Project Introduction
By Edward C. Moore

How did this Ford project get started and how did it get this big? With a simple request for a single repaint of the default Ford Tri-Motor in a Bush Flying Unlimited livery. Garry, did so well that I requested other model repaints of the BFU livery. The Ford seemed to need more repaints and Garry had done such a great job, I submitted other ideas for repaints.
 
In a very short time it became clear that more data was needed to produce more liveries so the comprehensive research begun.

 I found an interesting book, THE FORD TRI-MOTOR 1926- 1992 by William T. Larkins, read it and then purchased another copy for Garry to use in Australia to keep us going along the same path so to speak. Garry and I worked through this book for many months - March to October 2011 using it as a guide. 
    
Though the pictures were in black and white we did considerable research wherever possible to get colours/logos etc as realistic as possible wherever possible.

    

Well, three hundred repaints later and the project was declared complete in Late October 2011.
 
The Ford Tri-Motor artwork available on this site is a good representation of aircraft flown in the 1920's and 1930's. Using the default MS Ford Tri-Motor means that you do not have to go looking for another specific model that may or may not be available anymore, the Ford is a Microsoft default aircraft that is in EVERY FS 2004 game.
       
Edward and Garry hope that this project brings some pleasure.



 






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Special Projects

 Blackhawk Adventure
1930's India
1928 Fordlândia

Manchukuo China


ford-tri-motor.net fights piracy

Note
:  The liveries available through this site will work for both FS2004 and FSX if you have a working copy of an FSX conversion of the Default Microsoft Ford Tri-Motor.



Ford Project Founded
February 2011
Web Launched November 2011

Tri-Motor History
It started with Mr. William B. Stout, genius, inventor, promoter, and the guiding influence behind the development of the Ford Tri-Motor and Stout Air Lines. The actual start point would be the 2-AT single engine all-metal transport but the 2-AT itself began with the earlier Stour 1-AS (Air Sedan) flown for the first time on 17 Feb 1923. Mr. Ford put forward an idea to Mr. Stout of starting an experimental air freight line between Dearborn, Mi and Chicago, Il. Ford Air Freight became operational on 13 April 1925 using 2-AT aircraft. All metal construction coupled with the cantilever wing were a wining design. In July 1925, Ford Motor Company purchased Stout Metal Plane Company and all its designs and inventory. Mr. Harold Hicks replaced Bill Stout as chief engineer. A fire destroyed the 3-AT and the factory on 17 Jan 1926.
   
A new larger building was built and work proceeded on the 4-AT. The 4-AT was test flown on 11 June 1926. Note: the 4-AT was designed & built in a very short time, about four months! Production of the 4-AT was a total of seventy eight (78) aircraft. The total production of the 5-AT models was one hundred and sixteen (116) for a grand total of 194 4-AT/5-AT aircraft.
  
Project Sponsor:

Mr Edward C. Moore is the Project Researcher/Sponsor for this project.
     
Mr Moore out hunting for more aircraft and doing research for the project

Mr Moore has expended many thousands of dollars on this project and has graciously gifted the entire collection to the simming community for their flight sim pleasure.
    
Mr Moore is a 22 year veteran of the US Navy with a long and varied interest in Flight Simulation. This project started off with some intentions to fill a void for the Ford Tri-Motor but soon grew into an obsession to portray this aircraft as a true contributor to global aviation history that she so admirably achieved. Mr Moore is also responsible for the hundreds of hours of research invested into this project.


          Owner of the following sites:

         http://www.ford-tri-motor.net
         http://www.ford-tri-motor.com

An additional five misc. tri-motor aircraft were produced for a grand total of 199 Ford Tri-Motor aircraft of all models.
    
Why so many from so few aircraft produced?

Well, the Fords had a second life in the cargo field way beyond the intended life span of the aircraft. TACA specifically in Central America had great success with Fords as cargo carriers!!! They were flying in Mexico into the early 1950s and 1960s.
    
Some aircraft were crashed more than once and rebuilt at the Ford factory and started over as almost NEW aircraft! Many of the aircraft had ten, twelve or even fifteen different owners/operators. So having three hundred is rather easy thing to do (smile).
    
One unexpected factor about the long service life of many of the Ford Tri-Motor was due to its out and out success, airlines would bring the aircraft back to the factory to be serviced with over 2000 or 3000 hours on them and Ford had only considered that they would last 1000 to 1200 hours - the airlines would then continue flying the rebuilt Fords for another 3000 hours or so and the old girls would just keep flying until crashed or blown over by high ground winds....weird!

    




Click on image for larger view
Photo shows left to right: William B. Mayo, head engineer of the Ford Motor Company; W.C. Stout, head of the Stout Metal Airplane Company; Edsel Ford; Henry Ford; and pilot Hamilton.


  An Edward C. Moore Project

Bonus Pack
Due to the considerable research undertaken by myself and Garry on the Ford Tri-Motor we had a lot of left over ideas and some of those just had to be done! Therefore another sixty-four repaints were added on but as a seperate BONUS PACK - a few were actual FORD repaints but most were fiction, fantasy and special liveries of non-Ford aircraft but they were tri-motors and carried about the same passenger load and had an equal flight range.
    
The focus was in areas like: INDIA,, EAST EUROPE AFRICA, AUSTRALIA, and other forgotten areas. Included free city of Danzig, Iceland, Manchuria, Japan, Egypt, Algeria (French colony), Angola (Portugal colony), Belgian Congo (colony of Belgian), and the Baltic countries. Even a joint airline of Germany and Russia! The aircraft were not Fords but the dates, places and registration numbers are real, as are the airlines.
     



    
Project Artist:

Mr Garry J. Smith is the
Project Artist, web development
& Aircraft Textures and Scenery.
   
Mr Smith Flight Sim Graphics developer since 1998 and owner  of GJSmith.net

Mr Smith has worked on this project with Mr Moore since February 2011. He is also a military veteran with 20 years in the RAAF. Mr Smith has been developing graphics for flight simulation since the inception of Microsoft's FS98 and has been providing flight sim graphics and scenery since 1998. He has achieved many awards and considerable recognition for his artwork and continues to provide FREE downloads from his web site.
      
Feel free to click on the above link and check out the thousands of other things available for free from his site.
    
                   www.gjsmith.net
                  www.gjsmith.com
                   www.gjsmith.org






The Ford Tr-Motor 1926-1992 by
William T. Larkins


Special Projects

 Blackhawk Adventure
1930's India
1928 Fordlândia

Manchukuo China


ford-tri-motor.net fights piracy

Note
:  The liveries available through this
site will work for both FS2004 and FSX if
you have a working copy of an FSX conversion of the Default Microsoft Ford Tri-Motor.



Ford Project Founded
February 2011
Web Launched November 2011

Edward C. Moore of Texas USA
and gifted to the flight sim community
Edward C. Moore is the registered owner of ford-tri-motor.net, .com and .org

This site hosted by:

 
  Brought to you by: Edward C. Moore - Project Manager, Site Owner, Financial Sponsor, Researcher and  
Garry J. Smith Aircraft  repainting, scenery development , web page development and Flight Sim Graphics
      This page and all content on this site are the property of Edward C. Moore of www.ford-tri-motor.net and Garry J. Smith of GJSmith.net
       Ford logo and other authentic logos on this site belong to respective designers.  The many fictional logos belong to the Ford Project and GJSmith.net
Contact:  edmoore[at]ford-tri-motor.net for any comments or issues for this site.
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