Mike, you are 100 percent correct. The Fokker was the first tri-motor in that configuration. At first, Ford built licensed copies and then they made some changes to the design.
The tri-motor is just one of the many things Ford gets credit for but didn't actually -- like invent the automobile, invent the assembly line, invent the V-8, etc, etc.
The Fokkers achieved an impressive number of aviation firsts, including 1st non-stop transcontinental flight, first over the North Pole, first female to fly (as a passenger) the Atlantic (Amelia Earhart in a Fokker flown by Bernt Balken, I think). There are others, but I can't think of them off the top of my head.
My dad and I flew in a tri-motor at Owls Head about 20 years ago -- might have been that same plane. What a great flight! Go for it -- you'll have a wonderful experience.
John
