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When I moved to Rhinebeck in 1997 it was to live with Ken Cassens at the Aerodrome. He had just recently been appointed winter caretaker and had received permission from the Board to live on the property. I had a Private Pilot's license, but knew little or nothing about WWI history or airplanes. Little by little I was sucked into Aerodrome life, starting out loading passengers into the New Standard rides plane for Ken & Dick King who shared the flying responsibilities. Later on I worked in the Museum gift shop, continuing through the 2003 season. That had its up & downs, but for the most part I liked my job and the wonderful aviation enthusiasts it enabled me to meet. Now that Ken has been dismissed (for no given reason, either verbal or written) all that has come to an end. Ken is the most honorable man I ever met, not to mention being a great pilot and mechanic. His work on the Spirit of St. Louis project is exemplary. The heartbreak is that the project is only a few months away from being finished. They ran up the engine back in September and it performed very well. It's a shame that if it is finished, he may never see it fly, unless it's as a paying customer instead of as its pilot. The morale of many volunteers and employees has been going down hill for quite sometime, but this has to be the low point for all of us.
I encourage all who visit this forum to make use of Todd Holt's address and let the Attorney General's Office know that what's happening at Rhinebeck needs looking into.
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