YORK COUNTY, Pa. — The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Harrisburg 112 Chapter in Fairview Township is offering passengers a rare view of what luxury flights were like nearly a century ago with a piece of aviation history.
The new opportunity allows passengers to be transported back to the past and experience what commercial aviation was like in the late 1920s.
“When I see them and they first get in the airplane, they’re smiling because they’re looking forward to it. By the time they get out, everybody has got a much bigger smile than when they went in,” said EAA Pilot Ed Kornfield.
Guests are treated to a half-hour flight in the vintage aircraft, which takes up to nine people at a time around York County. However, anyone interested in flying old school is required to sign a waiver before boarding.
“It is a unique aircraft, it was really the first airliner of the 1920s, this particular aircraft is actually the first aircraft to initiate the transcontinental air routes from back in the 29 period,” described the EAA's Special Projects Coordinator Brian McDonald.
The Ford Tri-Motor 5-AT-B aircraft that was available to ride proudly stands as one of nearly 200 built in it's heyday, and has been taken to the sky for nearly 100 years.
Members of the EAA say it works just as well as it did back then, sespite a few changes over the years.
“Obviously the wings, the ailerons and the control services are the same as modern airplanes, but it is much older. It is just a unique airplane to fly,” Kornfield said.
One noticeable alteration to the aircraft is inside the haul. Passenger seats used to be made of twine, but this was later changed to more durable material due to increased safety regulations.
The model aircraft itself was phased out in the 1940s and 1950s, with EAA members citing the Second World War as a contributor for the rapid increase in aviation technology.
However, members of the EAA also use the Ford Tri-Motor as an education tool. The EAA hosts several child-friendly day programs during the summer to get kids interested in aviation at an early age, with the next event being held in September.
“One of the primary roles of [the] Experimental Aircraft Association, EAA, [is] to keep that alive and to talk about the golden age of aviation, as the Ford Tri-Motor is,” McDonald said.
Rides are available from June 22-25 at Capital City Airport. Pricing varies on whether a passenger is an EAA member; adults are charged $95 a ride, while tickets for children are $65.