The Blériot XI inspired plane featured wing warping controls and a radiator perpendicular to the wind.

[3][4] In World War I Ford went into the aircraft motor business with production of the Packard-designed Liberty engine for the military.

With money from the Champion Spark Plug corporation, Stout built the three-passenger Batwing Limousine in 1920.

In 1927, Charles Lindbergh took the Spirit of St. Louis to Mexico on a promotional tour following its non-stop flight over the Atlantic.

A new company formed from this effort brought back two modern examples of the trimotor aircraft, the Stout Bushmaster 2000.

Edsel sponsored many aviation events from Ford Airport, cross-marketing his interests in airlines and aircraft production.

The Ford National Reliability Air Tour gathered manufactures from around the world to compete in order to promote aviation.

In 1926, he sponsored Admiral Byrd's flight to the North Pole in a Fokker F.VII named the Josephine Ford.

After witnessing the tests, Henry Ford left disgusted, and shortly afterward reassigned Stout away from engineering.

[17] On January 16, 1926 Harold Hicks asked Tom Towle to bring all drawings of the 3-AT to the Ford Engineering Laboratory.

[10] McDonnell would leave to the Hamilton Metalplane Company in 1927, building his own corrugated metal aircraft design that closely matched the 2-AT.

It was bought by a group of investors rounded up by Stout to invest in the CAM-9 airmail route forming an entity called Northwest Airlines.

[21] Ford Air Transport Service was started in 1925 to carry passengers and mail on the lucrative new airmail routes.

[22] The Ford Trimotor entered production and became a popular choice for the new airlines serving airmail contracts.

1749578 for a Ford Trimotor sized aircraft with separate sets of propellers providing thrust and lift.

[4] Ford Motor Company stopped production of new aircraft designs with the closure of the Stout Metal Airplane Division.

Ford is also a major contributor to the Young Eagles program, auctioning off aviation-themed custom Mustangs each year since 1998.