Want a Ford Tri-Motor type rating?
September 8, 2009 by Alton K. Marsh, Senior Editor, AOPA Pilot
With employment the way it is during this economic recession you may want to cover all your bases. With an $11,000 type rating you could be hopping rides to tourists above the Grand Canyon in one of the heavier models of the Ford Tri-Motor. (Only three Tri-Motors now flying require a type rating. The models that operate at a lower gross weight under a supplemental type certificate do not require a type rating.) Read about it here.
Tags: Ford Tri-Motor, pilot jobs, type ratings
September 8th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
I had no idea a trimotor required a type rating. Is it really over 12,500 lbs, or does the type certificate explicitly require the rating?
Getting typed in a Trimotor is all well and good, but if you’re going to drop that kind of money, why not join the Commemorative Air Force and become a pilot sponsor on one of the bombers. For $3,500 you can wind up flying a B-24 or B-17 straight out of World War II.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
The Ford Tri-Motor 5AT is 13,700 pounds and requires two pilots. There was an STC to operate Tri-Motors at 12,500 pounds, meaning they did not need a type rating.
September 9th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Crazy, I had no idea they weighed that much. You wouldn’t know it by looking at the plane. Wonder what it would weigh today had it been built out of composites.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:31 pm
The trimotor is a big airplane. It is not too far from the same dimensions as the DC-3, and the DC-3 is over 25,000 pounds; I’ve actually always kind of thought that the Ford was pretty light for how big is really is, almost an 80 foot wingspan. I’m going down to AZ to do this exact Ford typerating in a couple months, can’t wait.
January 13th, 2010 at 3:31 am
I just got my Ford Trimotor type rating 3 days ago in this exact airplane. It is a truly amazing experience. The entire time is an amazing time, as well as the checkride. If anyone is interested, contact me at krogen42hull198@aol.com!