Ford

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Ford had early success in aviation with the Tri-Motor airliner, but also an unsuccessful venture with the single-seat Flivver, which was critically panned.
  • Despite the failure of the Flivver, Ford later made a substantial contribution to aviation by producing thousands of B-24 bombers during World War II.
  • Beyond aircraft manufacturing, Ford is also well-known for building cars, including the Super Deluxe model throughout the 1940s.
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The best airliner in the world before the Douglas DC-3 took over, the Ford Tri-Motor, was built Ford Tough. Another foray into aviation wasn’t as successful. The Flivver was a single-seat “everyman’s plane,” and first flew in the late 1920s. Charles Lindbergh flew and called it “the worst aircraft” he ever flew. Soon after the Flivver disaster, Ford stopped producing it and other light planes, too. It’s plane building, however, didn’t stop there. The company built thousands of B-24 bombers during WWII. Oh, yeah, the company has built a few cars, too, including this gorgeous Super Deluxe, which it built throughout the ’40s.

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