Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome - An Aviation Must See

There are aviation museums and events around the United States that are on my "must see" list. So in conversations with friends and family these must see's come up often. To name a few.... the "big one" at Oshkosh, The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum (downtown and at Dulles), National Museum of the U.S. Air Force... along with one of the places that I HIGHLY recommend be visited if you are a die hard aviation enthusiast or just a casual observer is Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome. This grass airfield in rural New York will take you back to another time. Early aviation lives and flies there! I visited there in June of 2005 with my parents and my sisters family. Quite the scene to pull up on the vintage hangars and buildings full of aircraft from the 1910s thru the 1930s. A stroll around the grounds and watching the afternoon airshow will be a site you will never forget. So if in New York... GO!

Dan enjoying the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

I saw a bit of news a couple days ago. Old Rhinebeck is fundraising to rebuild their gift shop and model museum building after a fire last month. Read the article here on AvWeb.

Let's support the rebuild. Visit the donate page on the Old Rhinebeck site here.

Go and see the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome!!

Links - Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

Rimowa Fokker F-13 Replica

One of the cool announcements to come out of Oshkosh 2015 was that Rimowa, the luggage maker, would be offering Fokker F-13 replicas for sale. The Rimowa company has a dedicated web site for the project... click here for the full details.

Photo via Fast Company magazine

For the press from EAA at Oshkosh.... click here.

The EAA press states that it will cost about $2.2 Million... cruise at 86 knots... and be powered by a Pratt and Whitney 985.

For some press from FAST COMPANY magazine... click here.

I guess you will spend quite a bit of money to fly slowly... BUT you will be THE COOLEST airplane on the ramp at every airport you land at!

Cowtown T-6 Texan

In June, just as we pulled into the Propwash airport, a radial engine broke the silence and pealed off to land. My boy and I were on an outing to drop in on the Cowtown Aerocrafters hangar in Justin, Texas. We watched as Lanny Parcell and his son landed in the newly restored AT-6 Texan. The gang at Cowtown had this T-6 in storage for a long time and spent the last few years bringing it up to flying status. A fine T-6 now graces the skies over Texas. The glint off the polished skin will have you reaching for your sunglasses! On our visit preparations were being made for the big trip to Oshkosh. (Lanny and Tom Swindle made the trip up and back successfully.) Below are a series of photos from the visit in June.

Cowtown T-6 Gleaming in the Texas sun

Search for "Cowtown Aerocrafters" on Facebook to follow along on their restorations.

Central Texas Wing CAF - South Texas Trip

I am In review mode for this summers activities so posting more photos from a few months back. In June our family headed south for a good friends wedding near Austin. Brennen and I dropped Candice off for some outlet mall shopping (air conditioned!) while we headed out into the warm sunshine to check out a local airport. We drove around the San Marcos, Texas airport until we found the Central Texas Wing of the Commemorative Air Force hangar. They have one COOL hangar! Big open hangar space and plenty of wooden beams with character. Equally eye catching is the variety of vintage aircraft on display. B-25, P-39, AT-6, Beech 18 and more! It was fun to run into a pilot from back in the Breckenridge Airshow days and catch up. If in the Austin/San Marcos area this is a great stop for the aviation enthusiast. Below is a series of photos highlighting the visit.

"Dad... that is NOT a REAL Zero!"

B-25 Mitchell "Yellow Rose"

P-39 Airacobra

Check out the cool hangar structure!

P-39 up close

Hangar overview

Plenty of aircraft on display!

Links - Central Texas Wing CAF - Commemorative Air Force

Are you a Warbird Airshow enthusiast? Check out the book Breckenridge Warbirds! 

Follow this link to preview and purchase.

Corsairs at Cavanaugh Flight Museum

Back in May I took my boy over to see the Warbirds at the Cavanaught Flight Museum. The day worked out perfectly with great weather and plenty of flying Warbirds. It was great to see the two Corsairs flying together! Highly recommend visiting this museum especially on their "fly days" they have twice a year.

Navy folding wings

Cavanaugh Corsair

Visiting Corsair from Oklahoma

Cavanaugh Skyraider

Cavanaugh Mustang

Brennen swinging his hand around to the engine sound

Corsair departing for flybys

Brennen inspecting the Corsairs

Mustang engine start

Cavanaugh Warhawk

Link - Cavanaugh Flight Museum

B-17 And B-17 Dallas Visit - Frontiers of Flight Museum

It was back in March that I was able to visit Love Field in Dallas to see the Collings Foundation bomber tour at the Frontiers of Flight museum stop. My son and my mom spent the afternoon walking around the bombers and the museum with me. I called it a "bomber history lesson" for my boy! The weather was cool and overcast so MUCH different than the 100 degree heat we have in Texas today!

Brennen getting the boost to see the B-24

B-24 gear leg perspective

B-17 walk around

Airplanes everywhere!

Looking over the Vought "Flying Pancake" once flown by Lindbergh

Links - Frontiers of Flight Museum - Collings Foundation

Texas Flying Legends to Saint Barths Airshow

Texas Flying Legends P-40

Texas Flying Legends along with Lewis Air Legends made the trip from Texas to Anguilla out past the British Virgin Islands! The crews from both Warbird collections have assembled quite the formation to make the LONG trip to perform an airshow at Saint Barthelemy.

Two B-25 Mitchells, two F7F Tigercats, a Zero, a P-40 Warhawk, a TBM Avenger and a F4U Corsair are on the adventure.

Check out this highlights video from the Texas Flying Legends cameras... video

All Things Aero reported on the beginning of the trip.... article here

It is exciting to see that the owners and pilots of these Warbirds will venture far and wide to display these historic aircraft!

Links - Texas Flying Legends - Lewis Air Legends

Bata Lockheed 10 - Post Restoration First Flight

Wichita Air Services photo

Hats off to Wichita Air Services for the post restoration first flight of Lockheed 10 serial number 1091!

Watch the first engine start here... video

Watch the first take off here... video

This 10 has a unique history, as most vintage airplanes do, in that it was first purchased by Bata and will soon return to the Czech Republic to live near its original home!

A link to on post on the Bata company web site... Bata in the News

It's new home in the Czech Republic will be... Tocna

For more on surviving Lockheed 10 and 12 aircraft visit.... Another Time

Link to Wichita Air Services web site

St. Louis Robin - Curtiss Robin History Relived

Last November 15th I made the trip down to near Waco, Texas to see a historic airplane. A Curtiss Robin named The St. Louis Robin. Terry Bowden and his crew prepared the Robin for flight after it has been sitting for many years. Kelly Mahon would do the piloting. What took place on that day in November was not just some friends gathering to see the airplane... or even see it make a flight... there were family members of the original record breaking flight on hand! They all wanted to see history!

Dale Jackson and Forest O'Brine flew this very Curtiss Robin on a record breaking endurance flight of 420 hours and 21 minutes. Follow the link below to read Terry Bowden's blog with the back story on this historic Curtiss Robin.

Barnstormer's Random Aeronautics

A quick flight around the pattern was made and then Kelly took two of the three family members, relatives of Jackson and O'Brine, for a flight. An amazing day reconnecting to a historic event!

The St. Louis Robin

Close up of the name

View from the pilot's seat - "Like flying a jungle gym" said pilot Kelly Mahon

Curitss Robin

The Curtiss Challenger engine

A booklet preserved from the historic flight

Terry and Kelly prepare for engine start with a visiting Cessna 195 looking on

On take off roll

Pilot Kelly Mahon with the relatives of Jackson and O'Brine

The crew and the Curtiss Robin

 For more historic photos follow this link... St. Louis Today photos

Also.... a video featuring the St. Louis Robin... video

Travel Air 5000 Restored

When I stepped inside the Cowtown Aerocrafters hangar near Justin, Texas in September of 2013 I saw a unique round tail. A tube fuselage that had me wondering. My friends were grinning when they saw my puzzled look. Was it something Fokker made with that round tail? My face lit up when they said Travel Air! Cool... wait... what model of cabin Travel Air? 5000? OK... I had heard about a Travel Air 5000 being restored in Texas and come to find out, this was it!

Travel Air 5000 tail

Travel Air project late 2013

Travel Air cabin model

Amon Carter, famous Fort Worth, Texas businessman, had owned this Travel Air after it was retired from service with National Air Transport Flying Service. C3002 flew with NAT from 1927 until 1931. In the mid-1930s Carter parked the Travel Air on his ranch near Fort Worth. It was left outside until saved by pilot, Harry Hansen. Hansen spent many years working on the aircraft intending to return it to flyable condition. To push through to save the airframe from inactivity the project was moved to the Cowtown Aerocrafters hangar. The new mission was to restore it to static condition for display in a new Fort Worth museum.

Wright engine parts

Wright engine core and mount

Restored engine parts

NAT stamp on the restored prop

Shine!

The large wings

May of 2014 progress

May 2014

In August 2014 the completed static restoration was rolled out for photos. It was moved at a later date to its new museum home in Fort Worth. It now hangs on display in the Morning Star private museum. (The only other surviving Travel Air 5000 "Woolaroc" is on display in Bartlesville, Oklahoma)

Static restoration complete for NAT serial number 17

NAT serial number 22