An opportunity to ride a piece of history is at the Jimmy Stewart Airport this weekend.
This weekend, the Jimmy Stewart Airport is hosting a Ford Tri-Motor 5-AT airplane from Experimental Aircraft Association, a group headquartered in Wisconsin with a chapter located in Indiana, dedicated to grow participation in aviation-related activities.
(Ford Tri-Motor Airplane on display at the Jimmy Stewart Airport. Photo by Josh Widdowson)
The plane was the first mass-produced airplane in the United States. It was originally built in 1928 and was a part of the Transcontinental Air Transport company, which would later become TWA. The stop in Indiana is part of a “barnstorming” tour of the mid-west before it heads to Florida for the winter months.
Colin Sousee, the plane’s pilot, said he enjoys flying the plane, as it requires skills that are not normally used in planes nowadays, so it gives him the chance to “fly by the seat of his pants.”
For the weekend, EAA and the Jimmy Stewart Airport will offer rides aboard the Ford Tri-Motor to give people a unique aerial view of Indiana while experiencing what was luxury air travel in the 1920’s. Contact the airport at 724-463-3883 for more information.
(Some scenes from a flight on Thursday aboard the Ford Tri-Motor. Photos by Josh Widdowson)
You can see a video of the flight on our Facebook page.

















