NAS Pensacola is painted on the fin. Photo from: Denver City Library Special Collection

This U-1 was assigned to VX-6 in Antarctica and participated in Operation Deep Freeze II and III. After returning to the U.S., it was assigned to the US Navy Test Pilot School at NAS Patuxent River, where it was redesignated NU-1B. Its last assignment was NAS Pensacola, attached to the Naval Air Training Command for general utility use. To the museum in 1975 in flyable condition. Heavily damaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, it has been restored and now is on display inside the Hangar Bay One building.

Although marked as RR-5 Bureau Number 9205, this is actually 4-AT-E N7861 which never was assigned to the US Navy. It was originally built in 1928 as a 4-AT-B and converted by the factory in 1929 to a 4-AT-E. N7861 spent most of its flying career with Johnson Flying Service, where it was used as an insect spray aircraft as well as under contract with the US Forest Service as a smoke jumper transport. It was donated to the museum in 1973. The US Navy and US Marine Corps had a total of 9 Ford Tri-Motors of various types in their inventory, all ordered between 1927-1931.