EHOVE Career Center students take part in aircraft restoration project
EVOHE students were invited to take part in the cleaning of an aircraft called the Tin Goose as part of the Tri-Motor Heritage Foundation’s restoration efforts to make the airplane airborne once more.
Port Clinton, Ohio played host to a historical aircraft restoration project, and the students at EHOVE Career Center’s Collision and Refinishing program were given the chance to play a part in the project. The Tri-Motor Heritage Foundation asked the students and their instructor, Duane Koch, to help with their restoration of the Tin Goose, a 1929 Ford Tri-Motor airplane. It is one of fewer than 200 all-metal airplanes produced by Ford.
The 24 participating students took direction from the foundation and Koch, as they assisted with a critical part of the plane’s restoration, prepping the craft for painting by washing and degreasing the wings and fuselage. The cleaning removed decades of oil, debris, and dust, so the paint will be able to properly adhere to the surface of the Tin Goose. The sheer number of students assisting with the cleaning meant that it only took two hours. Images of the day can be found on EHOVE's Facebook page.
In an article on EHOVE’s website, Jody Brausch of the Tri-Motor Heritage Foundation’s Board of Directors commented on the help the students gave, saying, “The EHOVE students did a great job. They worked hard and did a great service. We’re very grateful.”
The students taking part in EHOVE’s Collision and Refinishing program learn a variety of skills such as vinyl wrapping, and fixing damaged vehicles using professional techniques like wrench work, painting, sanding, and welding. Duane Koch noted that having the students participate in the Tin Goose restoration project was a beneficial opportunity for his students as it allowed them not only real world experience, but the chance to get involved in a community project.
Brausch also noted that the restoration project should be completely finished in about a year. Now that the first prep work has been completed thanks to the help of the students, the plane can be painted and assembled and test flights can be conducted. The Tri-Motor Heritage Foundation plans to do history flights out to the islands near Port Clinton and back, taking off and landing at Erie Ottawa International Airport. Once the restoration effort has been completed, the Tin Goose will be one of only five total Tri-Motor Airplanes still in the air.
The effort to restore the Tin Goose started almost 20 years ago by a group of airplane enthusiasts, but was inspired by Maurice Hovious, who is the nation’s leading authority on Ford Tri-Motors. The project was started in collaboration with pilot Ken Benjamin.
The Tin Goose was built in Dearborn, Michigan and started flying in 1929 in Mexico City for Aero Mexico. Two years later the craft was sold to Pan Am and flew the route from Key West, Florida, to Havana, Cuba for several years. In 1946 it was sold to Island Airlines and flew from the mainland to the islands in Lake Erie. It was then sold to Johnson Flying Service in 1952 where it was a Montana smoke jumper for only six weeks until a crash took it out of service. It stayed there until 1984 when it was recovered with the hopes of someday being restored.
“Restoring it has been a community-wide effort. We are super proud of their effort and the support from all over,” said Brausch.
More information about the Tin Goose restoration project can be found on the Restore the Ford website.
More information about EHOVE Career Center can be found on the school’s website.