A fly-by at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

Thanks! Always wondered what the field looked like. Hope to make it there sometime when they are flying.
 
Have you ever landed there? I know one needs permission, but I'm sure they'd love a cub to come in.
 
Old Rhinebeck welcomes visitors. You do have to call first, if for no other reason then to verify the field conditions. I used to fly my T-Craft into there all the time. You can't land or take off during the show, of course, and if you fly in to see the show you have to park around the back where your plane won't be visible.
 
Yes I've landed there. I'm the "Air Boss" at an air show every September, so I'm "privileged".
I flew to 3 different grass strips yesterday, they were all closed, due to ground conditions.
It's mud bog season in the mid-Hudson Valley.
 
Didn't see them in the video, but aren't there some power lines pretty close on one of the approaches? this is based on a memory that is from a visit during a show, about 50 years ago...:dunno:
 
Again, been there and I highly recommend it. Great show, hangars full of old old old planes, gift shop, food. Cool place. Plus now you can say you know the "Air Boss"!

Liked that slip @Shepherd!

FYI The hangars w/ planes and museum building are out of sight from Shep's pass, about 100 yards or so to the right of the flight line.
 
Dana said:
Old Rhinebeck welcomes visitors. You do have to call first, if for no other reason then to verify the field conditions. I used to fly my T-Craft into there all the time. You can't land or take off during the show, of course, and if you fly in to see the show you have to park around the back where your plane won't be visible.
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I'd like to fly in there sometime...do you think I could get in and out with a PA28?
 
tawood said:
I'd like to fly in there sometime...do you think I could get in and out with a PA28?
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Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: Look at the video. Trees at both ends. South end trees are tall and go up a hill. North end is a dog leg.
This field is the living embodiment of the "50 foot obstacle" they are always going on about in training.
Even with flaps you need to come in high and slip hard. Also, the field is higher at both ends and slopes down to the center.
Recommendation: Don't fill the airplane full of people, and go to a grass field and practice your soft\short field procedures and slow flight.
 
Stephanie B said:
Shepherd, do you keep your airplane at 44N?
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No. I live near 44N, and I spend a bit of time hanging out at 44N, but I fly out of GBR in Massachusetts.
If the deal on the Taylorcraft doesn't fall through, I might have a plane at 44N in the near future. :D
 
Shepherd said:
No. I live near 44N, and I spend a bit of time hanging out at 44N, but I fly out of GBR in Massachusetts.
If the deal on the Taylorcraft doesn't fall through, I might have a plane at 44N in the near future. :D
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I know both places. I had my airplane at 44N for almost 10 years.
 
Years ago I had access to a Champ and thought it would be fun to fly in there. I called up like it says on the website, and the conversation went like this:

Me: I've been to the field several times and would like to fly in for the show next week.

Them, hesitantly: Well, it's a pretty tricky place, so you might consider landing someplace else and taking a cab.

Me: I'm pretty confident I can get in and out of there without problem. It's Robert's* plane and he gave me a couple of pointers. I don't mind going around if it doesn't look good.

Them, enthusiastically: Oh, you know Robert? Yeah, come on down. When you land, taxi towards....

Gave me the impression that they're not thrilled with strangers dropping in.

*Not his real name.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Eric Gleason said:
Years ago I had access to a Champ and thought it would be fun to fly in there. I called up like it says on the website, and the conversation went like this:

Me: I've been to the field several times and would like to fly in for the show next week.

Them, hesitantly: Well, it's a pretty tricky place, so you might consider landing someplace else and taking a cab.

Me: I'm pretty confident I can get in and out of there without problem. It's Robert's* plane and he gave me a couple of pointers. I don't mind going around if it doesn't look good.

Them, enthusiastically: Oh, you know Robert? Yeah, come on down. When you land, taxi towards....

Gave me the impression that they're not thrilled with strangers dropping in.

*Not his real name.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Every summer someone blows the approach, refuses to go around, and floats the length of the field and crashes into the trees at one end or the other.
The folks at the Aerodrome have gotten a little gun shy because of it.
 
Shepherd said:
Every summer someone blows the approach, refuses to go around, and floats the length of the field and crashes into the trees at one end or the other.
The folks at the Aerodrome have gotten a little gun shy because of it.
Click to expand...

I figure that if one can routinely make the first turnoff at 44N while landing on 35, then there shouldn't be much of a problem. (Or land at 9B1).
 
Once at Rhinebeck I watched a C-172 with three guys in it harvest some tree branches on the way out...
 
Hi. I am Clay Hammond, VP and Chief Pilot at ORA. We welcome visitors who wish to fly in. Prior permission is 100% required. Classic and vintage aircraft generally have no issue. It is usually not a question of the aircraft capabilities, but rather of the pilot's. Call ahead the week before to discuss the airfield conditions and your prior experiences with short field ops on unimproved airstrips. Main line is 845-752-3200. Leave a message and I or one of our pilot's will call you back. It is a short field all things considered. 2700 feet from end to end. About 1400 useable for landing in the middle either way. We've had more modern aircraft in and out over the years. Various Cessnas, Cherokees, Bonanza and others of similar type. New experimentals too such as RV's can do it, but smaller tires tend to get knocked around more. Its all doable, but pilot must be on point, airplane must be making power, and DO NOT tanker in fuel. Land with minimum fuel. After your visit, when you depart, fly the three minutes over to Kingston-Ulster (20N) where they have very affordable AvGas. Kingston is a good alternate for those who opt not to come in to ORA. Taxi, rental car, and Uber all can drive you over the ten minutes it takes to get to the museum.

The Aerodrome's airboss is a position filled from within. We do not put on any airshow other than our own productions from June through October. The OP may have been referring to the annual RC Jamboree of which he may be a coordinator or CD.

We do not have transient fly-in visitors stuffing it in the trees on an annual basis. This is a misnomer and does not help the idea of encouraging visitors, fly-in or otherwise. Yes...we have had some incidents and accidents over the years, generally due to bad decision making on the part of the pilots. But it is far from a regular occurrence.

Thanks and I hope everyone will visit!
 
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