Old Rhinebeck (11th September)

i think there is only one place in the world thats collection of old aeroplanes comes anywhere near that and i grew up and live 5 miles away and i am at college just round the back and thats the shuttleworth collection. i reacon if that depperdussian was owned by the shuttleworth collection it would be flown.

does the depperdussun (first series of pictures round fuesalage single mid wing thing) fly?

Its a replica of the 1913 Deperdussin that held both the world land and seaplane records. Apparently it reached a top speed of 130 mph!

I gather it flew after restoration in 1974 – just the once. Rhinebeck’s founder Cole Palen made the test flight and found it so unstable that he promptly banned any member of his team from ever trying to fly it again!

Since this thread was first posted,I found the Old Rhinebeck website via Google. It’s a great site with comprehensive listings of the collection’s airframes and artefacts,and includes details of each aircraft’s current status (airworthy,taxiiable,static etc)…

http://www.oldrhinebeck.org/collection_airplane.htm

I was under the impression that the collection was made up almost exclusively of replicas,but even just a quick browse shows how many original machines they have. Some absolute gems,one to add to my ‘must visit’ list if I ever get to N America.

Thanks for the pics! A trip back for me. Went there as a child, and have been hoping to take my 2 sons in the near future. I grew up a few hours from there.

call me ollie if it is easier i do not mind.
i am planning a year out in 2 years time and whilst in america i am planning to make a trip to old rhinebeck with my camera. i also whant to get to oshkosh. i think old rhinebeck is the american anser to old warden.

ollieholmes,
I believe it did until just a few years ago. It now resides in one of the hangers on the hill away from the air-strip.
Most of the aircraft in these hangers have flown at Old Rhinebeck, but are currently awaiting parts, restoration, etc.

does the depperdussun (first series of pictures round fuesalage single mid wing thing) fly?

Ant Harrington,
Its a replica of a 1910 Hanriot from France.
The fuselage was built along the same principle of a racing skiff, which results in it being strong and light.
Old Rhinebecks excellent repro does not leave the confines of the runway, it just gets airborne for a few seconds then lands again before it runs out of grass.

The Hanriot’s normally flown by Bill King, one of Rhinebeck’s pilots from the very beginning. He’s restricted to short hops at Rhinebeck, because its completely surrounded by trees, therefore not engine failure-friendly, but a couple of years ago he took it down to Australia for the centenary of flight celebrations and pulled of some pretty extended circuits!

Blue Max and I had the pleasure of spending some time with Bill earlier this year. You’ve got to almost pinch yourself when you’re listening to a guy who can tell you what is really like to fly a Wright Flyer! (Pretty horrible apparently, not half as good as the Curtiss!)

Ant Harrington,
Its a replica of a 1910 Hanriot from France.
The fuselage was built along the same principle of a racing skiff, which results in it being strong and light.
Old Rhinebecks excellent repro does not leave the confines of the runway, it just gets airborne for a few seconds then lands again before it runs out of grass.

Lovely pics TMN,thanks for sharing. As Daz says,it looks like a fascinating place (Yep,I’ve seen the documentary too Daz 🙂 ) What’s the early monoplane in the third batch of pictures?

I remember seeing a documentary on Old Rhinebeck (Cole Palen’s Flying Circus) about ten years ago – must have watched it over a dozen times since! Absolutely fascinating place that I would love to visit someday.

Nice pics there TMN. The Old Rhinebeck still has a lot of hidden secrets for me. I realy enjoyed watching your pics.

Greets,

Stieglitz

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