Rhinebeck airshow reviews

[tazbat]

Originally Posted by timjnf

...But if things haven't improved by the end of summer I think I'll pass.

Look for improvements. I expect there will be some.

Salute!

[opie]

Hey everyone, I went to the aerodrome on the 29th of July. When I arrived there were maybe 20 or so cars with a few leaving. More people definately showed up for I would estimate around 250 or so people were there. Jim Hare thankfully was the announcer and the rides plane was flying and being piloted by a Mr. Gorden. I believe that to be the correct name however not 100% sure. They did a few engine run-ups and the highlight was the Fokker DVII in the air. Not a horrible air show overall but it lacked continuity. The workshop doors were closed and most of the other hangers on the field were empty. Most of the planes stored in these hangers were on the flight line however, they were not flown. The museum buildings on the hill seem to be even more empty than I remember from last year. The Wright and Curtiss engines have been put into display cases and are on display in the new museum building. Sorry for the ramble and if anyone has any questions fire away.

I was at the July 30th airshow at O.R.A. and I took so many pictures, I had to start a 5th website. The link below takes you to my Rhinebeck home page, but the only page done so far is "The Flight". I got some neat pics from the front seat of the New Standard. My flight departed at 1:15 PM, and there are two aerial shots of the field, so you can see how sparse the attendance was. By show time, the small area had completely filled and the big area only had spectators along the back row in the shade, and I was one of them.

If you click on the "Home Sweet Home" link, you'll go to my 1st website with links to the other three.

http://home.earthlink.net/~alpinequeen5/

I'm on vacation this week and should have most of the website done. I'm also trying to finish unpacking my books and videos in my new apartment. Among these is a copy of Cole Palen's biography, which on the day I bought it, I had the Black Baron autograph it himself. I also have a copy of the Flying Circus video and a entry ticket that cost about $6.50 or $8.50, the kind you used to tie on with a string. I also had a tee shirt that said, "I survived my flight", with a picture of the New Standard on it. I hope it is still in the stuff I haven't unpacked.

I first heard about Rhinebeck from an early issue of Air Classics back in the 60's when it was a quarterly. In 1969 I rode in the back seat of a Gremlin and it was overcast and drizzling when we arrived, but by show time, the sun had come out. Since then, I've been back 8 or 10 times, including three visits to the post Labor Day MHRRC WW1 Jamboree.

I've been away from New England for almost 20 years and one of my goals was to get out to Rhinebeck. After Sunday's show, well, it just wasn't the same without Cole Palen. The highlight of the show was Stan Segalla. Gosh, I don't believe he's 82!

Let's see, they fired up the Caudron G.111, the Hanriot did a short hop down the field, they fired up the Liberty 12, sort of, the Great Lakes and the Tiger Moth did most of the work in the "air show", the Jenny ran up and down the field, Pierre Da Loop da Loop took the Spad 7 up (brakes and electric start? C'mon!), and later the DR1 went up against the Spad.

Overhearing some of the conversation by the staff, the French Renault tank died at the end of last season and no one wants to touch it, heard something about someone forgetting to put gas in something and too much oil in the ambulance. They got an iPod playing the music!

I missed three things at this show, Cole Palen, the energy of the "show", and the smell of hot castor oil.

I just added a dozen quick pics to the Preview Pictures link.

[Hellcat]

Alpinequeen:

In looking at your photos, the Dr1 was seen to flying. It wasn't taken up on opening weekend for lack of a trained pilot. Therefore, my question is: who was flying the tripe?

[AAC Cadet Leader]

alpinequeen,
I loved your photos and also all the pages of your website!
one question: Did a woman play the part of The Black Baron while you were there? (not meant as an insult, it's just that with the costume and the gesture, it's a little hard to tell.)

I wasn't paying much attention to the pilots' names, but I added two more pictures showing the DR1 pilot. He was a slender man and was wearing shorts. For the closeup skit part, he was "switched" in the ambulance with the other Black Baron who did the ground part.

http://home.earthlink.net/~alpinequeen5/id8.html

This ground version Black Baron overplayed the part. During the opening segment after the fashion show, Trudy Truelove and Sir Percy Goodfellow walked by the grandstands as did the Black Baron. Someone near where I was sitting yelled something out and this Black Baron actually came over and exchanged words. He said things like "I am indeed from Deutchland. Are you questioning my heritage?"

I think I understood his intent but to me, his acting came off rather over snobbish. After the show, this Black Baron crossed from the flight line fence into the spectator area trying to menace three youngsters. It could have been a scene from an early Max Sennett Keystone comedy but it just didn't come off right. I wonder if there are any guideline for this acting, or if the actors are given free rein?

Thanks for your kind words AAC Cadet Leader. Both black Barons were played by men. In looking again at the very first picture on the preview page taken from across the field, it is possible that this Black Baron was played by a woman. The ground Black Baron came within 20 feet of me during the exchange of words with one of the spectators. I added two more pictures.

[AAC Cadet Leader]

thank you, alpinequeen for the additional pictures, and added thoughts about the two(?) people playing the Evil Black Baron. that's two confusing for me!
neither of those two look nearly as evil as Dave King or Cole did while playing the character IMO. they are tough acts to follow.

Your question made me go back and take a good look at the first picture. Were there three Black Barons in the show? The body language of the Black Baron in the picture taken across the field by the buildings indeed raises questions.

Another thought I had was since there weren't many spectators watching, I suppose this may affect the performers. Big crowd, energetic performers. Little crowd, well.

I recall one show where they launched a hot air balloon down the runway in which Trudy Truelove escaped the clutches of the evil Baron. That was great.

Cole Palen had presence and excellent makeup. When he stood before his machine at the end of a performance, there were always people clustered around him. He was a teacher, a performer and you could tell he loved what he did. Cole as the Black Baron, was evil, but in a good way.

It takes a lot to keep Rhinebeck going. I arrived at 9:30 AM and wandered around watching the staff roll out the aircraft and prepare for the day. They were all cheerful, energetic and hopeful for a good show. I could sense their anticipation. One man stopped and spoke with me and I mentioned I first saw the show in 1969. He said he did too and fell in love with one of the airplanes. He turned out to be the pilot of the New Standard.

A comment about the museum buildings. I seem to recall they used to have the main doors open. On Sunday they were closed and it was hot inside. I wonder if this has anything to do with preservation of the aircraft?

I got one page done!

http://home.earthlink.net/~alpinequeen5/

[AAC Cadet Leader]

alpinequeen,
Thanks so much for sharing your Rhinebeck pages of memories and pics!