Really old birds on CNN

old iron · **Posted:** Fri Jun 19, 2009 7:18 am

Todays CNN iReport has a video news item http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-271918on the beginning of the 50th year of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome. Includes video of a FLYING (and original) Bleriot.

Pay no attention to the one guy who tells of Charles Lindberg flying over the Hudson River in 1909...

(Yes I know, airplanes earlier than the typical WIX posts, but some warbirds nonetheless)

JDK · **Posted:** Fri Jun 19, 2009 7:22 am

Thanks for the headsup...

old iron wrote:

Includes video of a FLYING (and original) Bleriot.

There will be a lot more Blerioting hitting the news in a month or so. Watch that Channel. Hem hem.

Holedigger · **Posted:** Fri Jun 19, 2009 7:47 am

There was talk of recreating the first scheduled passenger service, St Petersburg to Tampa, a trip whose 100th anniversary is coming up soon. The 1914 business opened with a $400 flight for the 20 mile journey, normal tickets were $5 a pop.
A group of crazy guys built a Bleriot flying boat and flew it for the 75th which now hangs in a museum downtown. Last I heard, the "Reenactment" was going to be a large radio controlled version. Guess it was decided that the Bleriot clone might not be too safe after hanging around for 25 years!

JDK · **Posted:** Fri Jun 19, 2009 7:55 am

I think you might mean 'Benoist' for that one. Bleriot stayed out of the water in 1909.

Holedigger · **Posted:** Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:04 am

Right you are, hadn't had my coffee yet this morning, Benoist 14 flying boat.....at least it started with B! :oops:

A link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benoist_XIV

Jerry O'Neill · **Posted:** Fri Jun 19, 2009 9:58 am

If you noticed, they didn't show any WWI aircraft flying. Granted, the Saturday show has always been more of a barnstormer show, but it was a good thing they didn't cover Sunday's show.
For those of you who have been there and seen the show, Sunday's show featured no dogfight, No Black Baron, No Sir Percy Goodfellow, and No Fokker Dr.1 flying. They only flew the Albatross DVa as a demo and the Jenny. They couldn't get the Avro 504K to run for about 20 minutes then ended the show early with the Bleriot flight demo.
Not a good for the start of the 50th year.
Jerry

airnutz · **Posted:** Fri Jun 19, 2009 10:17 am

old iron wrote:

Yes I know, airplanes earlier than the typical WIX posts, but some warbirds nonetheless)

Warbirds iz Warbirds, no matter their vintage, OI.

richkolasa · **Posted:** Fri Jun 19, 2009 12:06 pm

airnutz wrote:

old iron wrote:

Yes I know, airplanes earlier than the typical WIX posts, but some warbirds nonetheless)

Warbirds iz Warbirds, no matter their vintage, OI.

Amen! It is the great war warbirds who have mention in one of the greatest battle songs of all time!

>>

>>

>>

Oh, wondering what that song is? Well, the Royal Guardsmen "Snoopy versus the Red Baron", OF COURSE!

Rich

old iron · **Posted:** Fri Jun 19, 2009 2:57 pm

The CNN iReport video does show a JN-4 "Jenny" ... maybe not a warbird per se but certainly a military aircraft, in military markings and the real thing. The Fokker Dr.1s that typically fly at Rhinebeck are wonderful to see but of course are all reproductions, as no originals survive.

Baldeagle · **Posted:** Fri Jun 19, 2009 3:30 pm

Lots of bull$@!# in that report.
I try to bite my tongue on this topic, but the only solution for Old Rhinebeck's problems is a complete replacement of the current Board of Directors. They have driven off almost all of the talented people who made the place great, and now it simply is a hollow shell of what it once was. Not to mention disappearing artifacts, stolen engines, numerous examples of unethical actions, etc, etc, etc....
Very sad.

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Jerry O'Neill · **Posted:** Fri Jun 19, 2009 4:23 pm

Baldeagle wrote:

Lots of bull$@!# in that report.
I try to bite my tongue on this topic, but the only solution for Old Rhinebeck's problems is a complete replacement of the current Board of Directors. They have driven off almost all of the talented people who made the place great, and now it simply is a hollow shell of what it once was. Not to mention disappearing artifacts, stolen engines, numerous examples of unethical actions, etc, etc, etc....
Very sad.

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Agreed.

k5083 · **Posted:** Sat Jun 20, 2009 8:36 pm

I am watching the drome with interest this year as I have wondered about its future following the tragic accident last year. To me that is more consequential than the boring and silly pi$$ fight among the groups vying for leadership. It is sad to hear that they are off to such a slow start.

August

JDK · **Posted:** Sat Jun 20, 2009 9:15 pm

k5083 wrote:

I am watching the drome with interest this year as I have wondered about its future following the tragic accident last year. To me that is more consequential than the boring and silly pi$$ fight among the groups vying for leadership. It is sad to hear that they are off to such a slow start.

It would be interesting to get an impartial view if there's any causal relation between the accident and the current trough the Old Rhinebeck organisations is in. Accidents can be a symptom of deeper organisational / morale and thus safety culture issues.

While I don't know the ins and outs of the management shenanigans (and what I've read just confuses further) the fact they are not doing well is a current management issue, and change either of approach, personnel or model is desperately needed before it tips into complete collapse.

Certainly Old Rhinebeck's dropped way down my list of places vital to visit. I can't see this is what Cole Palen would've wanted as his legacy as he maintained a better performance through much leaner times for the W.W.I aficionado - it's particularly ironic that we are, in fact in a W.W.I renaissance, yet OR is counted out of that...

Just my (long-distance) view.

Baldeagle · **Posted:** Sun Jun 21, 2009 10:40 am

k5083 wrote:

I am watching the drome with interest this year as I have wondered about its future following the tragic accident last year. To me that is more consequential than the boring and silly pi$$ fight among the groups vying for leadership. It is sad to hear that they are off to such a slow start.

August

Well, besides the ethical considerations, the old leadership had enough talented people and volunteers to have 15 to 18 airplanes flying every weekend, and safely, while the new "leadership" barely manages to get 2 ORA planes into the air, and can't find good pilots or mechanics to improve that showing. Silly pi$$ fight.

Also, I'm sure Vinny was a good pilot, I'm not referring to him in the above, and Bill Gordon is hugely talented as well, but the exception that proves the rule, and even he isn't there when he has other airshow commitments.

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