Flying Circus in Rhinebeck, N.Y.
R H I N E B E C K, N.Y., Aug. 18, 2003 -- The first time Dan Taylor's parents tookhim to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, in upstate New York, he was 10and infatuated with airplanes.
The love affair was shaped by 1960s movies like The BlueMax, about World War I fighter pilots, and Those MagnificentMen in Their Flying Machines, about an airplane race.
Now, Taylor lives out his flying fantasies as a pilot in theaerodrome's weekend airshows. He and the other pilots fly vintageplanes and replicas, wear period clothing, and engage inendearingly corny narratives.
"You see the old motorcycle or Model T Ford or the originalairplane or replica with original engine," Taylor, 44, said."It's moving, it's making noise, you can smell the castor oil fromthe rotary engine, you can hear the sounds of the engine, you canclose your eyes and pretend it's like World War I all over again."
Museum and Flying Circus
Both museum and flying circus, the aerodrome was the creation ofCole Palen, a mechanically inclined aviation enthusiast who in 1951spent his life savings on a bunch of World War I-era planes. Palendied in 1993 and his legacy is carried on at the aerodrome, wherethe staff also researches and restores or builds airplanes.
"You have to be a little bit of a historian to appreciate thematerials and the techniques they used," pilot Bill King said ofthe pilots and builders of the past, as he prepared to gas up areproduced World War I-era Albatros D.Va before a recent show.
The aerodrome is located in New York's Hudson River Valley, apopular destination among summer and autumn travelers. There arecruises on the Hudson River, apple- and pumpkin-picking at smallfarms in the area in September and October, and fall foliagegalore.
The aerodrome's Saturday shows have a "History of Flight"theme while Sunday shows feature World War I and barnstormingaircraft, along with the repeated kidnapping of the hapless TrudyTrulove by the evil Black Baron of Rhinebeck.
"It's live theater with airplanes," airshow coordinator JimHare said.
The airshows also use antique automobiles and motorcycles. Aboxcar, circa 1916, serves as a meeting place for spectatorsinterested in performing in a historical fashion show. Pilots andcrew zip around the airfield on bicycles. Airplanes not used in theshows stand in nearby hangars, including replicas of designs by theWright brothers.
Many of the airplanes have complicated controls that require thepilots to use their hands, feet and sometimes their entire bodiesas they fly above the airfield.
"I have a newfound respect for a lot of the early pioneerpilots," Taylor said. "A lot of them were learning the trade asthey went along. They were taking great risks and many paid withtheir lives."
Worth the Price of Admission
During a recent airshow, Taylor piloted a fragile-looking 1911Curtiss Pusher reproduction down the runway, visibly leaning fromside to side to work a wing mechanism that controls the rollingmovement as the airplane briefly rose into the air.
"I tell you what, that was worth the price of admission,"spectator Mike Zebley said to his brother as they watched Taylortake the Curtiss Pusher airborne.
Most Sunday shows also include an appearance by Stanley Segallaas the "Flying Farmer," a routine he's been doing for more than30 years. Playing the part of a neighboring farmer who has "neverflown alone," Segalla, 78, pilots his bright yellow Piper PA-11 inbackward circles and other tricks, including a finale where theplane appears to have run out of gas.
Segalla, who signed autographs after his routine, has a simplereason for why he's still flying: "People like my act."
Dick and Sandi Crawford were last at the aerodrome in 1967, justafter they were married.
"It's just as good, probably better," Crawford, 62, saidrecently as he displayed a postcard of a 1917 Curtiss JN-4H"Jenny," which he planned to send to his daughter of the samename, a U.S. Army captain stationed in Germany.
Crawford, of Verona, N.J., said he enjoys the aerodrome because"I believe in saving our history."