Rhinebeck Museum trouble

[Curtiss Jenny]

Good Posts, Baldeagle!
Other interesting reading obtained from Guidestar shows 2001 financial statements for the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome and Museum operations, located just north of New York City have combined assets of approximately $6 million producing a combined annual income of about $600,000. Compare this to The Owl’s Head Museum of Transportation in northern Maine that has an operation almost identical to the Aerodrome, featuring an air show melodrama, complete with antique vehicles. Their assets also total approximately $6 million with an annual income of $1.2 million – twice as much as the Aerodrome and with less show dates during the year.
If the Board Members are such astute businessmen, is this all the return they expect on $6 million worth of assets? Does this show that they have the Aerodrome in their best interest? Would you invest your money in an institution that is managed like this?
Based on these financial statement comparisons, the Aerodrome would seem to be grossly mismanaged, heading in the wrong direction and needs the State of New York to intervene and save Cole Palen’s legacy before this unique collection ends up on the auction block.

[Bob_D]

Caught one of my favorite aviation films on the tube a week or so ago, "The Spirit of St. Louis", and was a little taken back by the angry feelings that welled up inside of me thinking about the situation at the ORA. I thought that it was more than a little ironic that the aircraft company that Lindbergh had originally slated to build his aircraft had wanted another pilot to fly it. I can't envision anyone but Ken Cassens flying the Spirit project (that is if they don't sell off the whole thing outright). What a sad and insulting situation.

i am new to e mail but old to the aerodrome. A few observations;Why are so many of you afraid to use your real names? What do you have to hide? I spent many summers driving 160 miles each way to work and play with Cole and the boys long before I started flying there. The day Cole let me solo both the Great Lakes and the Davis is still in my top ten. I have known KenCassens since before he started to work for Cole. john Barker got him to build the gas tank for my first Fokker D8. When I got it I was so impressed with the workmanship I gave him an original WW2 poster because I knew he haddnt charged enough . That is Ken. If I won the lottery I would try to hire him to take care of my junk. He wouldnt. That is Ken. If Cole was still alive the Spirit of St Louis would now be resting in one of the hangars on the hill, not because it was never finished but because it would be worn out. It would have had a poorly welded fuselage, ribs built by a belly dancer, Ryan Broughm ailerons and struts,and nobody ever would have wondered if it was built without the correct Lunkenheimer gascolator. Nobody would have cared- it makes no difference. It would, however, have entertained hundreds of thousands of people for the Lindbergh 75th and countless other events. Does anyone think less of Cole because his triplane flew with an unauthentic 100 hp Gnome and had a dope can for an oil tank? The Aerodrome is not a place for perfection. We need to look at the BIG picture. Cole sure did.

If Ken and the others were terminated the way these letters describe, then it is a new low for Old Rhinebeck. I am truly saddened that such a wonderful place has come to this. This is not the Palen MAGIC that bro ught Old Rhinebeck into being. Lets not forget that there has always been people who havent gotten along at the Aerodrome- even in the early innocent days. It is the nature of life itself. Also being a board member isno cake walk. Nobody gets paid. What agenda could there be.? Please dont let all this negative P.R. sour us on Americas Living Aviation Museum. As P.B.S. says,"If we dont do it' who will" Lets all pull together to keep Old Rhinebeck going for future generations We owe it to them Dont we.............

Not hiding behind any silly pseudonym...Brian T. Coughlin, Cazenovia, N.Y.

[baldeagle]

Hey Brian, I guess I can e-mail you now instead of writing (not that I wrote much, easier to call)-- good to see you're getting into the computer thing.
By the way, most everybody on this whole forum picks a nickname to be known by, I've been on here for over a year as baldeagle and everybody knows who I am, so most of the time it isn't a pseudonym to hide behind, just a common thing on all of these forum boards.
And certainly something is wrong at ORA, there's no way Cole would approve of what's going on up there with the board. Did you read the thing about homeland security?
Was it warm enough this week to fly the Triplane?? It was down here.

AK

Brian -

Can't speak for everyone, but most of use who use stagenames are concerned about what the current board of mis-directors will do if they find out who started the snowball or who is keeping it going.

It's not so we can sling darts without and responsibility - it's so we can keep our jobs come next season.

We all want ORA to continue and I think anyone with an ounce of sense knows being a director is not an easy job and it's volunteer and no one gets paid and it looks like it easy and a long, long list of other points which all point up the difficulty and general level of commitment required to fill the job......

But......

Ken has been fired along with Scott Mackenzie, Jim Hare has been "laid off" and no one thinks he'll be asked back. I have a list of more than 50 people who have been fired, forced out, asked to leave or left in disgust and it's not a coincidence that the current troubles can be tracked to just a few on the current board. There are a few rotten apples there that need attention because they are just too friggin' arrogant to know when they've done irrepairable damage.

To Brian Coughlin so far your the only person from rhinebeck on this website ive ever met. glad to see you here. wish you were still flying your D7 at ora one of my all time favorites. long live ora Mattyb

[stringbags4ever2]

To Brian:

Do you still fly that Fokker, good sir? Is there any possibility that I could see it?

Just a thought to the posters in this thread...... why not get as many of us as possible to go up to Rhinebeck this spring and voice our protest to the elimination of the fine people that were let go. What say you?

Pete L'Heureux from Massachusetts

[Lyle]

Brian:
Nice to see you have joined here. Your E.V that you sold to Kermit Weeks is almost ready to fly again as soon as Kermit gets a new prop for it, which should be in a few weeks. Being that I live only about 45 miles from his field, I'll be there on flying day.

Regards,
Lyle Lamboley

[Curtiss Jenny]

Hi Brian,

Remember what happened when you took your own propeller out of the Carriage House? Well, things have gotten way worse since then.
Please talk to a few people, and you'll understand better what is going on.

[curtisswright]

Can someone please give an update on the letter campaign? Many of us have complied, I'm sure, and are anxious to see a follow up. Thank you.