Rhinebeck Museum trouble

[curtisswright]

Without the legion of volunteers and their enthusiasm for Old Rhinebeck, the airshows last season presented as "sanitized," hollow, and unfriendly. Much like the news letter reads today. A mere shell. Jim did a great job to fill in the gaps. But the helicopter and NASCAR really stripped the show of any reflection of the quality it once had.

[WWIModelGuy]

Harris Hawk: I can sense the frustration and disappointment in your post but you are much too fatalistic! Keep fighting and writing to the appropriate people. Visualize the optimal outcome of returning to the "Old" Rhinebeck Aerodrome and Cole's vision and it can happen if this desire is transformed into positive, concrete action. We all can not give up.

[curtisswright]

There is just too much positive karma in the air among many, many people and old timers from the aerodrome to just let it die. Trust me, I have also considered "letting go" if the place can't be run with Mr. Palen's vision in the forefront. If this cannot be done (but I don't think it would be that difficult to do) then perhaps the beloved Aerodrome should close. As painful a thought as that is. Perhaps changes do have to be made. After all, none of us are privy to all the inside information regarding the aerodrome's operations. Perhaps a little more security is in order, I don't know. But to unceremoniously gut the place of the very people that made it run so well and effectively is just plain wrong, as is the seemingly total departure from its mission. It should not be allowed to die without a fight.
If it is going to die, I would like to see it die of natural causes. Not killed off. Whatever happened to all those great ideas that appeared in Rotary Ramblings more than a year ago? The vintage auto committee? What about the program to restore the New Standard, and the Monocoupe? Allowing people to donate and receive a snip of fabric framed with a nice photo really promoted a sense of ownership. These were terrific promotions and the kind of thing that could take the aerodrome into the next century while maintaining its rich heritage.

[Vivian Vamp]

Opening May 15: The New Rhinebeck Aerodrome and Amusement Park, and black hole of disappearing good deeds and vanishing good will...

It certainly won't be the Old ORA. Not yet. Stay tuned to this station--

[StolenCub]

For Harris Hawk and anyone else whose feeling a little bit wrung out after the long winter's campaign...... some wisdom from (s)ages past....

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." - Thomas A. Edison

The saddest failures in life are those that come from not putting forth the power and will to succeed. - Edwin Whipple

No matter how hard you work for success if your thought is saturated with the fear of failure, it will kill your efforts, neutralize your endeavors and make success impossible. - Baudjuin

Every great work, every great accomplishment, has been brought into manifestation through holding to the vision, and often just before the big achievement, comes apparent failure and discouragement. Florence Scovel Shinn

Failure comes only when we forget our ideals and objectives and principles. - Jawaharal Nehru


Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. The way you think about a fact may defeat you before you ever do anything about it. You are overcome by the fact because you think you are. - Norman Vincent Peale

Failure, my friends, is not an option...

Keep pushing, the cart is still rolling forward.........

[curtisswright]

Stolen Cub,
Thanks for the pep talk and inspiration. The lack of forthcoming information is very frustrating, but will keep the faith.

[AAC Cadet Leader]

Well, was yesterday Museum opening day as advertised? Can anyone give us a report?

[Richard King]

Update on ORA

I drove by the aerodrome yesterday (Sunday) at about 1:30 P.M.

There were a couple of pickup trucks on the infield by the what used to be the shop-since they don't seem to be doing anthing there and the R.R. doesn't mention the progress of the Spirit, one must assume that it is no longer a shop.

All the gates were locked so I could not get access to my Ercoupe to work on it. The Entraance to the field where tourists might enter was open and I did see two people inside by the tent area. I did not see one aeroplane. There were several Cessnas flying around on Saturday. Maybe they were putting on a show.

The gate leading up to the museum buildings, including the heated one, was open so there may have been a couple of people up there as well.

Will keep you posted on other exciting things that are going on.

To Richard King,

Thank you for your updates on what is going on at the Aerodrome. I haven't the heart to drive by anymore, it is just an empty shell compared to what it used to be. It is very sad how little activity there is, though not unexpected considering the takeover.

I find the treatment of your brother and yourself to be deplorable. I am going to write to Palmquist again, and ask that the state take action immediately. I request everyone else reading this thread to do the same. Think of every letter as another hammer blow to the wall, you never know which will be the one to bring the wall down, and restore sanity to the place. Email dpalmqui@mail.nysed.gov

[WWIModelGuy]

Does anyone have the correct email address for Mr. Palmquist? I've tried the one in the previous post and it comes back undeliverable.