A Ford at Ford

Sometime ago, I found out that there was going to be a Ford Trimotor at Gerald R. Ford Airport in Grand Rapids.  They have a pretty nice spotters' park there, so I figured it would be a good opportunity to catch a plane that I've never seen before.

 I ended up picking my dad and we went over to Grand Rapids.  As soon as I got to the park, this guy was landing.

 It is a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter used by one of the Life Flight groups in the area.  The development of the S-76 began as the S-74 in the mid 1970s.  They wanted to provide a medium transport helicopter for corporate and oil drilling operations.  It was later designated as the S-76 in commemoration of the US bicentennial.  The body was loosely based on the S-70 body that would later become the Blackhawk.  It was the first Sikorsky helicopter designed primarily for civilian use.  It first flew in 1977 and received its FAA certificate in 1978.  It can carry 13 passengers and has a maximum speed of 178 miles per hour.  There have been over 1000 produced and it is still in production.

 I kind of like the views at Grand Rapids, the only problem was that it was getting kind of warm and I was getting a bit of heat haze.  This CRJ-900 was getting ready to head off to Minneapolis.

 A FedEx Airbus A310 at their terminal.  This plane flew in from Indianapolis and it looks like it almost exclusively goes between there and Indianapolis.

 The CRJ-900 pulling into the air.

 A Sirrus SR-22 coming in for a touch and go.  It didn't actually touch down though.

 As the plane flew over.

 And this was the plane I was waiting for.  It was a Ford Trimotor and is operated by the Experimental Aircraft Association.  They were selling rides on it all day, so I figured I had a few opportunities to get pictures.

 The Ford Trimotor was a development of previous designs by William Stout.  He based this airframe on work by Hugh Junkers.  In fact, it looks fairly similar to the Ju-52.

 In the early 1920s, Henry Ford and a group of investors was interested in the Stout Metal Airplane Company.  In 1925, Ford bought the company and it's designs and the Trimotor was born.  While it wasn't the first all metal airplane, it was probably one of the better ones.

 The first flight was in 1926 and most of the planes were used by Pan American.  Production of the variants lasted until 1933.  This particular business did not make any money for Ford but he was able to help introduce many of the features of the modern aviation industry.

 A pair of fire trucks.

 A Cessna Citation coming in for a landing.

 It's pretty cool that this is a mixed use airport.

 Another flight that I was waiting for.  A Delta MD-88 landing from Atlanta.  Delta is in the process of phasing out their MD-88 and MD-90 fleet for newer planes.  While I still see these at Detroit, they are getting rare.

 The plane starts to taxi to the gate.

 The thrust reversers deployed.

 Grand Rapids has one main runway.  This plane was turning towards the gate.

 A Piper Cherokee flying by.

 Another take off of the Ford Trimotor.  It had a pretty good short field capability, so it was used in a Polar Expedition.

 Both Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart flew the plane at one time.  It gained a pretty good reputation for reliability and durability.  The plane continued to fly into the 1960s.

 Over it's 7 year span of production, 199 aircraft were produced.

 This plane is one 18 still in existence and one of 8 that is still flying.  It was built in 1929.

 Another plane I was waiting for was the American MD-83.  I love this particular livery scheme.  It was arriving from Dallas.

 The plane getting ready to go to its gate.

 An ERJ-145 coming in from O'Hare.

 The MD-83 waiting for a gate.

 Another takeoff of the Ford.

 A CRJ-900 landing after flying from Minneapolis.

 Grand Rapids is a fairly busy airport but it doesn't get much bigger aircraft.

 The Ford Trimotor getting ready for another departure.

 It taxis into position.

 And the shot I was hoping for all day.

 An ERJ-145 getting ready to come out.

It prepares to head to the end of the runway.

 A picture that represents nearly 100 years worth of aviation.

 I have to admit, it was pretty cool seeing this plane.

 A Piper Twin Comanche coming in for a landing.

 An A320 belonging to Allegiant pulling out of the gate.

 it turns to head for the runway.

 An E145 heading for Dulles Airport in Washington DC.

 The A320 begins it take off roll.

And it's off to Orlando. 

All in all, it was a pretty cool day in Grand Rapids.  I just wish it were a little cooler so that I could have posted more pictures of the Trimotor in position.  Oh well, maybe next time.