Spotlight USA: Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome Is Where Long Lost Warbirds Come Back to Life

Located just over 100 miles from mid-town Manhattan, NYC, in the cozy little nook of Rhinebeck in Duchess County, New York, just north of Poughkeepsie, the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome (OLA) is a place of refugee for long-forgotten wooden and canvas biplanes made to feel less impressive about every great fighter plane made after 1940.

But please, we implore you to lower your boundaries. Because upon arrival on dusty back roads to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, you're greeted with the aeronautical equivalent of the wardrobe to Narnia. On a picturesque level, grassy field, fully-volunteer-restored and maintained legitimate pioneer-era aircraft share hangar space with one-to-one replicas so close to the source material they make most movie adaptations of famous fiction novels look like even cheaper knockoffs than they usually do.

In any case, the lower airfield is flanked up a short hill by the most quaint little reception desk and gift shop you've ever seen at an aerospace museum. A group of two retiree volunteers was happy to take my questions as I parked my car outside its front entrance. It has the most stress-free, all-smiles kind of vibe that serves as a small aperitif for one of the most special aerospace collections on the Lord's creation.

From the very earliest days of heavier-than-air powered and unpowered human-crewed flight to right around the year 1940, each bespoke era of aviation from the pioneer age through the "golden era" of the 1920s and 30s. It's followed up with a hangar dedicated to the often forgotten interwar period. It's all the brainchild of an ex-US Army World War II Veteran by the name of Cole Palen.

Born in Pennsylvania but raised right here in Duchess County, James Henry "Cole" Palen Jr spent his time after the war honing his pilot skills at arguably the best place to do so in the entire world at the time. On the grounds of what's today the ultra "bougie," Roosevelt Field Mall once sat the Roosevelt Field Flying School on the historic Hempstead Plains of Long Island, New York.

It was while training as a pilot on Long Island that Cole Palen noticed a little hangar full of perfectly preserved World War I-era aircraft from both the Allied and the Central Powers. It's also said the iconic Shuttleworth Collection of Old Warden, Bedfordshire, Great Britain, one of the largest in Europe, was another large impetus for Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome's foundation in 1966. The airfield took eight years to build, with a groundbreaking in 1958. From then until his death in 1993, Cole Palen solidified himself as one of the most prolific dealers of antique aircraft on the planet. His impact on the town of Rhinebeck is still felt at its core, even thirty years after his passing.

Keep in mind one thing as you make your way through the litany of artifacts, aircraft, engines, and general aeronautical knickknacks from Sopwiths to Bleriots and even a Ford Model T or two. This is a practically 100 percent volunteer-run organization, only run seasonally from the mid-spring through the mid-fall.

This means there's simply not going to be the same level of sanitation you'd find in a massive climate-controlled mega-hangar like you'll find at the Stephen Udvar-Hazy Center or the National Museum of the United States Air Force. There are just no funds available on a consistent and prompt basis like those institutions take for granted. But don't let that dissuade you. Although, a few spritzes of bug spray wouldn't hurt.

There is a considerable layer of dust covering most items inside OLA's three-hangar, and there really is a wonderful assortment of antique and potentially extremely rare cars and motorcycles mixed in with all the airplanes. But if nothing else, Everything that's remotely close to airworthy gets more specialized attention in exquisitely-maintained and ultra-hygienic hangars down by the main airfield.

Oh, and you're bound to find some carpenter bees buzzing around more than a few hangars down by the main airfield. But there's something powerful about a group of warbirds, motorcycles, gas cars, and even a few antique EVs that isn't in hermetically-sealed, museum-like condition. But be warned, you better only touch the displays with your eyeballs and not your grimy, oily fingers. Unintended body-shedding like skin flakes and natural oils are like kryptonite to these old machines.

Every guest must respect this to the letter unless directly informed by a member of staff or a sign that it's okay to touch. But for just $100, you can put yourself on the waitlist to take a ride in the passenger's seat of one of these timeless bi-planes for yourself. With Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome's crack team of experienced, highly trained pilots, you're in for an experience unlike anything most Americans, heck, even most people in the world, could never even fathom in 2023.

A multi-acre airport facility dotted with life-like replicas of old World War I hangars complete with unique logos for each manufacturer only serves to shroud the litany of period-correct airframes as well as near-complete replicas under construction within. If you ask politely, you might even get a small peep inside.

But again, no touching. We'll be reporting live from Old Rhinebeck during their first air show of the 2023 season here at autoevolution; we can't tell you how excited we are to see these old birds fly. The interviews from the pilots should be something special as well. But before we conclude, what a coincidence it is that one of the other places you could fly timeless, classic war birds happens to reside in the same state as the ORA.

As it happens, we've visited the American Airpower Museum in Farmingdale, New York as well. Check it out here if you want to learn more. For now, we'd like to thank the wonderful staff at the ORA for graciously allowing us a slightly more in-depth look at the inner workings of the world's most wonderful World War I experience. It's possible to have in North America.

For those who want to come to experience their first air show of the season, they're held every Saturday and Sunday between June 17th and October 15th, 2023. Thanks for reading another edition of Spotlight USA! You bet your sweet you-know-what there's so much more amazing stuff on the way this summer. Catch you there!