Rochester Can Experience a Flight Back in Time

The EAA Airventure Oshkosh 2015 air show is just around the corner! From July 20-26, the show features literally hundreds of aircraft of all makes and models. Besides getting to tour various historical planes and hear presentations regarding aircraft history and other airline industry-related topics, the event also features entertainment including country music star Dierks Bentley in concert on Monday, July 20.

To help promote this year’s air show, the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) is in Rochester this weekend, having brought along a 1929 Ford Tri-Motor. The Tri-Motor was the world’s first mass-produced airliner and 199 of them were built between 1926 and 1933. Only 8 of them are still flying.

I admit, I’m not the world’s best airplane passenger. Since an incident in high school involving some serious turbulence while flying over the Rocky Mountains, that included our airplane suddenly, and unexpectedly, dropping a few hundred feet, I always feel just a slight sense of uneasiness when we hit little bumps during a flight.

So, when the chance to fly in this vintage airliner arose this week, I was interested but not overly excited. But I decided it was one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that simply needed to be taken. And off I went to the Rochester International Airport for a flight around Rochester in the 85+ year old plane.

I’m so glad I did! The short trip around Rochester was really something to remember. The plane only seats 10, and is driven by three propeller engines. The windows were huge when compared to today’s airliners and the views were stunning, as we didn’t get that high in the air. Here's a quick two-minute highlight video:

Anyone interested in taking the flight themselves can do just that! It will be here in Rochester from now until July 12, and flights can be booked online. Or you can walk up out at the general aviation terminal of the airport (not the main terminal, but the one past the main terminal) and purchase a ticket for the roughly 15-minute flight. The cost for a walk-up ticket is just $75. Online booking in advance will save you $5.