This Museum in the Sky Has Vintage Fighter Planes From WWI That Fly—And Wings of the ‘Red Baron’

Antique fighter planes and photos of the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome and Cole Palen. Courtesy of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

The sound of buzzing engines stirs the airspace over the gorgeous Hudson Valley. Hearing this sound, Tara Grieb and other listeners are whisked back to the golden age of flight.

Biplanes zipping through the sky conjure the Western Front of World War I, yet they look conspicuously out of place in upstate New York.

The Red Baron, terror of the skies, appears to engage allied fighters, pulling off loops in an aerial dogfight, but the goggled pilots and acrobatic single-props are actually part of a moving museum.

The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, near Red Hook, was imagined into existence by the late collector Cole Palen. Now that he has passed, Ms. Grieb is its director of operations.

“He always believed it isn’t a plane unless it flies,” Ms. Grieb told The Epoch Times, speaking of Mr. Palen, who died in 1993. “And so, a living, moving experience with antique aviation is the foundation of what we do.”

The vintage flight museum, established in 1958, has been delighting visitors for decades with its fleet of replica biplanes and triplanes that really fly. Its fighters continue doing shows.

A mock aerial dogfight over New York state. Courtesy of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

A pilot poses as the "Red Baron." Courtesy of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

“Our mission is to educate and entertain the masses via airshows and our collection,” Ms. Grieb said. “We are seasonal but are working to have our static museum available year round.”

The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome sprawls across over 100 acres and includes four museum buildings and an airfield for guests to visit.

Noteworthy pieces among its collection of over 80 planes include an extremely accurate replica of the Spirit of St. Louis and an American Eagle A-129, both still worthy of flight. The aerodrome has its Pioneer collection, WWI collection, and Barnstorming Era collection.

Antique air shows are held every weekend, with about 25 historic airplanes taking flight.

To the thrill of onlookers, Mr. Palen himself once buckled in for flight, assuming the role of the “Black Baron of Rhinebeck” pitted against the heroic Sir Percy Goodfellow in mock aerial battles for the hand of the lovely Trudy Truelove.

Bristol F.2B “Brisfit”, 1917. Courtesy of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

Albatros D.Va, 1917. Courtesy of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

American Eagle A-129, 1929. Courtesy of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

Avro 504K, 1914. Courtesy of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

Bleriot XI, 1909. Courtesy of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

Chanute Glider, 1896. Courtesy of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

Curtiss JN-4H, 1917. Courtesy of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

Curtiss Pusher Model D, 1911. Courtesy of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

The museum has a unique history. When Roosevelt Field on Long Island was closing, Mr. Palen used his life savings to acquire six original WWI biplanes. He then built the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome museum.

Over the years, as the Aerodrome grew, more and more airplanes were added to the collection. The museum received these planes through donations and reinvested profits.

After Mr. Palen’s death, the Aerodrome became a nonprofit foundation. Its one airshow a month morphed into its current schedule of 38 air shows per season, held every weekend from June 15 to Oct. 20.

Embodying Mr. Palen’s belief in lifelike, “moving” experiences, the museum offers interactive displays to its visitors, including flights in the early flying contraptions.

New happenings at the museum include Flight Nights on Wednesday evenings, complete with historic biplane rides, a band, and a food truck. There are Lighthouse tours—30-minute coastal rides in antique aircraft.

The East Coast Doughboys will be performing at the Aerodrome from July 19-21, reenacting the WWI ground war. Other events that weekend include a vintage baseball game on the runway and a hangar dance.

Demoiselle, 1909. Courtesy of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

Deperdussin Racer, 1913. Courtesy of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

Fokker D.VII. Courtesy of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

Fokker Dr.1, 1917. Courtesy of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

Paul Cohen. Courtesy of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

Boeing Stearman – N2S-5, 1943. Courtesy of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

(Top) The Aerodrome; (Bottom) Roosevelt Field. Courtesy of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

New Standard D-25, 1929. Courtesy of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

The hanger at Roosevelt Field. Courtesy of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

Many find the Aerodrome to be a special place.

“We have many fans who become friends of the Aerodrome and support us as well, who we greatly appreciate,” Ms. Grieb said.

The museum recently received a Fokker D6 airplane—the famed model flown by the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen—through donor funds, “because the owner wanted it to keep flying and knew we would be the right place.”

The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome welcomes a spectrum of visitors including families, school groups, aviation enthusiasts, and scout groups. Vintage flight aficionados are enamored by the array of flying antiques.

“People adore what we do, and we always create repeat visitors with our first-time guests!” Ms. Grieb said.

For Ms. Grieb, working at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome has been a very special journey. She grew up in the Red Hook area and worked in the museum in her teens and twenties. She found her way back to her beloved Aerodrome after a 25-year career in education.

“It is a passion project and very important to me on many levels,” Ms. Grieb said, speaking of her work at the museum.

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