A new look for the Rhinebeck Jamboree

Model Airplane News, Apr 1998 by Yarrish, Gerry

HAVING GROWN UP in New England and having been interested in aviation and R/C models. it is only natural that I have spent many sunny weekends at that magical place in Rhinebeck, NY, known as the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome. My father. being an old-time R/C er, started taking me to the aerodrome when I was just a kid (long before I started flying RC models). I literally grew up with my neck strained backwards watching the old biplanes engage in slow-motion dogfights and drop their bombs on the hapless characters below. As I grew up. Cole Palen (the Black Baron) and Dick King (aka Sir Percy Goodfellow) became two of my earliest heroes (right up there with Superman and Batman!).

The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome has, in a way, developed two separate yet similar histories during its existence-one of preserving and flying full-size antique aircraft and another of being a rich and long-- lived WW I-style, scale R/C competition. The aerodrome is a living museum of antique aviation. It houses one of the world's largest collections of early aircraft, many of which fly regularly in the weekend airshow. The aerodrome also features antique automobiles, motorcycles, early engines and memorabilia dating from 1900 to 1935. Several hangars display Cole Palen's amazing collection of aircraft and recently, a new museum building was built.

The weekend airshows re-enact the early years of aviation. On Saturday, the airshow displays the history of flight, with pioneer, WW I and Golden Age-era aircraft taking to the skies. On Sunday, the airshow features WW I and barnstorming aircraft and the world-famous antics of the evil Black Baron of Rhinebeck. During the week, the museum is open and the airshow aircraft are on static display. Group tours are available and you can get biplane rides if you're daring enough. The aerodrome is open every day from May 15 through October 31 and the weekend airshows begin in June and continue until October.

A CHANGE IN TACTICS

For the last 31 years, the Mid-Hudson Radio Control Society has put on the Old Rhinebeck WW I R/C Jamboree. The 1997 Jamboree, held on September 6 and 7, had a change in format. Instead of the traditional competition weekend consisting of AMA Sport Scale, Maneuvers and Mission events (emphasis placed on the Mission event), the Jamboree became a low-key, no-pressure WW I fly in allowing more breathing room for the scale modelers. As early as the February WRAM show, there were rumblings that this change would be the end of the long established New England competition. I'm pleased that the reports of the Jamboree's death were greatly exaggerated.

What did happen was that a shift occurred for the majority of the models entered. The pendulum swung from intense competition (though a lot of fun) to a kinder, gentler fly-in atmosphere with much less pressure in the air. But the change was not just for the models; the aerodrome itself has been transformed as well.

The Rhinebeck Aerodrome has always had a reputation for being a model airplane eating event. It had a narrow, bumpy runway with trees (serious trees) right in your face. There was always a nasty crosswind, and turbulence was always felt at about treetop level. When we arrived on Friday, it seemed that we were at a new place. To satisfy FAA safety regulations, the aerodrome's runway has been widened to almost twice its old width, the hill and trees that ate so many models have been removed, and the bleachers have been moved away from the runway's edge to more than double the size of the pit area. What a great place for a fun fly!

In part because of the change in format, the number of modelers who came was down a bit, but this only made for more flights for those who did show up. For most of the weekend, the wind was right down the runway, and it turned out to be a perfect weekend. The bull's-eye was left on the runway for those who wanted to practice bomb drops and spot landings. Also changed was the number of flight stations, which was reduced to four. A traditional impound for radios kept everyone happy, and no radio problems were encountered.

The fun fly did stop each day so the full-size airshow could take place, and the two flying events certainly complemented each other. A noontime R/C airshow re-enacted the full-size show in miniature and made for a great photo opportunity for the modeler and the general public alike. During the RIC airshow, WW I and Golden Age models took to the air in force. From Fokkers and Albatroses to Stearmans and the Spirit of St. Louis, the weekend was full of R/C eye candy.

Add to this the well-established, fullsize airshow with its rare aircraft and the comical melodrama played out by Trudie Truelove, Sir Percy Goodfellow and the dastardly Black Baron and his henchmen, and you have a classic event that only improves with age. If you're an aviation buff and/or RJC modeler and you haven't yet taken in a sunny day at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, you owe it to yourself to go. If you have a wide-eyed youngster, so much the better; you have a built-in excuse to witness the magic that is the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome.