National Air
Transport Ford 5-AT-D
NC436H
(c/n 103)
National began receiving updated
Ford Tri-Motors at the end of 1928. They were used on the
Chicago - New York route. Much of this traffic was comprised of
transcontinental passengers
arriving
off Boeing Air Transport Boeing 80As in Chicago, and then transferring
to NAT for their
onward
passage to New York. On 31 March 1930 United Aircraft
acquired 30% of NAT's
stock. By April this was up to 57% and
on 7 May 1930 the purchase of NAT was completed.
The aircraft then ran in dual
identity (with their "National Air
Transport" logo side-barred with
"United Air Lines") until 1934, when
the four founder airlines finally lost their identity.