Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome
9 Norton Rd, Red Hook, NY
Red Hook, NY
A grass airfield where the fragile biplanes of the dawn of flight are kept in the air, staging weekend dogfights and barnstorming shows over the Hudson Valley.
Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is a living museum of early flight, a grass airfield in the Hudson Valley where fragile pioneer aircraft and World War I fighters are not just displayed but flown. On weekends through the warm season, these century-old machines take to the air in barnstorming shows and mock aerial dogfights, a spectacle almost nowhere else in the world.
The aerodrome grew from the collection of Cole Palen, a passionate aviation enthusiast who gathered and restored antique aircraft in the mid-twentieth century and began flying them for the public. His vision endures in a place that keeps the dawn of aviation alive, with weathered hangars, a grass strip, and airplanes from the very beginning of powered flight through its golden age.
What Guests Love
- Weekend air shows where century-old aircraft actually take to the sky
- A collection of pioneer, World War I, and Golden Age airplanes
- The old-time barnstorming spirit and mock aerial dogfights
- A rare chance to ride in an open-cockpit biplane over the valley
Worth Knowing
- The flying air shows run on weekends in the warm season, so time your visit
- It is an outdoor grass field, so dress for the weather and bring sun cover
- Biplane rides are offered on show days and are weather-dependent
- Arrive early on show days to walk the collection before the flying begins
Details
Red Hook, NY
Learn about Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome
Cole Palen's dream
The Hudson Valley around Rhinebeck lies within the homeland of the Munsee-speaking Lenape and their neighbors, whose peoples traveled and lived along the great river long before European settlement and whose descendants continue their communities today. The valley later became a landscape of farms and grand river estates.
In the 1950s Cole Palen, an aviation buff, acquired a group of original antique aircraft and set about restoring them and getting them flying again on a grass field near Rhinebeck. He opened the shows to the public, and the aerodrome grew into a beloved institution that has kept his passion for early flight aloft for generations.
Airplanes that still fly
The collection spans the pioneer era of the earliest flimsy flying machines, the fighting aircraft of World War I, and the barnstorming biplanes of the 1920s and 1930s golden age. Many are original or faithful reproductions, kept airworthy by dedicated volunteers and mechanics.
What sets the aerodrome apart is that these aircraft actually fly. On show weekends, pilots start the temperamental engines and take the old planes up over the field, staging mock dogfights and demonstrations that let visitors see and hear machines from the very birth of aviation in their element.
The barnstorming spirit
The air shows lean into old-time theater, with costumed pilots, a villain and a hero, and comic aerial duels that recall the barnstorming days when flyers toured the country thrilling crowds. It is history brought to life with humor and daring.
On show days, visitors can also take an open-cockpit biplane ride, feeling the wind and the roar much as passengers did a century ago. Between flights, the hangars and the field are open to explore, with the aircraft and their stories close at hand.
Season by season
The flying season runs through the warmer months, when the weekend air shows take place and the aerodrome is at its liveliest. Summer weekends are the classic time, with the field busy and the old planes filling the sky over the valley.
Spring and fall shows offer cooler air and often clearer skies, with the Hudson Valley at its greenest or in autumn color. The flying pauses for winter, when the field and hangars fall quiet under the snow, and the region turns to its river towns and holiday charm.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
The Woodstock Inn on the Millstream
Boutel48 Tannery Brook Road, Woodstock, NY
14 miles away|Learn More ›
Things to Do Near Red Hook
Rhinebeck
About 4 miles south
A charming Hudson Valley village with a historic inn, shops, and the Dutchess County Fairgrounds.
Hudson River towns
Nearby
A string of historic river villages with grand estates, waterfront parks, and Amtrak stops along the Hudson.
Poet's Walk Park
About 6 miles southwest
A romantic riverside park with meadow trails and sweeping views across the Hudson to the Catskills.