Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

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Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome
Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome Logo.png
Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome
Established1966,
broke ground 1958
Location Rhinebeck, New York
Typeliving aviation museum
Collection size Pioneer Era aircraft
WW I aircraft
Golden Age (1919-39) aircraft
Founder Cole Palen
Public transit access Rhinecliff-Kingston (Amtrak station)
Website http://www.oldrhinebeck.org/

The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is a living museum in Red Hook, New York. It owns many examples of airworthy aircraft of the pioneer era, World War I and the Golden Age of Aviation between the World Wars, and multiple examples of roadworthy antique automobiles.

Contents

History

Cole Palen's N3221 rotary-powered Dr.I reproduction Cole Palen's N3221 Triplane.jpg
Cole Palen's N3221 rotary-powered Dr.I reproduction

The aerodrome was the creation of Cole Palen, who was partially inspired by the Shuttleworth Collection in England. He regularly flew many of the aircraft during weekend airshows as his alter-ego, "the Black Baron of Rhinebeck" (loosely based on the Red Baron). These airshows still continue[ when? ] mid-June through mid-October, and biplane rides are available before and after the shows.

These simple early shows led to a philosophy of not only showing the aircraft in their natural environment, but also providing a fun and entertaining day out for the whole family. The events developed into a series of weekend air shows, still running to this day[ when? ]. They include a zany[ weasel words ] melodrama inspired by the storylines of silent film melodramas, featuring Palen-created characters such as the daring Sir Percy Goodfellow doing battle with the evil Black Baron of Rhinebeck for the hand of the lovely Trudy Truelove.

Several associated vintage auto club and vintage aircraft type-specific events occur through the aerodrome's event schedule, which has also included radio-controlled scale aircraft fly-in low-pressure events for flying scale models of aircraft of the 1903–1939 era that the museum's own full scale aircraft collection covers. These events have been ongoing ever since the Aerodrome's opening year in 1966, with at least one aeromodeling event each year occurring over the early September weekend following the United States' Labor Day holiday, in co-operation with a local Academy of Model Aeronautics-chartered RC model aircraft club. Entrants regularly come from places as distant as Canada and Florida. [1] [2]

When Palen died in 1993, the non-profit Rhinebeck Aerodrome Museum assumed ownership. The museum is chartered by the New York State Board of Regents.

The museum's gift shop and model collection were destroyed in a fire on 20 August 2015. [3]

Aircraft

Richard King's reproduction Sopwith Pup, now at Owls Head Museum in Maine. Richard King's Reproduction Sopwith Pup.jpg
Richard King's reproduction Sopwith Pup, now at Owls Head Museum in Maine.

Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome features numerous aircraft ranging from Wright-era reconstructions to biplanes and monoplanes of the 1930s. Among Palen's earliest additions to the museum in the mid-1960s was a Fokker Triplane reproduction, powered with a vintage Le Rhône 9J 110 hp rotary engine. It was built by Cole Palen for flight in his weekend airshows as early as 1967 and actively flown (mostly by Cole Palen) in the weekend airshows at Old Rhinebeck until the late 1980s. [5] This aircraft, and a pair of Dr.I reproductions, each powered by radial engines, were flown for nearly two decades by Palen. [6] Both Cole's first rotary-engined reproduction and the second of the stationary radial-powered reproductions are now on static display. One of these is on loan at the New England Air Museum with the Le Rhône engine. [7]

ORA's Dolphin in one of the weekend airshows, mid-1980s ORA's Sopwith Dolphin in flight.jpg
ORA's Dolphin in one of the weekend airshows, mid-1980s

The Allied opponent for Palen's triplane in the early years was mostly provided by a Sopwith Pup. It was begun in May 1964 and first flown three years later (May 1967) by his friend Richard King, the co-founder with Palen of the aerodrome, who flew his authentic 80-hp Le Rhône 9C-powered Pup reproduction in Old Rhinebeck's weekend airshows for many years. He finally retired the aircraft in the 1980s from active flying and eventually sold the aircraft in 1992 to the Owls Head Transportation Museum in Maine. It has returned and flies regularly,

In 1971 a replica was produced of the 1910 Short S.29 using a 60 hp ENV V-8 engine. [8] An accurate Sopwith Dolphin reproduction was built by Palen, the first known airworthy reproduction of the Dolphin ever known to have been attempted. Powered by a vintage direct-drive Hispano-Suiza V-8 engine, this aircraft regularly flew at Palen's weekend air shows from 1980 onward. In September 1990, the aircraft's engine suffered a fuel pump failure, resulting in a crash landing into the trees surrounding the Old Rhinebeck museum's airstrip. The aircraft never directly struck the ground in the crash, and largely remained suspended in the tree canopy after the accident. There was little damage to the reproduction Dolphin's airframe and no injuries to the pilot. [9] The Dolphin was placed on static display until November 2007, when Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome began restoring it to flying condition. When completed, the aircraft will once again be painted in the markings of No. 19 Squadron. [10]

Another German aircraft in the collection is an Albatros D.Va reproduction, which in 2015 was finished in the colors of Eduard Ritter von Schleich. It is powered by a modified six-cylinder "uprighted" Fairchild Ranger engine, fitted after the original liquid-cooled Mercedes D.II engine sheared its crankshaft.

The collection also includes a restored 1909 Bleriot XI (including an original three cylinder Anzani radial engine) that is believed to be the second oldest airworthy aircraft in the world

In 2016 an accurate reproduction of the Spirit of St. Louis was added to the collection following a 20-year building process and first test flight in December 2015.

Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome has had two airworthy Fokker D.VIII reproductions, each powered with a restored Gnome 9N Monosoupape rotary engine, both built by Brian Coughlin of New York state. These have since been sold, to Javier Arango in California for his private collection of reproduction WW I aircraft and to Kermit Weeks' Fantasy of Flight living aviation museum in Florida. [11] [12] One of the Coughlin DVIII Fokkers returned to the Aerodrome in 2016.

Fatal accident

At Rhinebeck on August 17, 2008, around 4 p.m. during the performance of a simulated dogfight at the aerodrome, Vincent Nasta of Wading River, New York died of injuries sustained when his plane crashed in to a heavily wooded area 1000 feet from the runway and performance area. The aircraft being used was part of the aerodrome's World War I collection and was reported to be a reproduction French Nieuport 24, obtained from a New Zealand facility. It was the first fatality during an airshow at the facility. [13] [14] [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fokker Dr.I</span> WWI fighter aircraft

The Fokker Dr.I, often known simply as the Fokker Triplane, was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918. It became famous as the aircraft in which Manfred von Richthofen gained his last 17 victories, and in which he was killed on 21 April 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sopwith Camel</span> British WW1 biplane fighter aircraft

The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War-era single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the best known fighter aircraft of the Great War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sopwith Pup</span> British WW1 biplane fighter aircraft

The Sopwith Pup is a British single-seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristics and good manoeuvrability, the aircraft proved very successful. The Pup was eventually outclassed by newer German fighters, but it was not completely replaced on the Western Front until the end of 1917. The remaining Pups were relegated to Home Defence and training units. The Pup's docile flying characteristics also made it ideal for use in aircraft carrier deck landing and takeoff experiments and training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sopwith Snipe</span> British WW1 biplane fighter aircraft

The Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe was a British single-seat biplane fighter of the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was designed and built by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War, and came into squadron service a few weeks before the end of the conflict, in late 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gnome Monosoupape</span> Type of aircraft rotary engine

The Monosoupape, was a rotary engine design first introduced in 1913 by Gnome Engine Company. It used a clever arrangement of internal transfer ports and a single pushrod-operated exhaust valve to replace the many moving parts found on more conventional rotary engines, and made the Monosoupape engines some of the most reliable of the era. British aircraft designer Thomas Sopwith described the Monosoupape as "one of the greatest single advances in aviation".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sopwith Triplane</span> British WW1 triplane fighter aircraft

The Sopwith Triplane is a British single seat fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War. It has the distinction of being the first military triplane to see operational service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warbird</span> Vintage military aircraft operated by non military forces

A warbird is any vintage military aircraft now operated by civilian organizations and individuals, or in some instances, by historic arms of military forces, such as the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, the RAAF Museum Historic Flight, or the South African Air Force Museum Historic Flight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shuttleworth Collection</span> Aviation museum in Old Warden, Bedfordshire

The Shuttleworth Collection is a working aviation, automotive and agricultural collection located at the Old Warden Aerodrome, Old Warden in Bedfordshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nieuport 11</span> French WW1 fighter aircraft

The Nieuport 11, nicknamed the Bébé, is a French World War I single seat sesquiplane fighter aircraft, designed by Gustave Delage. It was the primary aircraft that ended the Fokker Scourge in 1916. The type saw service with several of France's allies, and gave rise to the series of "vee-strut" Nieuport fighters that remained in service into the 1920s.

Cole Palen was the founder of the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, a living museum of vintage aircraft from 1900-1937 located in Red Hook, New York. He became recognized for his work in the preservation of early aviation history. Palen's aerodrome boasts one of the finest collections of antique aircraft in the world including an original 1909 Bleriot XI, the oldest flying aircraft in the United States and the second oldest in the world. He also created many accurate flying replicas of historical aircraft. Many of these take part in the regular airshows which continue to place at the Aerodrome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sopwith Dolphin</span> British WW1 biplane fighter aircraft

The Sopwith 5F.1 Dolphin was a British fighter aircraft manufactured by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It was used by the Royal Flying Corps and its successor, the Royal Air Force, during the First World War. The Dolphin entered service on the Western Front in early 1918 and proved to be a formidable fighter. The aircraft was not retained in the postwar inventory and was retired shortly after the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caudron G.3</span> Type of aircraft

The Caudron G.3 was a single-engined French sesquiplane built by Caudron, widely used in World War I as a reconnaissance aircraft and trainer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Le Rhône 9J</span>

The Le Rhône 9J is a nine-cylinder rotary aircraft engine produced in France by Gnome et Rhône. Also known as the Le Rhône 110 hp in a reference to its nominal power rating, the engine was fitted to a number of military aircraft types of the First World War. Le Rhône 9J engines were produced under license in Great Britain by W.H. Allen Son & Company of Bedford, and in Germany by Motorenfabrik Oberursel where it was sold as the Oberursel Ur.II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Le Rhône 9C</span>

The Le Rhône 9C is a nine-cylinder rotary aircraft engine produced in France by Société des Moteurs Le Rhône / Gnome et Rhône. Also known as the Le Rhône 80 hp in a reference to its nominal power rating, the engine was fitted to many military aircraft types during the First World War. Le Rhône 9C engines were also produced under license in Great Britain, the United States and Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.8</span> Type of aircraft

The Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.8 was a British single-seat fighter of the First World War designed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. It could not escape the drag penalty imposed by its tail structure and was no match for the Albatros fighters of late 1916.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clerget 9B</span>

The Clerget 9B is a nine-cylinder rotary aircraft engine of the World War I era designed by Pierre Clerget. Manufactured in both France and Great Britain, it was used on such aircraft as the Sopwith Camel. The Clerget 9Bf was an increased stroke version.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morane-Saulnier AI</span> French WW1 fighter aircraft

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arup S-2</span> Type of aircraft

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References

Notes

  1. "Cole Palen's Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome — Scenes From the 47th Annual R/C Jamboree". oldrhinebeck.org. Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  2. "Mid-Hudson Radio Control Society — Rhinebeck Jamboree". mhrcs.com. Mid-Hudson Radio Control Society.
  3. "Fire destroys gift shop at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in Red Hook". Daily Freeman. The Daily Freeman. 21 August 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  4. Sopwith Pup
  5. "Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome - America's Original Living Museum of Antique Airplanes - Fokker Dr.I." oldrhinebeck.org. Retrieved: 18 January 2013.
  6. "Cole Palen's Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome – Fokker Dr.1 Triplane". oldrhinebeck.org. Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome. Archived from the original on November 8, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2014. In 1967, Cole Palen constructed this reproduction, complete with a 110 hp LeRhone rotary engine, using drawing from several sources including drawings made by the British in 1918 from a captured aircraft...It is fair to say that with this particular aircraft, Cole Palen became responsible for popularizing the idea of homebuilding full-scale World War I reproduction aircraft around the world. This aircraft also played a major role in the growth of the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, dogfighting Dick King's authentic Sopwith Pup reproduction for many years. After twenty years of continuous use, flying in nearly every Sunday show, the Dr.1 was retired.
  7. "Fokker Dr.1 Triplane Replica." New England Air Museum. Retrieved: October 10, 2014.
  8. Air Progress, September 1971.
  9. King 1997, pp. 215–224.
  10. "Sopwith Dolphin." Archived 2014-01-10 at the Wayback Machine Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome. Retrieved: October 10, 2014.
  11. Fokker D VIII (in USA) (YouTube) (YouTube). Polk City, FL USA: huevparolbla. 2008. Event occurs at 2:35 to 4:05. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  12. "Fantasy of Flight Aircraft — WW I — 1918 Fokker D VIII." Archived 2014-03-16 at the Wayback Machine fasntasyofflight.com, March 18, 2014.
  13. "Fatal plane crash during air show." Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine Mid-Hudson News, August 17, 2008.
  14. "Veteran pilot dead after crash in New York air show." Archived 2014-10-07 at the Wayback Machine Fox News, August 18, 2008.
  15. Marano, Greg and Christine Pizzuti. "Pilot in fatal crash identified|." Poughkeepsie Journal, August 18, 2008.

Bibliography

Further reading

41°58′11″N73°51′52″W / 41.969816°N 73.864346°W / 41.969816; -73.864346