Rhinebeck airshow reviews

[Paul914]

I went to the ORA airshow on Sunday and am pleased to report the following...
First, I must compliment all show participants - they had a good energy level and a positive attitude. Special mention to Trudy Truelove, who could be heard screaming at/from the Black Baron all the way accross the field. Everybody hustled and worked hard. The really did the best they could given the resources they had.

I had the priviledge of talking with Bill King, more on that later. I arrived midway through the automobile procession. I did not pay too much attention as to what was running on it's own power as I preferred to show my 9 yr old son the planes on the flightline up close on his 1st visit.

The 1929 New Standard was giving rides before and after the show.

Not in any particular order...

The show opened with the Great Lakes Trainer and the Tiger Moth performing the toilet paper cut.

The Caudron was pushed back from the flightline for a rotary engine start-up / demonstration. It did not taxi or hop. At least I got to smell some castor oil and listen to rotary 'blipping'!

The Jenny taxied. It did not fly. The reason given was that due to it's original status, it was too valuable to chance. (Better safe than sorry!)

The Hanriot made a hop. On the second pass, it wasn't able to get wheels up since there was no wind and it was hot/humid. The engine sounded good.

The Liberty Engine mounted on a flat bed was started up.

The Great Lakes Trainer and the Tiger Moth flew the bombing mission on the Black Baron. Bill King (GL Trainer) scored a direct hit on the roof of Madamme FiFi's, right next to where Trudy was tied to the barrel.

The Fokker D7 didn't fly due to a bad magneto.

The Fokker DR1 didn't fly as the pilot was away on personal business but was expected back in a couple of weeks.

Stanley Segalla did his usual excellent stunt flying in the Piper Cub...and stopped right at his hat.

The SPAD VII flew well in a demo flight since it had no adversary to dogfight.

Cole's original tripe was in the hanger with the wings and tail plane removed, getting ready for transport to the Flyboys premiere in CT.

After the show, Mr. Segalla and Mr. King spent a lot of time signing autographs and answering questions. I came away honored to have met and talked to Mr. Bill King. He is truly a wonderful human being. It's the little things that you can't fake. Someone else asked about the 'problems' at ORA and he graciously acknowledged that things could be better and that there is reason to believe they will. He did not criticize anyone. On the contrary, he talked well about people who are starting to make a difference, citing the Flyboys promo tie-in as an example. When asked how he got involved with ORA, he started discussing the path he took to get his pilot's license and quickly digressed into how he and his family would drive up from Tarrytown- often returning from a show after dark while his wife would read children's book by flashlight to his kids in the car on the way home. When relating that story, his face was beaming with fondness. That spoke volumes to me about the man's character.

The gift shop could have been better stocked. Many shirts were not available in most sizes. Most posters & videos were sold out, no recent calendars, good selection of coffee mugs though.

[cfgray]

Hi, Paul914,

This is good news, thanks for the report. Let's hope things get even better as the season progresses. Glad to hear that a rotary was heard (as well as Trudy's screams and "bombs") and that smell of castor oil again wafted across the Aerodrome.

Great to hear that the SPAD VII was up, also. Let's hope the mag trouble on the D.VII is taken care of soon so it can grace the air, as well.

I know most everyone would agree with your assessment of Bill King as an aviator, a bombardier and a person. Also glad to know that the "Flying Farmer" gave his usual excellent exhibition of prowess.

Seems as though things are slowly getting into recognizable shape and are becoming familiar again at Rhinebeck.

I hope to be there for the next to last or final airshow date this year.

Best and thanks for the report (well done!),
cfgray

[tazbat]

Did the Bleriot ever get fixed and flown this season?

Salute!

[Paul914]

Glad to share a recent update. I have no doubt that most everyone would agree about Bill King as an aviator, a bombadier, and a person. Sometimes though it is worth recognizing and saying nice things about people who deserve it, especially when contrasted with all the negativity directed towards people in the news.

[spandau]

I just returned from the Jamboree weekend at ORA. With the exception of the ground show having two different themes (Sat - barnstorming, Sun - WWI), the Saturday and Sunday shows were very similar,

Here is a short recap of the Aerodrome activities:

The Albatross made an early morning flight on Saturday, but it was never flown again.

Both shows were opened with the Tiger Moth and the Great Lakes doing the Delsey Dive (toilet paper cutting).

On Saturday, there was a balloon bust using the Tiger Moth, the Great Lakes and the New Standard. The later was like watching the Goodyear blimp try to maneuver an obstacle course. I think that one balloon was hit and maybe two more were bumped by all three airplanes during the entire routine.

Both shows were interrupted with the following demonstration:
- Liberty Engine run up
- Cauldron: This was started for the purpose of demonstrating the rotary engine. No attempt was made to hop it.
- Bleriot: They couldn’t fly it because the engine has been rebuilt and it needs some more run time. Therefore, they decided to run it for the crowd to put some time on it. Apparently, they figure that running it for 1-2 minutes during each show will get it run in for the 2012 season.
- Jenny: They brought it out and just taxied it. It was announced that after 40 years of use, it was now too valuable to fly. This was very depressing. It would have been better to leave it in the hanger

Following the no flying demonstrations, the Hanriot was actually hopped down the field on Saturday. On Sunday it was very gusty so it was just taxied.

The Tiger Moth, the Great Lakes, the New Standard and the D.VII (on Sun) were used during the bombing routines. I think one of the nerf bombs actually “floated” down within 10 feet of the ground explosion.

Two WWI airplanes (SPAD & DR.I) were flown on Saturday as a preview to Sundays show. On Sunday, they flew the SPAD, DR.I and the D.VII.

Several things were noticeably missing from both shows: a sky diver to open the show, the Renault tank & armored car and any flyable rotary engine airplane.

There were some interesting comments from the announcer as he seemed to acknowledge some of the problems at ORA. He talked about how the show was not as strong as many people might remember, but that they are “still here”. Also, during the Jenny’s taxi routine, he mentioned how much he would like to see it fly again, despite the plans to mothball it. His comments almost seemed like there was still hope to reverse the decision.

Lastly, there was one very pleasant surprise during the show on Saturday. Dick King was introduced to speak to the crowd. Given the past problems, I was shocked to get to see him inside the gate, much less addressing the crowd. Maybe there is hope for the future.


Regards,
Spandau

A friend went up to the Aerodrome for the first time in many years. Here is his report.

Thanks, our trip to Rhinebeck was fun yesterday. It was the first time that I can remember where we were actually chilly watching the show. We caught part of the end of the model airplane competition.

Lineup that flew:

Great Lakes Trainer
DH Tiger Moth
Fokker DVII
Spad VII
Standard
Fokker DR1
Piper Cub

Engine runups only:

Curtiss Jenny
Bleriot
Cauldron
Hanriot

The Albatross was in the lineup but didn’t even get a runup, one pilot told us that there was a problem with oil pressure and they had not found the source of the problem yet.

Do you know what has become of the Fokker DVIII, Sopwith Camel, and the Sopwith Dolphin?


I told you he hadn't been there for a while.

Hi gang, I'm new to this forum. I visited Old rhinebeck this past Saturday and had a good time. I did not get there last year but did in 2004. It's true there was a lot less flying which was disappointing, however I'm still glad they ran and taxied some of the planes that did not fly. This is still better than static display! Have to admit that having an RC plane meet on the same weekend may have contributed greatly to the attendance. I've heard lots of stories the past few years, all of which were third hand. I'm not going to judge. I too was surprised by some of the comments made by the announcer during the show. In any case I had a good day and will go back again.
Lee

[AAC Cadet Leader]

Welcome to the 'drome, Lee and thanks for your report!