OTTAWA — The Tin Goose has flown home. A Ford Tri-Motor once owned by Ottawa Municipal Airport manager Chuck LeMaster is visiting the airport and offering rides to the public as part of a regional barnstorming tour. Henry Ford put America on wheels with the Model T. He tried to put America on wings with the Tri-Motor, pilot Colin Soucy said. The plane represented a leap in comfort and safety and it gave an important boost to the U.S. airline industry, he said. The tri-motor visiting Ottawa, which is owned by the Experimental Aircraft Association, a national organization dedicated to flight, was the first airliner owned by EasternAirlines and is painted in Eastern’s original colors. Ttickets are $60 for the 15-minute flights. The tri-motor will fly beginning today at noon and go until about dusk and then Wednesday from 9 to about 5. Unlike modern airliners, you won’t need to make reservations and there’s no security check and the crew is a lot friendlier.
