Barnstorming at the Rhinebeck Aerodrome Museum

With the exception of sky diving or zipping yourself into a wingsuit and jumping off a cliff, flying in an open cockpit biplane is about as exhilarating as air travel gets. There’s a small windscreen, but other than that, you are one with the wind, and the taller you are, the more with wind you are. And it’s noisy—crazy noisy, but that’s the price of a genuine thrill ride.

Forget tarmacs and a mile and a half of concrete. The airfield at the Rhinebeck Aerodrome Museum in Rhinebeck N.Y is a flat open field. Takeoffs and landings can jostle your innards a bit but, once you’re aloft, the views are breathtaking.

Photographs © 2019 Allan Weitz

Open cockpit aircraft are the antithesis of modern air travel. From the air you can clearly see how the Hudson River winds its way through the surrounding hills and valleys. Unlike commercial airliners, which typically cruise along at about 580 mph at an altitude of about 36,000', these planes lumber along at a more palatable 110 to 135 mph and an altitude of a few hundred feet. You can almost smell the honeysuckle as you cruise over the countryside.

Most of the 60-plus planes on rotating display at the Aerodrome are pre-WWII biplanes and triplanes (two wings or three wings), which were common before single, fixed-wing aircraft became the norm. Depending on the age of the plane, the frames are made of wood or aluminum with cloth or aluminum body panels. Most of the aircraft at the Aerodrome are painted in original factory colors and the insignias and markings on the military craft have been reproduced faithfully. Planes that decades ago went head-to-head in combat now sit peacefully side-by-side in the Aerodromes hangers. The smell of history and nostalgia is inescapable.

Among the original aircraft on display at the museum is a pair of the earliest French Bleriot XIs (1909 & 1911), a 1912 Thomas Pusher Model E, a 1908 Voisin, a 1917 Aeromarine 39B, a 1917 Albree Oigeon Fraser Pursuit, a 1917 Curtis JN-4H “Jenny,” a 1917 Morane-Saulnier A-1, a 1915 Nieuport 10, a 1918 Thomas-Morse S-4B, a 1929 American Eagle, a 1931 Bird Model CK, a 1929 Curtis Fledging, a 1931 Curtis Wright Junior CW-1, a 1930 DeHavilland DH.80A Puss Moth and 1934 DH.82 Tiger Moth, a 1937 Fairchild 24H, a 1942 Fleet Finch 16-B, a 1931 Great Lakes 2T-1MS, and a pair of 1929 New Standard D-25s. In addition to these original aircraft, there are dozens of meticulous reproductions of other, flight-ready, classic aircraft.

The day I flew was a quiet weekday. We needed passengers for the plane I would be photographing so my pilot approached a woman in her 70s, who was visiting the Aerodrome with her grandson. They quickly accepted the invite for a ride. After donning goggles, leather helmets, and long flowing aviator’s scarves, they were soon airborne. Once aloft, I couldn’t help but notice how thrilled the boy’s grandmother looked as we flew in tandem over the river and valleys—her smile went from ear to ear. After we landed, I went over to her and asked how she enjoyed the ride. Still smiling, she said she never flew before—at age 72 she finally got to fly like a bird!

The planes are stored in old hangers and corrugated-steel Quonset huts. Some have sliding doors, others are open. If snooping around old attics and garages is your thing, the hangers and sheds that dot the landscape at the Aerodrome should keep you busy for hours.

Some of the planes are part of the Rhinebeck Aerodrome collection, while others are privately owned. Much time, energy, and money are involved in maintaining and flying these magnificent aircraft, and each of them is the result of a mixture of craftmanship, a love of aviation history, and a bug for ancient technologies.

Just behind the museum gift shop is a large air-conditioned building containing a wonderful display of aircraft, models of aircraft, toy aircraft, aircraft motors, books, advertisements, and artwork all having to do with the history of aviation. Everywhere you look is something else that draws the eye.

Across from the gift shop is a trio of nondescript Quonset hut hangars containing additional aircraft, automobiles, and motorcycles.

Restoration of classic aircraft is an ongoing attraction at the Aerodrome, and the museum’s restoration building is open to the public. During my visit, a reproduction of Charles Lindbergh’s “Spirit of St. Louis” was in its final stages, along with models and plans for upcoming projects.

While wandering about the grounds, it dawned on me that part of the attraction the Aerodrome and the wonderful aircraft, cars, and motorcycles has to do with the analog nature of these aircraft and vehicles. Apart from some of the tools and machinery used to keep the fleet flying, the entire facility is analog. And there’s something wonderfully refreshing about that.

The Rhinebeck Aerodrome Museum, which is located in Dutchess County, NY (about 90 miles from NYC), is open from May 1 through October 31, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and there are airshows every Saturday and Sunday from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., weather permitting. Private flights are also available on weekends between airshows and during weekdays ($100 for 15-minutes, and it’s well worth it). Reservations are highly recommended and whatever you do—don’t forget to bring your camera!

Be sure to check back on B&H Explora for more of Adventure Week—and don't forget to follow B&H on Twitter @BHPhotoVideo for up-to-the-minute #adventureweek news.

Previous Pause Next