Ford Airplane plant

[kendall]

GREAT FORD MOTOR STORY -- A Ford Airplane -

This was 6 months BEFORE Pearl Harbor! Henry Ford was determined that he could mass produce bombers just as he had done with cars, so he built the Willow Run assembly plant in Michigan. It was the world's largest building under one roof at the time. - one B-24 every 55 minutes. . . and Ford had their own pilots to test them. and they had no recalls

ADOLF HITLER HAD NO IDEA THE U.S. WAS CAPABLE OF THIS KIND OF THING.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/iKlt6rNciTo?rel=0

[SofaKing]

- one B-24 every 55 minutes. . .

The test flight probably took longer than 55 minutes. Very cool, thanks!

[mhsprecher]

It was not simple. Charlie Sorenson thought they could use assembly line methods for bomber construction. It took them years to get up to speed. His book My Forty Years with Ford discusses it. A summary for sure, from his viewpoint. I think there is another more detailed book on the plane.

[FortyNiner]

Actually, Ford tried too hard to make the bomber plant behave just like a car plant. In particular, all the metal parts were initially hard tooled. This improved part production efficiency but caused excessive delay and cost to implement ongoing engineering changes - changes triggered in part by pilot feedback.

[TonyM]

Originally Posted by kendall

GREAT FORD MOTOR STORY -- A Ford Airplane -

Not the first Ford airplane.

The Ford Tri-Motor was manufactured by Ford during the 1920s, many years before they began building B-24s.



The first complete Ford built B-24 did not roll out of Willow Run until September 1942.


Here is a photo of a Ford Tri Motor in front of the Ford Motor Company Hangar at Lansing Municipal Airport, Lansing, Illinois. This hangar was built in 1927 by FoMoCo to facilitate the delivery of the Ford Tri-Motor airplane.

[Lawrie]

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There is one of those B24,s crashed in the hills where we live,lots of it still there.all on board died in the crash,my brother helped the US military guys who were over to recover their remains and they are now in arlington cemetery.
Lawrie

[FrankWest]

WOW that is a large plane for the time. But, Ford was familiar with large aircraft..like the Ford Tri-motors built during the early thirties. Amazing company..and the only us car company that didn't need to be bailed out, in 2008!

[mhsprecher]

And with essentially Ford family control after 100 years.

[russcc]

That said it all. The book Wheels for the World is a great look inside from start to 2000.

[chuck stevens]

My wife and I got to see the b29 yesterday at Leesburg FL., It was around for the end of the war, I should say it ended the war, Enola Gay was a sister to the one we saw. FiFi is the last fling B29,72 cylinders, 12,000 turbocharged horsepower, 20,000 Lbs payload... talk about high tech! It was designed during the war, rides are available, $$$$. If it comes to an airport near you it's worth the time to see it, Chuck S.

[corvette8n]

So which Great Lake did they drop the dummy bombs into?

[ArcLighter]

I flew out of the Willow Run Airport for the now defunct Reliant Airlines in 1999; Reliant was hangared in the building in the video. The Yankee Air Museum at Willow Run has a B-24 on display there, as well as one of the B-52D's that I flew out of U-Tapao, Thailand; tail number "677," 11NOV72. The boys at the museum thought that I was BS-ing them until I took my AF Form 5 with the evidence -- free beers after that.

[19Fordy]

ArcLighter: Great job. It is truly amazing what Henry Ford (and others) accomplished. All with just a slide rule and no computers. Yes, the Greatest Generation paid their dues for all of us.

[Capn John]

B-29 FIFI will be at DAYTONA BEACH, FL starting today through April 3, along with a B-17 TEXAS RAIDERS, a P-51 MUSTANG, a T-6, C-45, and others, and the balance of the year schedule is available here: http://www.airpowersquadron.org/#!b29-schedule/c1yws

The B-24 was produced in very large numbers. At nearly 19,000 units, with over 8,000 manufactured by Ford Motor Company, it holds the distinction of being the most produced heavy bomber in history, the most produced multi-engine aircraft in history and the most-produced American military aircraft.

As a side note the PIETENPOL AIR CAMPER had a FORD Model A engine.
ENJOY!!!

[petehoovie]

When watching video documentaries and reading about what America accomplished during that short period of time, I'm always awed by Americas manufacturing prowess during that time. In just those four short years we built the largest navy and air force ever known in the history of mankind and not to mention the arms and equipment needed to fight a war on two fronts. I have my doubts that we could ever do this again given this emasculated, politically correct, 'nanny' society we have today. No EPA back then. No environmental impact reports etc. to file back then. NO BS back then....Just get the frigging job done....

[RobR'35]

Well put! I agree 100%

[1952henry]

Do

Originally Posted by petehoovie

When watching video documentaries and reading about what America accomplished during that short period of time, I'm always awed by Americas manufacturing prowess during that time. In just those four short years we built the largest navy and air force ever known in the history of mankind and not to mention the arms and equipment needed to fight a war on two fronts. I have my doubts that we could ever do this again given this emasculated, politically correct, 'nanny' society we have today. No EPA back then. No environmental impact reports etc. to file back then. NO BS back then....Just get the frigging job done....

All of that in spite of illegal strikes by unions (probably not so much at Willow Run) who whined about the "horrible" factory conditions.

My recently departed uncle was a waist gunner on the B-24 "Citrus Sadie" (459th Bombardment Group 758th squadron). He and the rest of the crew became POWs after their bomber was shot down. I don't think the factory conditions were anything like that which his crew endured, including the Death March, dysentery, and near starvation.

[Fibber Mcgee]

Originally Posted by chuck stevens

My wife and I got to see the b29 yesterday at Leesburg FL., It was around for the end of the war, I should say it ended the war, Enola Gay was a sister to the one we saw. FiFi is the last fling B29,72 cylinders, 12,000 turbocharged horsepower, 20,000 Lbs payload... talk about high tech! It was designed during the war, rides are available, $$$$. If it comes to an airport near you it's worth the time to see it, Chuck S.

I got to see her when she was in Jacksonville, definitely worth it. I had the privilege of flying on the B 17 Aluminum Overcast a few years back and it was worth every penny, I'll never forget it.

[jimalabam]

ArcLighter: Just curious why and when the handle ArcLighter? Any "Nam" connection??? jiml...

[ArcLighter]

"Arc Light" operational code name for USAF (SAC) B-52 involvement in Vietnam. Arc Light tours were TDY (temporary duty) and as such were limited to 179 days; thus, none of the B-52 crews ever had a PCS tour of Nam, and were repeatedly sent back TDY after 30 days leave in the states. I had one TDY tour as a co-pilot, and a second as Aircraft Commander; was supposed to return to the states 16DEC72, but was held over longer as all available crews were needed to fly in the 1972 Hanoi-Haiphong Christmas Airshow (Linebacker II Ops). Some of the crews from Westover AFB, Dyess AFB, & McCoy AFB had five & six TDY tours, never getting credit for a "tour" in Vietnam - many guys had 400-500 missions TDY; and, to the best of my knowledge, none of the families/marriages survived; much similar to the multiple deployments that our troops have endured to Iraq & Afghanistan. Remembering the most forbidden tune from those days: The Animals - We Gotta Get Out Of This Place .