One lucky bidder on Jan. 17 will get to be the new owner of a completely restored 1929 Ford 4-AT-E Tri-Motor, after an auction to be held in Scottsdale, Ariz., during a car show, EAA said on Wednesday. It’s not very often an airplane of this pedigree becomes available on the open market, according to EAA. The airplane, NC9612, is one of only six in the world that is known to be airworthy. It has flown many different missions in several different mission configurations, including a stint as a transport in Hawaii in the early 1940s, and was hit by bullets during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It was fully restored in 2005, with a reworked airframe and an all-new interior. The fuselage and wings were completely re-skinned. The landing gear is complete and original. A special buyer’s preview and inspection is scheduled for Dec. 6 and 7 at Goldsboro-Wayne Municipal Airport in North Carolina. The airplane will not be on site at the January auction in Arizona.
For information on the auction process and bidder registration, contact Jamie Wiehe at Barrett-Jackson, 480-421-6694 or visit their Web site. For more information about the airplane, contact Michele Overton at 336-262-9560. There is no set reserve on the aircraft, meaning it will be sold to the last and highest bidder, EAA said.
