FROM THE HOOSIER STATE TO MOTOWN AT DUSK DETROIT’S CITY LIGHTS GLOW ALONG THE SHORES OF THE DETROIT RIVER FROM THE HOOSIER STATE TO MOTOWN 8
Few American cities are as closely identified with a particular industry as Detroit is with automobile manufacturing Henry Ford built the first factory there in 1899 and within a few years some of the nation’s best-known brands had made the city their home Many were named for men who played a key role in their growth and development railroad mechanic Walter Chrysler engine developer David Dunbar Buick Swiss race car driver Louis Chevrolet and French army officer Antoine Laumet de La Mothe sieur de Cadillac who founded Detroit in 1701 The industry quickly spread beyond Detroit to surrounding communities many of which made vital components for the cars and were also named for their founders Pistons which move up and down in the engine blocks to deliver the power that propels vehicles were made by Zollner Machine Works in Fort Wayne Indiana DAVE DEBUSSCHERE 9
The Flying Z In 1952 general manager Carl Bennett suggested flying the team back and forth to away games instead of taking the train Train travel involved frequent overnight runs in sleeping cars with beds too short for the tall players to stretch out They were exhausted for games the next day Flying allowed them to return home and get a good night’s sleep in their own beds Because of the uncertainty of chartering a plane Zollner decided to buy one so that it would always be available The DC-3 he purchased was fondly dubbed The Flying Z and was outfitted with comfortable furniture a well-stocked bar a galley and several four-man tables where the players and coaches could play cards The plane made the Pistons the envy of their opponents and rival owners As author Rodger Nelson notes Every player asked about the Flying Z had an enthusiastic response Bennett however recalled that Zollner saw the plane differently The funny thing about the plane was that Fred was not a flier he said I mean he was a real white-knuckler when it came to flying COURTSIDE STORIES The Flying Z 11
