Ford Tri-Motor being pulled into the hangar of the Liberty Aviation Museum
The Tri-Motor Heritage Foundation is currently restoring to flying condition a Ford Tri-Motor in the hangar of the Liberty Aviation Museum and is allowing the public to watch the restoration process as it progresses, both in person and via the web.
This Particular Tri-Motor, N69905 is an ex-Pan American airliner that spent it’s early days in Mexico before being transferred to Cuba in 1940 where it spent the war years. After the war, the plane received engine upgrades and was operated by Air Tours of Ohio before being sold on to Johnson Flying Service. In 1953, the plane took off from the Spotted Bear Airstrip in Flat Head National Forest, Montana with a load of six smoke jumpers aboard and suffered engine failure of all three engines, causing a forced landing in the forest. While all the people on the plane survived the crash, the plane was torn apart.
The various bits and pieces were collected and stored, but it wasn’t until 2003 when the EAA “Tin Goose” Chapter 1247 started the daunting task of restoring this historic craft. Located at Carl R Keller Field in Ohio, the plane is slowly coming together and once completed it will fly, fittingly from the very same airport from which it was based when it flew for Air Tours of Ohio all those years ago.
Born in Milan, Italy, Moreno moved to the U.S. in 1999 to pursue a career as a commercial pilot. His aviation passion began early, inspired by his uncle, an F-104 Starfighter Crew Chief, and his father, a military traffic controller. Childhood adventures included camping outside military bases and watching planes at Aeroporto Linate. In 1999, he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, to obtain his commercial pilot license, a move that became permanent. With 24 years in the U.S., he now flies full-time for a Part 91 business aviation company in Atlanta. He is actively involved with the Commemorative Air Force, the D-Day Squadron, and other aviation organizations. He enjoys life with his supportive wife and three wonderful children.
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