Ford Tri-Motor (N9645)

Yesterday was the first day of four that this Ford Tri-Motor 5-AT-B will be visiting northern Nevada. Its first flight, earlier in the afternoon, was the official Media Flight and I had the extraordinary opportunity to be on board for that experience. What made it even more fabulous was that I had photographed this same aircraft several years ago when it was on display at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum (McMinnville, Oregon), never dreaming back then that I would someday be a passenger on it.
This aircraft has a long and interesting history. Originally delivered to Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT, which later became a part of TWA) in 1929; this a/c also flew for Grand Canyon Airlines, Boulder Dam Tours, TACA (as AN-AAS), then as XA-FUB and then as XB-NET, and then placed in storage in poor condition. But it was purchased by William F. Harrah, restored, and placed on static display in Harrah's Automobile Collection. After Mr. Harrah's death, it was sold at auction and purchased for $1.5 million. Then, in 1990, it was acquired by the Evergreen Vintage Aircraft group and was displayed in the EAS Museum in Oregon until Liberty Aviation Museum (Port Clinton, Ohio) purchased it in February of 2013.
It is in gorgeous condition. I will post additional photos of it (including its awesome interior) over the next week or so.

Having viewed this aircraft at the Evergreen Aviation Museum on 2 or 3 visits to Oregon I can certainly vouch for it's pristine restoration. Never imagined at the time that it would be anything more than a static display.
Thankfully, I have my photos from those visits.
What a wonderful experience to have a flight in this aircraft.