Presidents Report                                                                               September 2022

What a beautiful day for our September meeting at the Chesterfield County Airport. We had 27 members, 5 Classics and 4 Retro Birds in attendance. The venue and the food were great and Linda and I want to thank all of you who attended. We had new members Paul Gori and Julie Castonguay join us. They are from West Point and have a triple colonial white 56 bird.

We will meet at the Pickle Barrel for our next meeting. It will be hosted by Tom and Brenda Morrison on Saturday, October 15th beginning at 11:30. This year we will be stuffing “Santa Boxes” so bring an unwrapped toy. The details for the meeting are included in Stan’s email dated Sept 25. Send RSVPs to pinktbird57@embarqmail.com no later than October 7th.

Nov 19th will be our officer elections meeting and will be hosted by George Siecko.

Dec 3rd will be hosted by Lyn and Ron Padrick.

Sunday, the 4th of December, will be the Williamsburg Christmas Parade. This will be a little different from years past in that it will be in conjunction with the Grand Illumination with a start time of 5pm. If you are interested in participating in the parade, please contact me at whbllb082069@gmail.com.  I need a firm head count by 15 October.

Our annual Business Meeting will be in Jan 2023.This meeting will be hosted by Bill and Linda Brown. The meeting will be held at Cesare’s Restaurante Italiano, 13301 River Bend Blvd, Chester, VA 23836.

It is never too early to start planning the 2023 schedule. Just ask anyone who has hosted, it is fun and easy. We have a “How To” checklist on the webpage if you need assistance. We have many members who have hosted in the past that you might consider teaming up to make it even easier. If you are interested in hosting, please contact Lynn Hillman, Activities Coordinator, at: Im_hillman@mac.com.

Since our venue for our September meeting was at the Chesterfield Airport, I thought I would give a brief overview of Henry Ford’s connection to aviation. The following is a brief summary of key events in chronological order of Ford Aviation and the Ford Trimotor aka “Tin Goose” or “Flying Washboard”.

1922     -Henry and Edsel interests piqued in airplanes and air travel. As with the model T, Henry wanted to bring air travel to the masses.

1925 -Henry purchases Stout Metal Airplane Co and makes it a subsidiary, Ford Aircraft Division.

Ford Aircraft Division would build 199 Ford Trimotors between 1926-33 which became the airplane of choice by the airlines such as TWA/PAN AM. The Ford Trimotor could carry 12 Passengers and crew of 3 and cruise at 130 mph.

Ford set aside 260 acres for an airport in Dearborn, which opened on 15 January 1925. This was one of the first airports to offer passenger and freight travel to the public. As an aside, today this is the Ford Dearborn Proving Grounds. On our visit to Ford World Headquarters (2015) we were invited to drive our Retro around this course.

1926     -Ford Aviation was awarded the very first USPS license to carry US Air Mail by an airline.

1927     - After Charles Lindbergh’s historic Transatlantic flight, he met Henry and gave Henry his first airplane ride in the Spirit of St Louis over the city of Detroit.

- Henry and Charles would have a life-long relationship which led to Henry hiring Charles Lindberg as a B-24 test pilot at the Willow Run Plant during WWII.  Other Famous people to fly or pilot a Trimotor were FDR during his 1932 campaign; Charles Lindbergh, Amilia Earhart; Neil Armstrong, as a passenger, when he was 8 years old, and Richard Byrd, the first to fly over the South Pole (was in a Ford Trimotor)

1933 – The Demise: With The Depression at its peak, Ford Aviation lost $6 million in 1933. Stiff competition from the introduction of the new Boeing 247 and Douglas DC-2, which were advanced airplanes compared to the Ford Trimotor, was too great for Ford Aviation Division.  The final nail in the coffin was the death of Henry’s personal pilot in a plane crash. This ended the ventures of Ford Aviation.

Here a few tidbits for the month of September concerning the history of the Ford Thunderbirds:

9/9/1954- First 55 Thunderbird rolls off the assembly line VIN # P5FH 100005 (George Watts’ Tbird)

9/16/1955- Last 55 Thunderbird rolls off the assembly line (total number of 55s was 16,155)

9/25/2000- Neiman Marcus Special Edition Retro Birds made available. A total of 200 were sold out in just under 2 hours.

9/19-23/2001- last of the Retro Bird Mystery Drives completed in Miami Florida.        

REMEMBER, IT’S ALL ABOUT FUN X 3!    Bill Brown

Saturday October 15 

     Tom and Brenda Morrison will be hosting the monthly VCTC meeting at the Pickle Barrel Restaurant, 12912 Plaza Drive, Henrico, Va. 23233.  The fun begins at 11:30 am. We will have a buffet meal for an all-inclusive cost of $25 which will consist of;

          Pork tenderloin / with stuffing

          Chicken either baked or fried
          Green beans
          Scalloped potatoes
          Baked apples
          Salad/rolls
          Water/ tea
     And a cash bar for anyone wanting drinks

     In previous years we have met at the Pickle Barrel in November and brought toys as part of the Marine Corp “Toys for Tots” program.  Brenda has found another organization doing the same worthy work. So, bring an unwrapped toy on the 15th and we will contribute them via “Santa Boxes”.

     The restaurant management is donating a Christmas Wreath to be raffled off, tickets can be purchased at the event.

     Please respond to Brenda and Tom at    pinktbird57@embarqmail.com  no later than October 7 as to your availability.  

Williamsburg Christmas Parade 2022

Hear Ye Hear Ye! 

     The 2022 Williamsburg Christmas Parade has been announced. The parade has changed from previous years and now will be in conjunction with the Williamsburg Grand Illumination.

     The start time will be 5pm, Sunday, 4 December. This is a great way to enjoy the parade and see the grand Illumination.

     I need a head count of any members that would be interested in participating. Just ask anyone who has been in the parade about how much fun it is.

     Please RSVP Bill Brown at whbllb082069@gmail.com by 20 September.