Vintage airliner will take flyers up for rides at air show in Springfield

A 1930's era Ford Tri-Motor taxis at the Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture 2013 at Wittman Regional Airport on July 30, 2013 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Photo credit (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

By Dave Dahl

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — If your grandparents were adventurous enough to fly, they just may have ridden on a plane that is the main attraction at the Experimental Aircraft Association show in Springfield.

It’s the Ford Tri-Motor, built in 1928 and sort of a precursor to the DC-3. Organizer John Salz, president of the local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association, says it was Henry Ford’s stab at aviation.

The industrialist believed three engines, rather than one, would inspire more confidence in potential passengers.

“When you’re flying, you’re not thinking about work,” Salz said. “I enjoy the view; I think of it as getting to see from God’s perspective up there.”

You can pay for a ride on the Tri-Motor during the duration of the show at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport, Thursday through Sunday. For more information, click here.