This early Tri-Motor was the first plane of Maddux Air Lines, bought by Jack Maddux in July 1927. On other photos taken here at Dutch Flats, or Ryan Field, it still wears its initial registration NC3114, so perhaps changes were made here. By 1928, it reportedly wore fleet number 1 on the fuselage. This is the same Tri-Motor that was put on display in Pennsylvania Station in New York City in 1931. It was later sold or given to Henry Ford for his museum, but somehow it has not survived. Photo from: San Diego Air & Space Museum

Stout's airline at first operated as Detroit-Grand Rapids Airline and Cleveland-Detroit Airline. This early Tri-Motor crashed near Toledo, Ohio on 16 January 1929 following an in-flight fire. The aircraft carried 2500 pounds of mail. Photo from: Cleveland Public Library

When D-1167 Bremen ended its transatlantic flight at remote Greenly Island, frozen Lac Nairne (then Lac Sainte-Agnès) became a busy transit hub. Floyd Bennett caught pneumonia here after flying in this Tri-Motor from Detroit with fellow hero Bernt Balchen. Bennett died on 25 April and Balchen carried the Bremen flyers from Lac Nairne to Washington, DC on 27 April to attend his funeral. The Tri-Motor was flying for the North American Newspaper Alliance (NANA) but Ford surely appreciated the publicity. This airframe became the oldest surviving Tri-Motor as N1077.

Crashed at Floresville, Texas on December 22, 1928. Photo from: Denver City Library Special Collection

After its licence expired in September 1930, NC3114 was put on display in the Pennsylvania Railroad Station in New York City. It was later broken up for parts. Photo from: Denver City Library Special Collection

The Royal Typewriter Company of Hartford, Connecticut, bought this early Tri-Motor to deliver its typewriters to distributors. The intention allegedly was to drop them by parachute! Wikipedia even claims that 11,000 typewriters were airdropped but we don't believe it. The aircraft was sold to Stout Air Services within a few months. William Stout is the unmistakable fellow on the right. The others are Edsel Ford on the left and, a bit off topic, Richard Byrd. Photo from: The Henry Ford