I have added the music for The Heavenly Aeroplane to my Good Old Songs pages. I found it in Gospel Quintet Songs published by Thoro Harris, c. 1928. The version as printed was copyrighted by Harris in 1928, authorship credited to J. S. McConnell. Note that there are FIVE verses as well as minor variations. It is also obviously older than Lomax stated. The Heavenly Aeroplane

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THE HEAVENLY AEROPLANE
(words and music by J. S. McConnell, copyright 1928 by Thoro Harris.)

One of these nights just at twelve o'clock
This old world's gwin ter reel and rock;
Poor sinners will tremble and cry for pain,
And the Lord will come in His aeroplane.

Chorus
Ho, ye weary of ev'ry tribe,
Get your ticket for this aeroplane ride.
Jesus our Savior is coming to reign,
And take us up to glory in His heav'nly aeroplane.

You may talk of your rides in your automobiles,
Of lightning speed on your motor wheels;
We'll break all records as up we fly
In an aeroplane joyride thru the sky.

Chorus

There will be no punctures on muddy roads,
No broken axels from overloads,
No sparks to trouble or cause delay
As we soar in rapture up the Milky Way.

Chorus

You must needs get ready if you take this ride.
Quit all your meanness and humble your pride;
You must furnish a light both bright and clean
And a vessel of oil to run the machine.

Chorus

When our journey's done and we all sit down
At the marriage feast, with a golden crown,
We'll blend our voices with the ransomed throng
And repeat His praises as years roll on.

This book verifies that it was written at LEAST as far back as 1928. It may well be older than that ~~ added 10/29/00 I just heard from John McConnell, son of the composer, and he gives it a date of 1920.