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Heroes of the Sky is an exhibit on aviation history at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan. It’s located at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.
The exhibit chronicles the history of flight from its earliest days, highlighting famous pilots and different vessels. At the entrance is an early Northwest Airlines passenger plane.
1903 Wright Flyer
Heroes of the Sky includes a replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer, which Orville and Wilbur Wright flew at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903. The original Wright Flyer is at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.
Ford Flivver
Ford Flivver Airplane #1, built in 1926, was Henry Ford’s entrance into the world of aviation. He built three or four prototypes with the idea of making them the Model T of the sky, but abandoned the project after his test pilot, Harry Brooks, died in a crash near Melbourne, Florida, in 1928.
1925 Fokker F. VII Tri-Motor
A 1925 Fokker F. VII Tri-Motor has an entire room dedicated to it. It’s significant because it was the very plane flown over the North Pole by Admiral Richard Byrd in 1926. The expedition was financed by Edsel Ford, and Byrd named the plane “Josephine Ford” after Edsel’s daughter. Controversy surrounding the expedition is covered in the exhibit as well, because there have been serious doubts as to whether or not Byrd reached the pole.
1928 Ford 4-AT-B Tri-Motor
A 1928 Ford 4-AT-B Tri-Motor is also on display. This plane was flown by Byrd over the South Pole on November 28-29, 1929. It was named after Floyd Bennett, the pilot with whom Byrd claimed to reach the North Pole. Bennett died a few months before the South Pole expedition.
1927 Boeing 40-B2
In the same room as the South Pole plane is a 1927 Boeing 40-B2. It flew 6,049 service hours and crashed four times without any injuries to passengers or crew. The plane was donated to the museum in 1938.
Helicopters
Finally, another room is dedicated to two different types of vessels. Hanging from the ceiling is a 1931 Pitcairn-Cierva Autogiro, which was used by the Detroit News. This plane is unique because it could take off like a plane, but could land vertically like a helicopter. The engine was powered by a propeller and lift provided by a rotor. On the ground beneath it is a 1939 Sikorsky VS-300A Helicopter, which was the first successful helicopter developed by Igor Sikorsky.
Other Items
Other sections of the exhibit include the Pride of Detroit, which traveled to exotic locations all over the world, and an exhibit on wing walking. There’s also an Amelia Earhart-branded overnight luggage case from the Orenstein Trunk Company and a blouse designed by Earhart.
Commercial Aviation
Finally, a section of Heroes of the Sky covers commercial aviation. It explains the history of commercial airlines, the early standards of becoming a stewardess, and even lets visitors sit on four different replica passenger planes. The seats on the plane are authentic, you can hear the sound of the engine, and you can even look out the windows to feel like you’re actually flying.
The oldest “plane” on display is a 1927 Boeing 40 (not pictured), which was designed to carry mail but had room for two passengers. The cruising altitude was 900 feet with a cruising speed of 100 mph. The range was 650 miles. It featured blankets, a reading light, cotton to plug ears, coffee served in a thermos, and box lunches.
Next is a 1928 Ford Trimotor, which carried 15 passengers and had a cruising speed of 110 mph. The cruising altitude was 2,000 feet with a range of 570 miles. Passengers were able to open the windows while sitting in cushioned seats, and were given cold meals and cotton to plug their ears.
The 1939 Douglas DC-3 carried 21 passengers and had a range of 1,500 miles. The cruising altitude was 6,000 feet and it had a cruising speed of 200 mph. It had a heated cabin and soundproof interior, adjustable padded seats, hot in-flight meals, and pillows.
Finally, the 1967 Boeing 737 carried 130 passengers. It had a range of 2,100 miles at a cruising speed of 580 mph. The cruising altitude was 35,000 feet. Passengers enjoyed reclining seats, complimentary magazines, movies, music, and hot in-flight meals. It also had a climate-controlled cabin.
