Vintage Biplane Adventures at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome
Experiencing Open Cockpit Flight In a New Standard D-25
One of the great things about visiting Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome (ORA) in the Hudson Valley (USA) is that you not only get to see and watch the amazing collection of vintage aircraft in action, but you can also participate by taking one of their flight experience rides. Up to four passengers can fit in the New Standard D-25 biplane, so you can enjoy this thrilling experience with your friends or family. See the video link below.
Click To View: VIDEO: Take off with the Campbell family in a rare 1929 D-25 biplane at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome for an unforgettable Hudson Valley flight. This video highlights what yiu'll see and do, and how you too can soar in vintage style—don’t miss it!
The D-25 was first flown in 1929, and only 45 examples of this type of aircraft were built, so what's on offer at ORA is a rare opportunity to experience flight in a true piece of history.
The type was designed specifically as a joyride aircraft, but its rugged construction meant it also found favour as a crop dusting aircraft and a mail carrier. Two examples were even used by smugglers and these were eventually confiscated and later operated by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Tara Grieb, Old Rhinebeck's Director of Operations, describes their flight experience options:
"We offer rides in two different ways. On weekend airshow days you have to be on-site to sign up. So in theory you've bought your ticket to be at the Aerodrome for the day for the show, and then you go to the rides booth and sign up to get yourself into the queue, for either a before or after the airshow ride. We fill the flight slots up sequentially on a first-come first-served basis.
They're 15 minute rides at US$150 a person and we fly right up to the airshow (at 2:00pm) and after the show we'll fly until dark or until we run out of interested people, whatever comes first."
"On weekdays we do the rides by appointment only because were not fully staffed during the week. We offer two different rides on weekdays, the 15-minute tour but also a US$300 per person 30-minute Lighthouse Tour, which has proven to be quite popular. It goes out to the Hudson River, so you see the bridge, you see the three small lighthouses, and on this flight we go all the way down to Mills Mansion which is just above the FDR Estate.
While the D-25 can seat up to four people, we do need a minimum of two for a flight. The actual numbers will generally depend on the demographic of the group, how hot is it, and the size of the adults or the children that are involved. So you can call to make an appointment and we do it like a dinner reservation - we tell you when we have a pilot and when the weather looks good within the week that you want to go, and then we hold that spot with your name and number. When you arrive you pay for the Experience, undertake the safety briefing, then have an amazing flight."
After their ride experience Andy Campbell, a visitor from the United Kingdom had this to say:
"We're windblown and elated, it was great fun, really, really amazing, noisy and kind of a little bit nerve wracking for a bit, but not scary - it was great. It was so much fun it was amazing. We could only communicate with hand signals while we were up there because it's so noisy, but the kids just loved it, our daughter in particular was beaming the whole way, particularly when the pilot gave us some tricks and a bit of excitement towards the end, so yeah, spectacular, so good, so much fun."
So, if you're anywhere near Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in the Hudson Valley during the summer, either to attend a weekend airshow, or just passing through midweek, make sure you get in touch with the team at the aerodrome and take a Biplane Experience Flight.
This is such a unique experience that it's virtually guaranteed you'll remember it for a very long time.
For the record, this is not a paid advertisement by ORA. HAFU spent some time at Old Rhinebeck in 2024, and this is simply a review and report of what we saw on site -- lots of happy people getting one of the rides of their life!
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