Tinkering on the Ford Tri-Motor

TULSA, Okla. — For those needing an aircraft engine overhaul, a company in Tulsa, Oklahoma — nearly 900 miles away from the greater Sandusky area — can do the work, but only if the machinery is really old. Tulsa Aircraft Engines' unusual specialty, overhauling decades-old Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines, will power a rebuilt Ford Tri-Motor aircraft housed at Liberty Aviation Museum near Port Clinton. After about two decades of work, the aircraft is close to being ready to fly. Bio blast Tulsa Aircraft Engines, located in north Tulsa near the Tulsa International Airport, services Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp and Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior engines. Some of the engines date back to the 1920s. They were used to power a wide variety of vintage aircraft, including Ford Tri-Motor aircraft, which also date back to the 1920s. "There are only two major shops in the world that do these," said Tulsa Aircraft Engine owner Rex Vaughan. The other major shop is in eastern Oklahoma, in Okmulgee, although there are also smaller shops. Tulsa Aircraft Engines employs 13 people, counting Vaughan; Vaughan's brother, Jack Vaughan; and Vaughan's wife, April Vaughan, the company secretary. The company aims to overhaul eight engines a month and also works on mags and carburetors. De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver floatplanes, made from the late 1940s to 1967, are a big source of business, Vaughan said. The company also has made a lot of money keeping crop dusters flying, although that business has slowed down. The company's reputation is enhanced by the fact that planes powered by its engines have won several times at the National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada. Many trophies sit in Vaughan's office. "We've won with several different planes," Vaughan said. Getting creative New parts for airplane engines sometimes predating World War II are not readily available, so Vaughan's company uses vintage parts. The supply got a big boost in 2012 when Vaughan bought 150 engines and many parts from a supplier in Denver. The owner, who suspected he was dying, instructed his family that if he didn't make it, he should sell his entire stock to Vaughan. In addition, Tulsa Aircraft Engines makes many of its own parts. Training also is largely in-house. Although there are schools that train aircraft mechanics — Tulsa has a famous old school, the Spartan College of Aeronautics — schools don't train people to work on very old engines. So the workers at Tulsa Aircraft Engines are trained by the company. "We've got the original manuals," Vaughan said. "I guarantee you: You don't want to vary from them." The local angle The Ford Tri-Motor Foundation has spent about 20 years rebuilding a Ford Tri-Motor airplane. Visitors to Liberty Aviation Museum, located at Erie-Ottawa International Airport near Port Clinton, can keep tabs on the progress of the work. While much of the labor has been done locally by volunteers, certain key components were purchased and shipped to Ohio, including three R-985 Wasp Junior engines and propellers made in Germany. The foundation owned the core of one engine, which Tulsa Aircraft Engines finished, and bought two other engines from the company, said Jody Brausch, president of the foundation. The engines cost $70,000, Brausch said. About $2.1 million has been spent on the Tri-Motor restoration project, which relies upon fundraising and tax-deductible contributions to the foundation. It maintains a website at restoretheford.org. Brausch said that, by October, the plane should be sitting on its landing gear with engines installed on the plane's nose and wings. Finishing touches, such as completing the interior and engine cowling, should be done over the winter with a first flight probably taking place in spring 2025. "We're super excited," Brausch said. Humble beginnings Tulsa Aircraft Engines has existed since 1973. Vaughan worked there and bought it in 2008, completing the paperwork in 2012. An Arkansas native, Vaughan got into the aircraft mechanic business when his brother helped him get a job in 1982 at a local company. It was an attractive alternative to Vaughan's other employment options. "I didn't want to haul hay all my life," he said. Vaughan married, moved to Tulsa and started work at Tulsa Aircraft Engines in 1983. But Vaughan hasn't strayed far from his rural roots. He still hauls hay and also has a ranch with 200 head of cattle. Editor's note: Tom Jackson reported on this story from Tulsa, Oklahoma.