Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in New York

[lostman 198]

I just got home from another 9 day trip to Vermont (after being home one day from a 6 week long one to Utah). The last stop was yesterday in New York where there is an impressive place to look at old flying aircraft. If you've never heard of the aerodrome you really should look it up. Not only do they have massive amounts of aircraft but also antique cars and motorcycles. They have the worlds oldest flying Bleriot, it's a 1909 and the same model as the one that flew across the English channel first. Quite the plane!

They did a competition with three aircraft, a Taylorcraft E2 Cub, a Curtiss JR and a Piper cub. It was called a "no pants race". Basically the pilots all had to be by their aircraft waiting for the shotgun start, then run to the edge of the runway, take off their pants and run back to the plane. Then their ground crew had to hand prop the plane. The winner was the first person to fly around the pattern twice, land and put their pants back on. The oldest pilot there won by a good margin. Of course there were some shenanigans, such as pants tied in a knot and moved, but it was hilarious. I'd love to have a group to pilots to do this with, such a funny idea.

Anyway here are a few pictures. 

In order for the pictures. A Gypsy Tiger Moth, the 1909 Bleriot, the no pants race. An Albatross with a Fokker tri-plane, then in formation: a 1929 New Standard, a Curtiss Reed, Tiger Moth, and Piper Cub. 

All in all it's an awesome place that holds more information and history than any place I've ever been. Remember that I used to fly a Waco out of a Warbird museum as well so it's saying something. This was my second trip there and hopefully will not be my last. They even have the Ornithopter there from the movie, "Those magnificent men and their flying machines". I went because they were having a Pietenpol fly in for the first time. There were three fine examples of the aircraft that had all flown up together from Virginia. I would have gone anyway but it made the trip even better to see them fly, seeing as how I just purchased one less than two months ago.