Aircraft
Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome features numerous aircraft ranging from Wright-era reconstructions to biplanes and monoplanes of the 1930s. Among Palen's earliest additions to the museum in the mid-1960s was a Fokker Triplane reproduction, powered with a vintage Le Rhône 9J 110 hp rotary engine. Carrying the American registration number N3221, it flew for many years. This aircraft, and a pair of Dr.I reproductions, each powered by radial engines, were flown for nearly two decades by Palen. Both Cole's first rotary-engined reproduction, and the second of the stationary radial-powered reproductions, are now on static display.
An accurate Sopwith Dolphin reproduction was built by Palen. Powered by a vintage direct-drive Hispano-Suiza V-8 engine, this aircraft regularly flew at Palen's weekend air shows from 1980 onward. In September 1990, the aircraft's engine suffered a fuel pump failure, resulting in a crash landing into the trees surrounding the Old Rhinebeck museum's airstrip, with only minor damage as the aircraft never directly struck the ground in the crash, and largely remained suspended in the tree canopy after the accident. The Dolphin was placed on static display until November 2007, when Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome began restoring it to flying condition. When completed, the aircraft will once again be painted in the markings of No. 19 Squadron.
Another German aircraft in the collenction is an Albatros D.V reproduction, which is finished in the colors of Eduard Ritter von Schleich. It is powered by a modified six-cylinder Fairchild Ranger engine, fitted after the original liquid-cooled Mercedes D.II engine sheared its crankshaft.
The collection also includes a restored 1909 Bleriot XI (including an original three cylinder Anzani radial engine), with U.S. civil registration N60094, that is one of oldest airworthy aircraft in the world.
A notable, and quite accurate, Sopwith Pup reproduction was built in the late 1960s by the late Richard King along with Cole Palen. It still exists at the Owl's Head Museum of Transportation in Rockland, Maine, and is still flown occasionally at special events during their open season. It is powered by an original vintage First World War Le Rhône 9C 80 horsepower (60 kW) rotary engine.
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