A Renaissance at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

Three decades before the 1989 film Field of Dreams, Cole Palen bought a field of his own upon which he birthed an unprecedented dream. The Poughkeepsie-born aviation enthusiast depleted his life savings to buy six WWI-era planes and 20 acres, where he created The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, the world’s first flying museum dedicated to antique aircraft. Like actor Kevin Costner in the aforementioned film, Palen believed if he built it, they would come. And they have – roughly 1 million from every corner of the globe since he initiated operations in 1958.

During its season, running from May to October, visitors can enjoy two themed two-hour-long weekend airshows, thrilling rides aboard vintage pre-WW II airplanes, and a tour of its renowned museum. The latter is a world-class collection including over 75 aircraft from the dawn of aviation, including a Bleriot XI, the oldest flying aircraft in the US, along with dozens of antique cars, motorbikes, and mechanical curiosities.

Going Home Again

Though it started as the passion project of one man, The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome has become a dream shared by many Hudson Valley locals, persons who literally grew up at the attraction like Tara Grieb, its newly named Director of Operations.

 

“I really came of age working here,” begins Grieb. “I started at the snack shop at 13, was playing the role of Trudy Truelove in the weekend airshow by 15 and continued doing that and whatever else was needed through college and graduate school. Most of our pilots, board members and mechanical crew are people who are driven by their love of flying, this wholly unique place and the warm family atmosphere Cole created,” adds Grieb. “It’s something that has continued on and deepened since he passed in the early 1990s.”

How Grieb came to return to The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome and how her unique experience will be central to fueling its renaissance are a matter of happenstance. This past Spring, Tara was helping a student with a job search on Indeed when she saw the posting for the Director of Operations position at the Aerodrome. Tara applied without hesitation. She had just completed 25 years in education, time spent mainly as a principal in nearby Pine Plains. And she sees a lot of crossovers in the skill sets needed to run a school and the Aerodrome.

 

“Not-for-profits like the Aerodrome are overseen by a board just like a school,” she says. “There are many departments and people to coordinate, lots of planning, administration and logistics, and the need to project a clear vision for the future that is embraced by all parties. And like a school, the Aerodrome is about education – imparting the thrilling history of early flight in an engaging way. Many kids who have worked and come through here have been inspired to careers in aviation and aerospace.”

 

Airshows, Rides and Up Close with the History of Flight

The heart of the attractions at The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is its two themed weekend airshows, running from mid-June through mid-October. The Saturday “History of Flight” program highlights the Pioneer era of flight before WWI, a chronicle of the Wright Brothers’ first flights through Lindbergh’s Atlantic Crossing, through to the Golden Age of Aviation in the ’20s and ’30s.

The Sunday WWI Dog Fight Spectacular boasts a flying hero (Sir Percy Goodfellow), a heroine (Trudy Truelove), the villainous Black Baron of Rhinebeck, along with scenery, pyrotechnics, aerial aerobatics and even a WWI tank. The supporting cast includes many antique automobiles. Of course, the stars of the show are the historic airplanes in the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome’s collection, including a 1909 Bleriot, the oldest regularly flying airplane in the Western Hemisphere; a Fokker DR-I Triplane, the most famous fighter of WWI, and a precise replica of the Spirit of St. Louis, which was the first aircraft to fly NY to Paris in 1927. While aircraft rotate on and off the flight line; usually 15-20 are flown during the shows. Prices range from $13 for youth (6-17), $21 for 65+ and military with ID, and $28 for adults (18-64). Children under 6 are free.

For an extra thrill, visitors can take an Open Cockpit Biplane Ride before or after the weekend airshows, beginning at 10 AM and ending at dusk, or on weekdays by appointment from May to October 31. There are 15-minute Barnstorming Rides and a 30-minute Lighthouse Tour to choose from. Both showcase the splendid scenery of the Hudson Valley, including spectacular vistas of the Taconic, Berkshire and the Catskill Mountains. The latter ride brings travelers past three historic lighthouses along the Hudson River.

Biplane enthusiasts take to the clouds in the Aerodrome’s 1929 New Standard D-25, a workhorse plane designed for passenger hopping by the great flying circuses of the ‘20s and ‘30s. Maintained to modern aircraft regulations, the D-25 is now a fixture of the mid-Hudson Valley summer skies, carrying up to four passengers per flight. A 2-passenger minimum is required. The 15-minute long Barnstorming Ride is $100 per person; the 30-minute Lighthouse Tour is $200 per person. The Aerodrome staff puts safety first and reserves the right to cancel flights due to weather conditions, aircraft maintenance needs or pilot availability. For reservations, call 845-752-3200.

“Safety truly is our first concern,” continues Grieb. “For each hour of flight, our vintage planes require 10 – 15 hours of aftercare. At any given time, we will be flying 23 planes in our shows, representing about a third of our entire collection.” As for the collection, no visit is complete without taking in The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome’s Museum, featuring not only the greatest in vintage pre-WWII aircraft but also classic automobiles, motorcycles and memorabilia. The collection is spread through four buildings, along with the planes and cars on the airfield and its hangers used during the airshows. The museum is open May 1 – October 31, from 10 AM to 5 PM.

“Our museum is not overly precious; we aren’t designed like the Smithsonian. Because our items are used, it’s really more like storage or workspace that you can walk through,” adds Grieb. “You will see some of the pioneering designs for the earliest aircraft and also vintage planes being worked on and readied to rejoin our active airshow fleet.”

It all begins in the Pioneer Building with the Chanute biplane hang gliders that inspired the Wright Brothers. Visitors can marvel at their historic “Flyers” and follow the decade of innovation with Bleriot, Curtiss and others. Names like Fokker and Von Richthofen, SPAD and Rickenbacker echo through the WWI Building. See how aircraft matured under the pressures of aerial combat. Aviation became an extension of knights in shining armor and the pilots the last of the single combat warriors.

 

 

Barnstormers spread, flying across the country. Lucky Lindy flew the Atlantic, and little airplanes for private flyers became part of the roaring 20s and 30s. In the Golden Age Building, you’ll find the WACOs, Aeroncas, Fairchilds, Taylors, and other great names of the era. It all comes together in the History of Flight Building with a comprehensive exhibit of the aircraft, vehicles, engines and memorabilia that make up our static display and compose a tribute to the glory of man’s conquest of the air. Motoring enthusiasts will delight at attractions like the Studebaker Touring Car (1916), Willys Overland Opera Coupe and Sportster (1916 and 1922, respectively), Buick Touring Car (1903) and Ural Motorcycle with Sidecar (1914). The full collection can be viewed here.

Retro Gets A Renaissance
Tara Grieb has returned to The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome at a crucial time. It’s an era of increased investment in the attraction’s infrastructure and a revitalized campaign to engage new audiences and sponsors for whom “everything old is new again.”

“Entertainment has really shifted, and family schedules are so busy, we are trying to get new people to fall in love with the Aerodrome. We are looking to complement the interest in authentic experiences – a resurgence of interest in what’s ‘vintage cool,’” adds Grieb. The Aerodrome’s core business and revenue stream are also being furthered with many new, creative initiatives. It has recently been the site for corporate team-building programs by companies like Nuvance Health and corporate meetings. The longtime steady stream of school field trips is being furthered with plans for a new summer day camp for kids and also one for adults interested in aviation. The Aerodrome has a youth aviation program where teenage enthusiasts get a free hour of flight for every ten hours they work. And its Flights Food & Fun is a Wednesday night program launched this summer featuring a variety of food trucks, biplane rides and a live band.

 

With the winter downtime in the offing, Grieb is now in the midst of solidifying plans for their much-anticipated May Gala fundraiser with her committee mates, The Spirit of the Aerodrome, and considering a new winter fundraising event. Corporations and local businesses are being introduced to opportunities to sponsor its education programs and fundraisers. “The winter here is like summer when I was a principal,” continues Grieb. “It’s when I would have the time to plan for the busy year ahead.”

Another longtime fixture who literally grew up at The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is Brian Coughlin. “When I was a little child, my family would take trips here from our summer house on the Connecticut shore,” says Coughlin. “My dad was a pilot, and we would come back here when I was in high school and college. And my first job out of college was working with Cole in his workshop. I started taking flying lessons in college and have been flying in shows here since 1990,” adds Coughlin. “In the last three years, I’ve served not only as a pilot and a board member but as Grounds and Development Manager. In that time, we have increased our investment in the facilities, building new structures to house our collection and expanding the airfield and seating for our airshows.”

While the in-person, hands-on experience remains the heart of the attraction, Grieb is using her expertise in education tech to expand the Aerodrome’s reach in cyberspace. “Nobody is really doing what we are doing,” says Grieb. “Most attractions like ours might have one airshow a season or one a month. When the weather holds, our airshow season will run for 18 weeks, with 36 shows. “While our brick-and-mortar facility is our primary focus, we’re also looking to invest more in a virtual push,” continues Grieb, “to make our collection and historical resources more available online to schools and enthusiasts.”

“For me, this return to The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is a return to the place that really shaped my childhood,” Grieb concludes. “It’s like growing up and loving Disney, seeing all the movies every year, then they ask you if you want to come back and run Disney. Of course, the answer was a resounding yes!”

 

Contributing writer Sal Cataldi is a musician, writer and publicist living in the Hudson Valley.
B&W Photographs courtesy of Jim Leggett via Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

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Plan your visit HERE

FALL FESTIVAL  –  SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7th + 8th
Face painting, pumpkin painting and our famous PUMPKIN BOMBING from the airplanes during the airshow!
Open at 10am, Airshow 2-4pm both days!
Biplane rides also available before and after the show.

 

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