Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight

Transcontinental Air Transport made headlines in 1929 when it reduced the travel time between New York and Los Angeles to a mere 48 hours, shuttling passengers by Ford Tri-Motor during the day and by train at night. Those who could afford the sojourn paid dearly for their tickets, and in return made a trip both elegant and revolutionary, as well as monumentally uncomfortable.

Air travel as a paying passenger in the roaring 20s was a playground for the rich, and as such was sumptuously appointed by TAT. The service, decorations, and in-flight meals were luxurious by any standards, all set to the tune of three hand-crank radial engines thrumming the cabin with noise and vibration. The Ford Tri-Motor was quite stable in calm air, even by modern standards, but flew low and buffeted passengers severely thanks to heavy low-altitude turbulence. Even pampering and privilege must take a back seat to the natural world.