Detroit businessman Edward F. Schlee and his co-pilot, William S. Brock made the first nonstop Detroit-to-Miami flight on January 7, 1929, finishing in nine hours and 20 minutes.
As Schlee and Brock were winging their way south, the Ford Motor Company continued to expand its involvement in the nation’s fledgling passenger airplane industry. Ford’s Tri-Motor airplane, which became a staple in the nation’s commercial airplane industry during the early 1930s, provided many Americans with their first airplane ride. According to one observer, “If not for a Ford Tri-Motor, there might not be a United States airline industry.”
Source: Michigan is Amazing