North End
by Jon Burch Photography
Title
North End
Artist
Jon Burch Photography
Medium
Photograph - Digital Photography
Description
…of a south bound Trimotor.
The Ford Trimotor was more advanced than the standard construction techniques of the 1920’s. The aircraft resembled the Fokker F.VII Trimotor, except for being all metal which Henry Ford claimed made it "the safest airliner around". Its fuselage and wings followed a design pioneered by Junkers during World War I with the Junkers J.I and used postwar in a series of airliners starting with the Junkers F.13 low-wing monoplane of 1920 of which a number were exported to the United States, the Junkers K 16 high-wing airliner of 1921, and the Junkers G 24 Trimotor of 1924.
All of these were constructed of aluminum alloy, which was corrugated for added stiffness, although the resulting drag reduced its overall performance. So similar were the designs that Junkers sued and won when Ford attempted to export an aircraft to Europe. In 1930, Ford counter-sued in Prague, and despite the possibility of anti-German sentiment, was decisively defeated a second time, with the court finding that Ford had infringed upon Junkers' patents.
Although designed primarily for passenger use, the Trimotor could be easily adapted for hauling cargo, since its seats in the fuselage could be removed. To increase cargo capacity, one unusual feature was the provision of "drop-down" cargo holds below the lower inner wing sections of the 5-AT version.
Some digital effects were applied to the original image after the photograph was made. No electrons were harmed during the transition.
Image copyright 2023 Jon Burch Photography
Uploaded
September 5th, 2023
Embed
Share
