Transport]]
*[[Grand Canyon Airlines]]
*[[Island Airlines (1929)|Island Airlines]], Bass Islands, Ohio
*[[Maddux Air Lines]]
*[[Northwest Airlines|Northwest Airways]]
*[[Pan American Airways]]
*[[Southwest Air Fast Express|Southwest Air Fast Express (S.A.F.E.way)]]
*[[Star Air Service]]
*[[Texaco]]
*[[Transcontinental Air Transport]]
*[[Trans World Airlines|Transcontinental & Western Air (TWA)]]
*[[United Airlines|United Air Lines]]
*[[Wien Air Alaska]]
;{{VEN}}
*''[[AVENSA]]''

===Military operators===
[[File:RCAF Ford 6-AT-A trimotor G-CYWZ msn 6-AT-1.jpg|thumb|Royal Canadian Air Force Ford 6-AT-A ''G-CYWZ'']]
;{{AUS}}
*[[Royal Australian Air Force]]
**[[No. 24 Squadron RAAF]]
;{{flag|Canada|1921}}
*[[Royal Canadian Air Force]] operated a single 6-AT-A/6-AT-AS.
;{{COL}}
*[[Colombian Air Force]]
;{{flag|Spain|1931}}
*[[Spanish Republican Air Force]]
;{{UK}}
*[[Royal Air Force]]
**[[No. 271 Squadron RAF]] operated a single 5-AT-D during 1940.<ref>March 1998, p. 250.</ref>
;{{flag|USA|1912}}
*[[United States Army Air Corps]]
*[[United States Marine Corps]]
*[[United States Navy]]

==Accidents and incidents==
* On March 17, 1929, a [[Colonial Western Airways]] 4-AT-B Tri-Motor, ''NC7683'', suffered a double engine failure during its initial climb after takeoff from [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark Airport]] in [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], [[New Jersey]]. It failed to gain height and crashed into a railroad freight car loaded with sand, killing 14 of the 15 people on board the aircraft. At the time, it was the deadliest airplane accident in American history. In addition, the surviving pilot also became the earliest known [[List of sole survivors of aviation accidents and incidents|sole survivor of a commercial aircraft accident]].<ref name=larkins1958p133>{{cite book |last1=Larkins |first1=William T. |title=The Ford Story: A Pictorial History of the Ford Tri-Motor, 1927-1957 |date=1958 |publisher=Robert R. Longo Company |location=Wichita, Kansas |page=133 |hdl=2027/mdp.39015002911553?urlappend=%3Bseq=149 |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015002911553?urlappend=%3Bseq=149 |access-date=8 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19290317-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Ford 4-AT-B Tri-Motor NC7683 Newark Airport, NJ (EWR)|first=Harro|last=Ranter}}</ref>
* On April 21, 1929, a [[Maddux Air Lines]] 5-AT-B Tri-Motor, ''NC9636'', collided with a [[United States Army Air Service]] (USAAS) [[Boeing PW-9|Boeing PW-9D]] fighter, ''28-037'', over [[San Diego]]; all six on board both aircraft died. The pilot of the Boeing PW-9D was performing stunts and then attempted to pass in front of the airliner, but misjudged the speed of the Maddux aircraft and his aircraft struck the cockpit of the Ford Tri-Motor.<ref name=larkins1958p133 /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19290421-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Ford 5-AT-B Tri-Motor NC9636 San Diego Airport, CA (SAN)|first=Harro|last=Ranter|access-date=8 April 2019}}</ref>
* On September 3, 1929, a [[Transcontinental Air Transport]] 5-AT-B Tri-Motor, ''NC9649'', named ''City of San Francisco'', crashed into [[Mount Taylor (New Mexico)|Mount Taylor]] near [[Grants, New Mexico|Grants]], [[New Mexico]] in a thunderstorm; all eight people on board died.<ref name="larkins1958p134">{{Cite book|url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001527079|title=The Ford story; a pictorial history of the Ford Tri-motor, 1927-1957.|first=William T.|last=Larkins|series=A Longo publication,2 |date=February 2, 1958|publisher=R. R. Longo Co.|via=HathiTrust}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19290903-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Ford 5-AT-B Tri-Motor NC9649 Gallup, NM|first=Harro|last=Ranter|access-date=8 April 2019}}</ref>
* On January 19, 1930, a Maddux Air Lines 5-AT-C Tri-Motor, ''NC9689'', operating as Flight 7, crashed near [[Oceanside, California]] due to adverse weather conditions, killing all 16 on board.<ref name=larkins1958p134 /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19300119-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Ford 5-AT-C Tri-Motor NC9689 Oceanside, CA|first=Harro|last=Ranter|access-date=8 April 2019}}</ref> 
* On August 12, 1930, a [[Czech Airlines|ČSA Československé Aerolinie]] Ford 5-AT-C Tri-Motor, OK-FOR, hit the ground in poor visibility after a sharp turn to avoid a chimney and caught fire, in an attempt to stay clear of a thunderstorm, killing 12 of 13 on board.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Larkins |first1=William T. |title=The Ford Story: A Pictorial History of the Ford Tri-Motor, 1927-1957 |date=1958 |publisher=Robert R. Longo Company |location=Wichita, Kansas |page=134 |hdl=2027/mdp.39015002911553?urlappend=%3Bseq=149 |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015002911553?urlappend=%3Bseq=149 |access-date=8 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ranter |first=Harro |title=ASN Aircraft accident Ford 5-AT-C Tri-Motor OK-FOR Jihlava (Iglau) |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19300822-0 |access-date=2022-06-12 |website=aviation-safety.net}}</ref>
* On January 24, 1933, a [[Pacific Air Transport]] Ford Trimotor on a cargo flight crashed on takeoff, killing 2 out of the 3 occupants on board.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19330124-0|title=NC431H|accessdate= August 14, 2023.}}</ref>
* On June 24, 1935, Tri-Motor 5-AT-B of SACO Servicio Aéreo Colombiano registered F-31 [[Medellin plane crash of 1935|collided]] with a Tri-Motor of SCADTA, (Sociedad Colombo-Alemana de Transportes Aéreos), registered ''C-31'', at Olaya Herrera Airfield near [[Medellín, Colombia]]; of the 20 on board both aircraft, only three passengers survived. Among the dead was the tango singer [[Carlos Gardel]].<ref name="larkins1958p134"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19350624-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Ford 5-AT-B Tri-Motor F-31 Medellín-Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport (EOH)|first=Harro|last=Ranter}}</ref>

==Surviving aircraft==
{{outdated|section|date=April 2025}}
In 2011 18 Ford Trimotors still existed, eight of which had current FAA [[airworthiness certificate]]s.<ref name="Wiggins 2011">Wiggins, Arthur B. {{Cite web |url=http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |title=Ford Tri-Motor List |access-date=October 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116113044/http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |url-status=dead }}. ''trimotors.awiggins.com'', 2011. Retrieved: April 4, 2019.</ref>{{#tag:ref| Note: The ''Ford Tri-Motor List'' is an enthusiast's register of existing Ford Trimotors, Bushmasters and Stinson Trimotors.|group=N}}

===Airworthy===
[[File:Ford 4AT Trimotor.JPG|thumb|Oldest flying Ford, a 1927 4-AT-A, Serial No. 10, NC1077]]
[[File:Air Zoo December 2019 046 (Ford Tri-Motor).jpg|thumb|Ford 5-AT-C NC8419 at the Air Zoo in Michigan]]
* '''C/N:10 tail number: ''NC1077''''' (4-AT-A, September 1927) "NC1077, G-CARC Niagara" Currently owned by Greg Herrick's Yellowstone Aviation. Oldest flying Trimotor, C/N (Construction Number) 10.<ref name="fordtri-motor.com">Herrick, Greg. {{Cite web |url=http://fordtri-motor.com/ |title=Ford Tri-motor 4-AT-10, C-1077, a.k.a G-CARC 'Niagara' |access-date=April 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325103519/http://fordtri-motor.com/ |archive-date=March 25, 2018 |url-status=usurped }}. ''fordtri-motor.com'', Yellowstone Aviation, Inc (Jackson, Wyoming), 2004. Retrieved: April 4, 2019.</ref> It is based at the Golden Wings Museum,<ref>[http://www.goldenwingsmuseum.com/collection/AC-Pages/Ford-1077.htm "Ford Trimotor."] ''Golden Wings Museum.'' Retrieved: July 14, 2010.</ref> near [[Minneapolis, Minnesota]], US.<ref>Wiggins, Arthur Brenton. {{Cite web |url=http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |title=N1077 |access-date=October 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116113044/http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |url-status=dead }}. ''The Ford Tri-motors!'', August 12, 2011. Retrieved: April 4, 2019.</ref><ref>[http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N1077.html "Aircraft N1077 Profile."] "Airport-Data.com", 2012. Retrieved: April 9, 2012.</ref> This aircraft featured in the 2009 film [[Amelia (film)|''Amelia'']] (a biopic of aviator [[Amelia Earhart]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.australianflying.com.au/news/amelia-earhart-s-aircraft-wrangler|title=Amelia Earhart's aircraft wrangler - Australian Flying|website=www.australianflying.com.au}}</ref>
* '''C/N:42 tail number: ''NC9610''''' ''(Formerly NC7684)'' (4-AT-B, September 1928) Currently owned by [[Yankee Air Museum|Yankee Air Force]], based in [[Belleville, Michigan]], US.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aircraft Inquiry |url=https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N9610 |access-date=2022-06-19 |website=registry.faa.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=The Mighty Tri-Motor Joins the Air Adventures Pedigree |url=https://yankeeairmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/YAM_Approaches-Spring-2020-DIGITAL.pdf |magazine=Approaches |location= |publisher= |date=Spring 2020 |access-date=2022-06-19}}</ref>
* '''C/N:55 tail number: ''NC9612''''' (4-AT-E, 1929) The "City of Richmond" Originally owned by: Mamer Flying Service, Spokane, WA. Currently owned by: Scott Glover, Mid America Flight Museum. It is based in [[Mt. Pleasant, Texas]], US.<ref>Wiggins, Arthur Brenton. {{Cite web |url=http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |title=N9612 |access-date=October 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116113044/http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |url-status=dead }}. ''The Ford Tri-motors!'', August 12, 2011. Retrieved: April 4, 2019.</ref><ref>[http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N9612.html "Aircraft N9612 Profile."] "Airport-Data.com", 2012. Retrieved: April 9, 2012.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://midamericaflightmuseum.com/portfolio-items/ford-4at-tri-motor/|title=Ford 4AT Tri-Motor|first=William|last=Jones}}</ref>
* '''C/N:69 tail number: ''NC8407''''' (4-AT-E, 1929) Originally owned by: Eastern Air Transport Currently owned by: The [[Experimental Aircraft Association]] is based at the [[EAA AirVenture Museum]] in [[Oshkosh, Wisconsin]], US. It tours the United States performing at airshows and other aviation events.<ref>[https://www.eaa.org/en/eaa/flight-experiences/fly-the-ford-eaa-ford-tri-motor-airplane-tour/ "Ford Tri-Motor Tour"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713050354/https://www.eaa.org/en/eaa/flight-experiences/fly-the-ford-eaa-ford-tri-motor-airplane-tour |date=July 13, 2017 }} ''[[Experimental Aircraft Association]]''. Retrieved: July 26, 2017.</ref><ref>Wiggins, Arthur Brenton. {{Cite web |url=http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |title=N8407 |access-date=October 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116113044/http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |url-status=dead }}. ''The Ford Tri-motors!'', August 12, 2011. Retrieved: April 4, 2019.</ref><ref>[http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N8407.html "Aircraft N8407 Profile."] "Airport-Data.com", 2012. Retrieved: April 9, 2012.</ref>
* '''C/N:8 tail number: ''NC9645''''' (5-AT-B, 1928) "City of Wichita/City of Port Clinton" Currently owned by: [[Liberty Aviation Museum]]. It is dressed in [[Transcontinental Air Transport]] livery. It is based at the [[Erie-Ottawa International Airport]] in [[Port Clinton, Ohio]], US.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.libertyaviationmuseum.org/cofw.html|title=Liberty Aviation Museum|website=www.libertyaviationmuseum.org}}</ref> It was previously owned by Evergreen Vintage Aircraft, Inc., and previously based at the [[Evergreen Aviation Museum]], [[McMinnville, Oregon]], US.<ref>Wiggins, Arthur Brenton. {{Cite web |url=http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |title=N9645 |access-date=October 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116113044/http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |url-status=dead }}. ''The Ford Tri-motors!'', August 12, 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N9645.html "Aircraft N9645 Profile."] "Airport-Data.com", 2012.</ref>
* '''C/N:34 tail number: ''N9651''''' (5-AT-B, 1929) - The "City of Philadelphia" Originally owned by: Trans Continental Air Transport. Currently owned by: [[Kermit Weeks]]. It is based at [[Fantasy of Flight]] in [[Polk City, Florida]], US. This aircraft has made many film appearances, including ''[[Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.fantasyofflight.com/collection/aircraft/currently-not-showing-in-museum/golden-age/1929-ford-5at-tri-motor/|title=1929 Ford 5AT Tri-Motor|work=fantasyofflight.com|access-date=July 26, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |title=N9651 |access-date=October 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116113044/http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |url-status=dead }}. ''The Ford Tri-motors!'', August 12, 2011. Retrieved: April 4, 2019.</ref><ref>[http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N9651.html "Aircraft N9651 Profile."] Airport-Data.com, 2012. Retrieved: April 9, 2012.</ref>
* '''C/N:58 tail number: ''NC8419''''' (5-AT-C, 1929) Originally owned by: Northwest Airlines. Currently owned by: [[Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum]]. Based at The Air Zoo in [[Kalamazoo, Michigan]], US. The airplane combined several 5-AT airframes, one of which served with five carriers before being used by the [[United States Forest Service]] between 1951 and 1959. The original crashed and burned on August 4, 1959, while landing at a remote strip in the [[Nez Perce National Forest]], killing two [[smokejumper]]s.<ref>[http://www.airzoo.org/ "Ford Trimotor."] ''Kalamazoo Air Zoo''. Retrieved: July 14, 2010.</ref><ref>Wiggins, Arthur Brenton. {{Cite web |url=http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |title=N8419 |access-date=October 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116113044/http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |url-status=dead }}. ''The Ford Tri-motors!'', August 12, 2011. Retrieved: April 4, 2019.</ref><ref>[http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N8419.html "Aircraft N8419 Profile."] "Airport-Data.com", 2012. Retrieved: April 9, 2012.</ref><ref name="tsl">{{cite journal | last = National Smokejumpers Association| year = 1997| title = Missed Flight - Ralph Johnston, RDD '63 | journal = The Statis Line | volume = 4-2| issue =April| url = http://smokejumpers.com/documents/magazine_pdfs/staticline-1997-04-10.7MB.pdf| access-date =September 6, 2013}}</ref>
* '''C/N:74 tail number: ''N414H''''' (5-AT-C, 1928) Originally owned by: Ford Motor Co. Previously owned by Sopwith, Ltd. It was based at [[Valle Airport]] in [[Valle, Arizona]], US. It was used in 2008 and 2009 for [[flight instruction]] and [[type rating]]s.<ref>[http://www.valleairport.com/fordtrimotor/typerating.htm "Time machines do exist!"] ''ValleAirport.Com'', Grand Canyon Valle Airport (40G), 2008–2009. Retrieved: March 15, 2009.</ref><ref>Wiggins, Arthur Brenton. {{Cite web |url=http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |title=N414H |access-date=October 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116113044/http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |url-status=dead }}. ''The Ford Tri-motors!'', August 12, 2011. Retrieved: April 4, 2019.</ref><ref>[http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N414H.html "Aircraft N414H Profile."] "Airport-Data.com", 2012. Retrieved: April 9, 2012.</ref> It is now owned by, and based at the [[Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum]] (WAAAM) in Hood River, Oregon, US.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/gorge-life/ford-trimotor-joins-waaam-collection/article_d438623e-8df4-11ec-9d3a-8b6d38aec457.html|title=Ford Trimotor joins WAAAM collection|website=Columbia Gorge News|date=February 16, 2022 }}</ref>

===On static display===
* '''C/N:15 tail number: ''NX4542''''' (4-AT-B, 1928) [[Richard E. Byrd]]'s South Pole aircraft. Originally owned by: [[Ford Motor Company]]. Currently owned by: Henry Ford Museum. It is on display at The [[Henry Ford Museum]] in [[Dearborn, Michigan]], USA.<ref name="NX4542.">Wiggins, Arthur Brenton. {{Cite web |url=http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |title=NX4542 |access-date=October 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116113044/http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |url-status=dead }}. ''The Ford Tri-motors!'', August 12, 2011. Retrieved: April 4, 2019.</ref>
* '''C/N:46 tail number: ''NC7861''''' (4-AT-B, Unknown) Originally owned by: Union Electric, St. Louis. Currently owned by: [[National Museum of Naval Aviation]] [[Pensacola, Florida]], USA.<ref name="NX4542."/> Displayed as Navy RR-5 serial A-9206.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ford 4-AT-E Tri-Motor |url=https://www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled/Ford-4-AT-E-Tri-Motor/2160102 |website=Airliners.net |access-date=9 April 2020}}</ref>
* '''C/N:11 tail number: ''NC9637''''' (5-AT-B,1929) Originally owned by: Pan Am. Currently owned by: the [[San Diego Air & Space Museum]] in [[San Diego, California]], USA.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sandiegoairandspace.org/collection/item/ford-trimotor-5-at|title=Ford Trimotor 5-AT|work=[[San Diego Air & Space Museum]]|access-date=July 26, 2017}}</ref>
* '''C/N:39 tail number: ''NC9683''''' (5-AT-B, 1929) Originally owned by: American Airlines. Currently owned by: The [[Smithsonian]]'s [[National Air and Space Museum]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://airandspace.si.edu/multimedia-gallery/97-15367hjpg|title=Ford 5-AT Tri-Motor, America by Air|work=[[National Air and Space Museum]]|access-date=July 26, 2017}}</ref> in [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name="Wiggins 2011"/><ref>Wiggins, Arthur Brenton. {{Cite web |url=http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |title=N9683 |access-date=October 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116113044/http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |url-status=dead }}. ''The Ford Tri-motors!'', August 12, 2011. Retrieved: April 4, 2019.</ref>
* '''C/N:60 tail number: ''none - ex-RAAF''''' (5-AT-C, 1929) Originally owned by: [[Ford Motor Company]]; in England. Currently owned by: [[Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery]]. Possible rebuild.

===Under restoration===
* '''C/N:38 tail number: ''N7584''''' (4-AT-B, January 1928) Originally owned by: Robertson Aircraft, St Louis. Currently owned by: [[Kermit Weeks]]. It was badly damaged in Florida by [[Hurricane Andrew]], in the fall of 1992. Currently Located: [[Vicksburg, Michigan]], USA.<ref>Wiggins, Arthur Brenton. {{Cite web |url=http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |title=N7584 |access-date=October 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116113044/http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |url-status=dead }}. ''The Ford Tri-motors!'', August 12, 2011. Retrieved: April 4, 2019.</ref>
* '''C/N:58 tail number: ''NC9642''''' (4-AT-E, January 1929) Originally owned by: Mohawk Airways, NY. Currently owned by: Maurice Hovius' Hov-aire, Inc. Possible rebuild. Sale reported. Currently Located: [[Vicksburg, Michigan]], USA.<ref>Wiggins, Arthur Brenton. {{Cite web |url=http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |title=N9642 |access-date=October 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116113044/http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |url-status=dead }}. ''The Ford Tri-motors!'', August 12, 2011. Retrieved: April 4, 2019.</ref>
* '''C/N:62 tail number: ''NC8400''''' (4-AT-E, January 1929) Originally owned by: Mohawk Airways, NY. Currently owned by: Maurice Hovius' Hov-aire, Inc. Possible rebuild. Currently Located: [[Vicksburg, Michigan]], USA.<ref>Wiggins, Arthur Brenton. {{Cite web |url=http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |title=N8400 |access-date=October 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116113044/http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |url-status=dead }}. ''The Ford Tri-motors!'', August 12, 2011. Retrieved: April 4, 2019.</ref>
* '''C/N:65 tail number: ''NC8403''''' (4-AT-E, May 1929) The "Ptarmigan II"  Originally owned by: Mamer Flying Service. Currently owned by Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum. Possible restoration. As of February 10, 2005, currently Located at Golden Wings Museum near [[Minneapolis, Minnesota]], USA.<ref>Wiggins, Arthur Brenton. {{Cite web |url=http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |title=N8403 |access-date=October 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116113044/http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |url-status=dead }}. ''The Ford Tri-motors!'', August 12, 2011. Retrieved: April 4, 2019.</ref>
* '''C/N:13 tail number: ''NC9667''''' (5-AT-B, 1929) The "AN-AAR" Originally owned by [[Southwest Air Fast Express|Southwest Air Fast Express (S.A.F.E.way)]]. Currently owned by: Maurice Hovius' Hov-aire, Inc. This is a restoration project undertaken by the "Tin Goose Chapter", EAA 1247, in [[Port Clinton, Ohio]], USA.<ref>Wiggins, Arthur Brenton. {{Cite web |url=http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |title=N9667 |access-date=October 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116113044/http://www.trimotors.awiggins.com/fordlist.htm |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |url-status=dead }}. ''The Ford Tri-motors!'', August 12, 2011. Retrieved: April 4, 2019.</ref><ref>[http://www.tingoose.org/trimotorproject.html "EAA "Tin Goose" Chapter 1247."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100727014145/http://www.tingoose.org/trimotorproject.html |date=2010-07-27 }} ''tingoose.org.'' Retrieved: April 9, 2012.</ref>

From 1954 onwards, efforts were made to modernize the Trimotor as the [[Stout Bushmaster 2000]].<ref name="Time">[http://205.188.238.181/time/magazine/article/0,9171,843204,00.html "Return of the Tin Goose."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110529221505/http://205.188.238.181/time/magazine/article/0,9171,843204,00.html |date=2011-05-29 }} ''Time'', January 6, 1967. Retrieved: July 29, 2008.</ref> Saddled with financial, management and marketing problems, only two examples were completed with a third fuselage started but never completed.<ref name= "O'Callaghan, p. 124.">O'Callaghan 2002, p. 124.</ref>

==Specifications (Ford 4-AT-E Trimotor)==
[[File:EAA Ford TriMotor NC8407.ogg|thumb|Short recording alongside EAA's Ford TriMotor while in Miami, Fl, USA]]
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Flight International 14 November 1930<ref name="Flight141130p11233">{{cite journal |title=Ford Three-Engined Monoplanes : Two Types Described |journal=Flight |date=14 November 1930  |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1930/untitled0%20-%201308.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417105340/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1930/untitled0%20-%201308.html |archive-date=2018-04-17 |volume= XXII. No. 46. |issue= 1142 |pages=1233–1237 |format=pdf}}</ref>
|prime units?=imp
<!--
        General characteristics
-->
|crew=3 (pilot, co-pilot, flight attendant)
|capacity= 11 passengers
|length ft=49
|length in=10
|length note=
|span ft=74
|span in=0
|span note=
|height ft=11
|height in=9
|height note=<br>
*'''Cabin length:''' {{cvt|16|ft|3|in|0}}
*'''Cabin width (average):''' {{cvt|4|ft|6|in|0}}
*'''Cabin height (average):''' {{cvt|6|ft|0|in|0}}
*'''Cabin volume:''' {{cvt|461|cuft|0}}
|wing area sqft=
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->
|airfoil='''root:''' Göttingen 386; '''tip:''' Göttingen 386  <ref name="Selig">{{cite web |last1=Lednicer |first1=David |title=The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage |url=https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads/aircraft.html |website=m-selig.ae.illinois.edu |access-date=16 April 2019}}</ref>
|empty weight lb=6500
|empty weight note=
|gross weight lb=10130
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity={{cvt|231|USgal|impgal l|0}}
|more general=<br>
*'''Oil capacity:''' {{cvt|24|USgal|impgal l|0}}
<!--
        Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=3
|eng1 name=[[Wright J-6-9 Whirlwind]]
|eng1 type=9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines
|eng1 hp=300
|eng1 note=for take-off

|prop blade number=2
|prop name=fixed-pitch propellers
|prop dia ft=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia in=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia note=
<!--
        Performance
-->
|max speed mph=132
|max speed note=
|cruise speed mph=107
|cruise speed note=at 1,700 rpm
|stall speed mph=57
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed note=
|minimum control speed mph=
|minimum control speed note=
|range miles=570
|range note=
|combat range miles=
|combat range note=
|ferry range miles=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=<!-- if range unknown -->
|ceiling ft=16500
|ceiling note=<br>
*'''Absolute ceiling:''' {{cvt|18600|ft|0}}
*'''Absolute ceiling on 2 engines:''' {{cvt|7100|ft|0}}
|climb rate ftmin=920
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude={{cvt|7200|ft|0}} in 10 minutes
|wing loading lb/sqft=
|wing loading note=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass=
|more performance=<!--<br />
*'''Take-off run:''' {{cvt||ft|0}}
*'''Take-off distance to {{cvt|50|ft|0}}:''' {{cvt||ft|0}}
*'''Landing run:''' {{cvt||ft|0}}
*'''Landing distance from {{cvt|50|ft|0}}:''' {{cvt||ft|0}}-->
}}

==Notable appearances in media==
{{Main|Aircraft in fiction#Ford Trimotor}}

==See also==
{{aircontent
|related=
* [[Stout Bushmaster 2000]]
|similar aircraft=
* [[Fokker F.VII]]
* [[Junkers G 24]]
* [[Junkers G 31]]
|lists=
* [[List of aircraft of World War II]]
* [[List of civil aircraft]]
* [[List of military aircraft of the United States]]
* [[List of United States Navy aircraft designations (pre-1962)]]
|see also=
}}

==References==

===Notes===
{{Reflist|group=N}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
* Andrade, John. ''U.S. Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909''.  Hinckley, Leicestershire, UK: Midland Counties Publications, 1979. {{ISBN|0-904597-22-9}}.
* Barth, Jack E. "Talkback". ''Air Enthusiast'', No. 10, July–September 1979, p.&nbsp;79. {{ISSN|0143-5450}}
* {{cite magazine |last=Best |first=Martin S. |title=The Development of Commercial Aviation in China: Part 2 : China National Aviation Corporation (pre-WWII) |magazine=Air-Britain Archive |date=Summer 2007 |pages=51–80|issn=0262-4923}}
* Head, Jeanine M. and William S. Pretzer. ''Henry Ford: A Pictorial Biography''. Dearborn, Michigan: Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village, 1990. No ISBN.
*{{cite magazine|last=Hoy|first=Bruce D.|title=Talkback|magazine=[[Air Enthusiast]] |date=April–July 1980|issue=12 |pages=49–50 |issn=0143-5450}}
* Larkins, William T. ''The Ford Tri-Motor, 1926–1992''. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 1992. {{ISBN|0-88740-416-2}}.
*{{cite magazine|last=Larkins|first=William T.|title=Talkback|magazine=[[Air Enthusiast]] |date=April–July 1980|issue=12 |page=50 |issn=0143-5450}}
* March, Daniel L. ''British Warplanes of World War II''. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1998. {{ISBN|1 874023-92-1}}.
* O'Callaghan, Timothy J. ''The Aviation Legacy of Henry & Edsel Ford''. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Proctor Publications, 2002. {{ISBN|1-928623-01-8}}.
* O'Leary, Michael. "When Fords Ruled the Sky (Part Two)". ''Air Classics'', Volume 42, No. 5, May 2006.
* Winchester, Jim, ed. "Ford Trimotor". ''Civil Aircraft'' (The Aviation Factfile). London: Grange Books plc, 2004. {{ISBN|1-84013-642-1}}.
* Wynne, H. Hugh. ''The Motion Picture Stunt Pilots and Hollywood's Classic Aviation Movies''. Missoula, Montana: Pictorial Histories Publishing Co., 1987. {{ISBN|0-933126-85-9}}.

== Further reading ==
* {{cite journal |last=Lee |first=John G. |date=Summer 2014 |title=Early Days of the Ford Trimotor: Recollections of a Participant |journal=AAHS Journal |publisher=American Aviation Historical Society|volume=59|issue=52 |pages=128–134 }}
* {{cite journal |last=Towle |first=Tom |date=Summer 2014 |title=Designing the Ford Trimotor |journal=AAHS Journal |publisher=American Aviation Historical Society|volume=59|issue=52 |pages=122–127 }}
* Weiss, David A. ''The Saga of the Tin Goose: The Story of the Ford Trimotor''. Brooklyn, New York: Cumberland Enterprises, Incorporated, 1996. {{ISBN|0-9634299-2-2}}.
* Litwak, Jerry: 'Skinning a Tin Goose ... the hard way'. Pages 251 and 252 of 'Air International' magazine, May, 1978 describe the rebuilding of Scenic Airway's Tin Goose 5AT, owned by John Seibold, after it groundlooped in Nevada on February 6, 1977. Per the article, it was supposedly ready to fly again by late 1978.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Ford Trimotor}}
* [http://www.fordtrimotor.org Ford Trimotor "a tribute to the Ford Tri-Motor", and contains facts, pictures, bibliography and more.]
* [http://vintagetin.net/FordTri-Motor/ EAA's Ford Trimotor 4AT-E virtual tour detailing the entire aircraft]{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* [http://airbum.com/pireps/PirepTrimotor.html "The Tin Goose Lives up to Her Name"] (pilot report), Budd Davisson,  June 1986, ''Air Progress,'' Vol.45, No. 5, transcribed at Airbum.com

{{Stout/Ford aircraft}}
{{AircraftDesignationNavboxShell
  |1={{USAF transports}}
  |2={{USN transports}}
  |3={{USN utility aircraft}}
  |4={{Wright Field project numbers}}
  |5={{ADF aircraft designations}}
  }}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1926]]
[[Category:Ford aircraft|Trimotor]]
[[Category:High-wing aircraft]]
[[Category:Trimotors]]
[[Category:1920s United States airliners]]
[[Category:1920s United States military transport aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear]]
[[Category:Three-engined piston aircraft]]