In My Flying Machine
Today, I fulfilled a long-held dream — to fly in the open cockpit of a vintage biplane.
In Dutchess County, on an idyllic day, crisp and cold and ablaze with fall color, we pulled to a stop near the airfield of the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome.
Stewart Sommerville, Development Chairman for the Aerodrome, met us in a 1926 Model T Depot Hack and drove us over to the hangars to tour their collection of Pioneer Era, World War I, and Golden Age airplanes. The Aerodrome owns the oldest flying airplane in the country, the 1909 Bleriot XI.
This is an amazing place, full of both original planes, as well as faithful reproductions of some significant machines, such as the Wright 1911 EX “Vin Fiz” below (the original hangs in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum). The airplane, nicknamed the Vin Fiz Flyer for the grape soda ad painted on the sled runner frame, made the first successful transcontinental flight in the United States.
Pilot Cal Rodgers left New York on September 17, 1911, hoping to make the journey in less than 30 days to win the prize offered by newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst.
While he would miss the 30 day deadline by 19 days, the flight was an extraordinary accomplishment. It took 70 flight jumps for Rodgers to cross the United States — a full 50 days, multiple accidents and injuries to both pilot and plane. It is said that the plane was repaired so many times during the journey that almost none of the original machine remained by the time Rodgers finally landed in Pasadena, California, on November 5, 1911 — to a cheering throng of 20,000 people.
Just look at that canvas and wood flying machine! What bravery to fly across the continent in that slight aeroplane!
Only a couple of weeks ago, I stood under the massive Saturn V rocket at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
I marvel at the ingenuity that took us from flying across the Rocky Mountains in the Wright Flyer — to the moon — in fifty-eight short years.
After not nearly enough time exploring the Aerodrome’s collection of aircraft and cars, it was time for my biplane flight, and I was excited! Our ride was a 1929 New Standard D25 — a biplane designed to do exactly what she is doing today — take people up for short flights.
So today I leave you with a little video footage of the end of my flight and landing, and I look forward to sharing a full article on the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome soon 🙂 .
I’m currently on the road in Dutchess County, New York, and this is one of the daily (or nearly daily 
 ), short posts along the way.
Journal entries are just that — quick, in the moment, on the road posts — rough, barely edited, and on the go. Look for finished articles everywhere else on my blog!
Disclosure: Many thanks to Dutchess County Tourism and the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, particularly Susanne O’Neil, Stewart Sommerville, and Clay Hammond (our pilot 🙂 ) for hosting my visit. As always, opinions and experiences expressed on AnnCavittFisher.com are honest and my own. I’ll never recommend anything I didn’t love myself.
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What a fun adventure! I’ve never been afraid of heights or flying so I would absolutely love to do something like this! Next up, you’ve got to jump out of an airplane! Or maybe you already have! I like this style of post – the journal entry!
Andi, is was a wonderful day — and I loved the Aerodrome so much, I want to return for one of their weekly summer airshows.
And um, no. While I might learn to fly a plane — that YOU could jump out of — it would take a death spiral for me to leave a plane 🙂 .
That looks completely terrifying! And also like a blast.
I know it sounds strange, but it wasn’t scary at all. In fact, quite the opposite. And I can hardly wait to do it again.
I love learning about the history of flight and it’s so cool that you were able to get up in one. Truly brave spirits have changed how we now travel and it’s so easy in comparison.
It was such a fun experience! And you got a great bird’s eye view of the area! We also did a biplane tour in Ottawa and it was so much fun! It was a bit cold but we enjoyed it!
I really like your journal entry style posts. Really brings me back to why a lot of us started blogging in the first place – which is to share real time travel updates. Anyway Dutchess County sounds beautiful. Although I think I would’ve been to scared to get in that airplane!!
Thank you — concerning the journal style post. As I was looking at a super-busy October and wondering how I was going to write enough for the blog, it occurred to me that not everything I write has to be a full-finished article, and that on-the-fly posts from the road really have a place on my website.
And Dutchess County is beautiful! I have plenty more to share about my time there.
My first plane ride was in my grandfather’s biplane. I loved it! Looking down out of the window at the countryside below us and hearing the propellers was magical. I have loved flying ever since. I think I’d love the aerodrome experience. It seems scary, but exhilirating. Glad you enjoyed it!
Oh, I didn’t realize this was on my bucket list but now it is! I have this really amazing photo of my great-great grandma in one of these planes as a baby and the same plane’s propellor turned into a clock. It’s pretty amazing. I also kind of like these journal entry style posts – is this a new thing you’re trying out?
A biplane ride should definitely be on your list! And I’d love to see your picture.
Yes, the journal entries are new. A way for me to publish a more immediate road-journal piece, instead of waiting to get back and write a full, finished article before sharing with readers. — I will, of course, continue to produce the bigger, polished pieces as well.
I think the combination of seeing Pearl Harbor, and the airplane museum in rexburg Idaho is what made me fall in love with old planes. I am so jealous you got to do this, and really want to visit now so I can take a whirl at it! Great video btw, love all those fall colors and how smooth the footage was.
I can understand. I think for me, it was watching Memphis Belle with my Dad back in the 1990’s — and I just have had this visceral connection ever since.
Also — I was amazed at how smooth the landing was in the biplane. It may be — the smoothest landing I have ever experienced. I think it has something to do with two things: a good pilot, and — a very lightweight craft.
Oh. Wow. Those were literally the first two words that popped into my mind when I read the opening sentence of your post! That is a huge feat and an impressive dream! Um, the oldest flying airplane in the country is from 1909? Good grief, not sure about getting in that one! 😉 I never realized (just because I haven’t flat out thought about the basic math of it all) that it was a very short time from the first flight in a plane to the first flight to the moon. Some things it seems we do fast in life and others it seems we should have done ages ago. Does it seem that way to you? Flipping awesome video by the way! I kept waiting for it to jerk when you landed but it seemed as though it was the smoothest landing ever…was it? Beautiful fall foliage colors for the bonus!
Well, they don’t take visitors up in the 1909 Bleriot — but watching it fly would be pretty darned amazing.
I think it’s extraordinary how fast we figured out the moon shot — I find it amazing. I’m fifty-three years old. So basically, if I’d been born in the early WWI time period, I would have seen airplanes progress from canvas and bicycle parts to being very sophisticated, and seen us figure out how to get to the moon and back. It’s really jaw-dropping.
And yes, the biplane’s landing was as smooth as silk 🙂 .
This totally looks like you. Seems like you are having a great road trip. Bi-planes are just so graceful. It’s a dream of mine to fly in out someday – open cockpit and all. I love the fall color too. You timed this trip excellently.
My trip to Dutchess County was truly extraordinary — one of my favorite trips in a long time. Yes! I finally got the timing on a fall foliage trip right 🙂 . And I so wish the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome was closer to me — because I want to spend more time there.