08/21/2026
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For most of us, when we think about the Ford Motor Company, cars and trucks come to mind. However, over the years Ford has built many different things from tractors and farm equipment to charcoal and of course cars and trucks.
Our old friends Henry and Edsel also had an interest in aviation and Hank built an airport. Ford Airport in Dearborn, Michigan, was one of the first modern airports in the world and operated from 1924 to 1947. The site is now part of Ford Motor Company's Dearborn Proving Ground. The airport was about 360 acres.
This airport saw many world and U.S. firsts. It was the first U.S. airport with a hotel across the street. It had the first concrete runways, the first U.S. scheduled passenger service, the first contracted airmail service, the first radio communication control for a commercial flights, and the first U.S. passenger terminal.
The buildings were designed by architect Albert Kahn and are considered to have greatly influenced the design of early airports throughout the U.S.
In 1925, Henry Ford built a large, modern, permanent dirigible mooring mast. It was only used twice and demolished in 1946.
The last two photos here are just a couple examples of airplanes built by Ford. First is Fordโs Trimotor โTin Gooseโ from 1925. The last photo is the 6,000th Ford B-24 bomber built at Ford's Willow Run facility during WWII. Both planes are worthy of their own stories which I'll share another time.
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