BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (AP) - Residents in the Bloomington area are getting the chance to ride in a 90-year-old airplane.
The local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association has brought a 1928 Ford Tri-Motor to the Central Illinois Regional Airport, The Pantagraph reported . The plane was a sightseeing vehicle for Transcontinental Air Transport.
The plane is on lease to the national EAA from Liberty Aviation Museum in Port Clinton, Ohio.
The craft can hold up to 10 passengers, who each get a window seat. Rides last about 10 minutes and fly above downtown Bloomington, the Illinois State University campus and Heartland Community College.
Chenoa pilot Bill Thacker is a member the local EAA chapter, which is headquartered at the airport. He said he’s excited to fly the plane this weekend and spread his love of flying.
“What they’re going to see, to hear, to feel, to experience, to smell is exactly what would have happened in 1929,” he said. “They’re going to be able to see me do my work because there’s no cockpit door on this airplane. They can just look right in there and see me start the engines.”
Flights cost $75 for adults, $50 for those under 17 and are free for children 2 years old or younger. Money raised will benefit Young Eagles, an EAA program that introduces children to planes.
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Information from: The Pantagraph, http://www.pantagraph.com
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