By Marc Breen, EAA 1468014
By 1925, Americans could travel long distances by train or automobile; but the idea of commercial aviation only existed in dreams and imagination. Air travel seemed like an interesting concept, but also was somewhat unreliable at the time, which meant that it was enjoyed only by the brave — soldiers who’d flown in World War I, entrepreneurial barnstormers, and the few intrepid airmail pilots.
Still, airplane manufacturers hoped to develop commercial aviation and needed to build and promote airfields with dependable runways and modern facilities. Air travel needed to be proven safe and reliable to help people become comfortable with the idea of flight.
The Detroit Board of Commerce and the Detroit Aviation Society suggested a National Air Tour, a concept credited to Harvey Campbell and based on the 1904 Glidden Automobile Tour that publicized highway travel. Edsel Ford donated a tour trophy of gold and silver, and the tour was scheduled to depart from Ford’s new airfield in Dearborn, Michigan. It was scheduled to visit 12 additional cities over six days in a grand tour of the Midwest from September 28 to October 4, 1925.
The first Commercial Airplane Reliability Tour in 1925 was a sensational success. Seventeen airplanes from 11 different manufacturers drew tremendous crowds to every stop along the way. Many names involved are still instantly recognizable today: Edward Stinson, Walter Beech, and Henry and Edsel Ford.
To learn more about the Air Tours, you can read The Ford Air Tours 1925-1931 by Lesley Forden.
One hundred years later the idea of commercial aviation and worldwide travel is commonplace and ordinary. Most household goods, groceries, and electronics we use daily were produced in another country and many arrived by air. The dream that started in 1925 is lived daily by most of the modern world. To commemorate this amazing achievement, a group of Mooney pilots from the Rocky Mountains decided to recreate the amazing voyage laid out 100 years ago.
In September 2025, a group of Mooney pilots decided to recreate the original tour. Each pilot was provided with a coil bound “Flight Packet” that contained pictures of the 1925 Tour and history of the Air Reliability Tour as well as an airport facility directory page and airport diagram for each airport. The back page was a flight card that had areas for a “passport” stamp at each of the stops. We had self-inking stampers made for each stop that spelled out F-O-R-D-A-I-R-T-O-U-R-1925-2025, and it contained the airport identifier where we stopped along with the city name of the original tour. We also found a group of Franklin Mint “First Air Reliability Tour Fiftieth Anniversary Coins” that were made to resemble the original silver medallions given to the 11 pilots who made perfect scores on the 1925 Air Reliability Tour. A commemorative coin was given to each of the pilots passengers who joined us; additionally, a copy of National Geographic’s Living in the Age of Airplanes DVD was sent out ahead of time for inspiration!
Fun Events Along the Way:
Garmin Aviation Factory tour hosted by Jarett Haffner at Garmin International in Olathe, Kansas
Wright Brothers National Museum in Carillon Park in Dayton, Ohio.
Evening air tours in a 1946 Piper J-3 Cub on floats flown by Captain Doug Keen at Portage Lake in Pinckney, Michigan.
Wrigley Field to see Chicago Cubs beat St. Louis Cardinals 7-3.
Airports Visited:
KMKC Charles B. Wheeler Downtown — Kansas City, MO; KSUS Spirit of St. Louis — St. Louis, MO; KHUF — Terre Haute Regional Airport — Terre Haute, IN; KEYE Eagle Creek — Indianapolis, IN; KMGY — Dayton/Wright Brothers Airport — Dayton, OH (not on original tour but a worthy stop for us); KOSU Ohio State University — Columbus, OH; KBKL Burke Lakefront Airport — Cleveland, OH; KARB Ann Arbor Municipal — Ann Arbor, MI; KSMD Smith Field Airport — Fort Wayne, IN; KMDW Chicago Midway International — Chicago, IL; KDVN Davenport Municipal — Davenport, IA; KIKV Ankeny Regional Airport — Ankeny, IA; KCBF Council Bluffs Municipal — Council Bluffs, IA; KSTJ Rosecrans Memorial Airport — St. Joseph, MO.
*Airports in bold were overnight stops.
2025 Air Reliability Tour Log of Pilots and Passengers:
Marc Johnson/Elary Johnson — 1986 Mooney M20K 252
Dan Driscoll — 1994 Mooney M20M
Marc Breen/Meredith Sherrill — 1997 Mooney M20K Encore