Old Rhinbeck Aerodrome's Spirit of St Louis

[Spad54]

The restoration is complete now in taxi trials may very well have its first flight this week

[napacon]

Watching With Misty eye.....The Sound Smoke and fire ...ORA will be enriched for ever with this.....Thnx to all...and the boys at GAS!

[Ian Warren]

Without actually saying the word ... a dang 'Classic' ... that was a classic ... you would want to be well practiced/versed in driving that one in such a confined space .. now who did that scenery again for that airfield ? ... may have been one off the fellas in that video ?

[Spad54]

Without actually saying the word ... a dang 'Classic' ... that was a classic ... you would want to be well practiced/versed in driving that one in such a confined space .. now who did that scenery again for that airfield ? ... may have been one off the fellas in that video ?

Falcone did the scenery in 2013. The team at ORA is using a Robin J-1 flown from the back seat as a trainer. It quite an achievement. ORA id a national treasure supported by individual donations and volunteer hours. A unique and magical place

[napacon]

Yes Of Course..the Great
ORA" NY 94 by Falcon409...wonderful scenery of this historic air strip., The Old Crates fly here and so too will That historic RYAN...by next Spring ! would think it will be a Huge draw at the
Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

[Ian Warren]

Falcone did the scenery in 2013. The team at ORA is using a Robin J-1 flown from the back seat as a trainer. It quite an achievement. ORA id a national treasure supported by individual donations and volunteer hours. A unique and magical place

Thanks for lead Spadmiester

[huub vink]

People did weird things in those days. An aircraft without forward vision! In FS2004 it was already nearly impossible to fly it for me.

[Tuor2112]

They wanted the large fuselage fuel tank to be ahead of the pilot in event of a crash!

[Roger]

I was going to suggest downloading Craig's Spirit of St. Louis aircraft, updated to FsX native from Classic Wings...but his site appears to be down at the moment.

[JimH]

When they ran up that Wright radial engine there were flames shooting out of the short exhaust stacks. Pretty cool. I wonder if that's possible to do in FSX.

[gray eagle]

I was going to suggest downloading Craig's Spirit of St. Louis aircraft, updated to FsX native from Classic Wings...but his site appears to be down at the moment.

I found it here, link was working for me.

http://www.classicwings.net/#!aircraft--s-/v0gkh

[Roger]

I found it here, link was working for me.

http://www.classicwings.net/#!aircraft--s-/v0gkh

Thanks! My shortcut didn't work.

[Maj Kong]

They wanted the large fuselage fuel tank to be ahead of the pilot in event of a crash!

Surely you are pulling our legs here .

It was more likely a matter of getting a Center Of Gravity for all that weight.

Believe me: NO pilot wants to be sitting behind a fuel tank .

[Tuor2112]

From Wikipedia (so it must be right lol!)

At Lindbergh's request, the large main and forward fuel tanks were placed in the forward section of the fuselage, in front of the pilot, with the oil tank acting as a firewall. This arrangement improved the center of gravity and reduced the risk of the pilot being crushed to death between the main tank and the engine in the event of a crash. This design decision meant that there could be no front windshield, and that forward visibility would be limited to the side windows. This didn't concern Lindbergh as he was used to flying in the rear cockpit of mail planes with mail bags in the front. When he wanted to see forward, he would slightly yaw the aircraft and look out the side.

So we are both right!

[napacon]

How could one not revisit This ??




IT COULD BE DINGLE BAY...THAT POINT TO THE NORTH THERE....THE SHAPE IS RIGHT...THOSE ISLANDS OFF TO THE RIGHT THERE...THAT FITS...THAT LINES UP RIGHT......IT IS DINGLE BAY "

[Bomber_12th]

Some of the clips from the Youtube video of the ORA 'Spirit', especially towards the end, as it is taxiing toward the camera, just about look like they came straight out of the Jimmy Stewart film.

I first learned of Old Rhinebeck, and their 'Spirit' reproduction, in 2001, and I've been dreaming of seeing it completed ever since. Progress on the aircraft came to a halt/languished for quite some time, after Ken Cassens and some of the other good people left ORA in the early 2000's. Fortunately there were eventually some positive changes made and Ken Cassens returned a few years back and progress started again, otherwise the ORA 'Spirit' would not be where it is today.

It is a fantastic recreation of the original aircraft - not as accurate as John Norman's reproduction being built in Washington state, but by far the most accurate airworthy example completed to-date. An operating Wright J-5 Whirlwind (just like the original had) is an incredibly rare thing itself (John Norman's reproduction, which is being made an absolute clone of the original, also has a Wright J-5). The EAA's replica, for instance, is fitted with a Continental R-670, and that is what the sound recordings came from for the FS2004 'Spirit' - so that is why it sounds different than the Wright J-5 on the ORA 'Spirit'.


Ever since acquiring TrackIR, I have gotten a lot more enjoyment out of flying the 'Spirit' in the sim. I enjoy the challenge of the lack of visibility out of the cockpit, coupled with its very unique flying characteristics - due to the fact that it lacks "inherent stability" (actually exhibiting negative dynamic stability), just like the real thing (and reproductions). As one of the guys in the "One Six Right" documentary told - he had built a flying model of the 'Spirit' as a kid, and when he finally ended up actually meeting Lindbergh in person, he told Lindbergh about the model and how awful it flew - Lindbergh replied that it must have been an accurate model, as the real thing flew the same way. Or like how one of the EAA's 'Spirit' pilots described - it's like flying a bathtub on a pivot.


Here is where you can follow the progress on John Norman's 'Spirit' reproduction, which will also be flown when completed: http://www.jneaircraft.com/
On this one, no single detail is being left out/changed from the original (which John has had full access to at the Smithsonian, while it has been on the floor). The story about recreating the fuel tank "patch", just because there is a patch in the original, perfectly illustrates the "insane" level of attention to detail/accuracy to make it an absolute exact copy. It's not too far from completion either.

John Norman's definitive 'Spirit of St. Louis' reproduction:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/krislh...n/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/krislh...n/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/krislh...n/photostream/
http://www.antiqueairfield.com/artic...shington-state

[Bomber_12th]

I've done a number of flights in the 'Spirit' out of Old Rhinebeck since back in FS2004 with Joe Binka's scenery, and of course several times now since the GAS/Falcon409 scenery was released, in FSX. The latest news/video about the ORA 'Spirit of St. Louis' was more than enough inspiration to make a few more recent flights.

[Bomber_12th]

[Bomber_12th]

[normb]

Great topic! I flew into Rhinebeck a few times in an old Aeronca Champ years ago. Cole Palen was always around and a true gentleman. Always had a smile and answered our questions about the old birds.

The shows were great but sometimes the visiting arrivals and departures were just as entertaining. Even a twin or two. Apaches I seem to remember.

Just curious, anyone got a tally on how many "Spirit" reproductions were built over the years? For the Jimmy Stewart movie I think three were built ( I still have the old Air Progress magazine that told about them). Then the EAA bird. Then the one that folded a wing in Europe.
Now the Rhinebeck bird. Did someone mention another one?

Norm

[Bomber_12th]

Regarding 'Spirit of St. Louis' reproductions:

- An exact copy of the 'Spirit', dubbed the Ryan NYP-2, was built by Ryan for a Japanese news paper company, shortly after Lindbergh's transatlantic flight - https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasma...otolist-7ZDWzS
After achieving a number of record-breaking flights itself, in 1928, it was destroyed in a crash.

- A number of Ryan B-1 "Broughman" aircraft were converted over the years into 'Spirit of St. Louis' reproductions. The first instance was as early as 1938, for the film "Men With Wings".

- Three Ryan B-1 "Broughman" aircraft were converted into 'Spirit of St. Louis' reproductions for the 1957 Jimmy Stewart film, "Spirit of St. Louis" - all survive today, on static display. (Another, slightly scaled-down, non-flying replica was also built for the movie, and it also survives today.)

- Frank Tallman had a reproduction built and flown for the 40th Anniversary in 1967 - it was named "Spirit 2". That aircraft would then be displayed at the San Diego Air & Space Museum, until 1978 when it was destroyed by fire.

- The San Diego Air & Space Museum had another reproduction built after losing their first one, which they named "Spirit 3". It flew for the first time in 1979, and was displayed for many years before flying again in 2003, for the 75th Anniversary of the historic flight - it has since been displayed static again.

- The EAA Museum has built two different reproductions. One was built from a Ryan Broughman and was flown in 1977, to mark the 50th Anniversary of Lindbergh's flight - it has since been displayed static inside the EAA Museum. The second one began as a scratch-built/from the ground-up reproduction, starting in 1977, and first flying in 1990 - this one still flies today.

- David Cannavo built a reproduction in 1979, and it was purchased by Kermit Weeks in 1995. Weeks flew the aircraft shortly after purchasing it, but it hasn't been flown in many years. (This aircraft was sent to Paris for static display at an airshow back in 2013, before returning back to Florida - in the lead-up to this event, some work was done to make the aircraft more accurate to the original.)

- There was a replica that was built/operated out of Estonia, first flying in 1997 to mark the 70th Anniversary, but in 2003, shortly after takeoff at an air show in the UK, it suffered structural failure, killing the pilot/owner.

- The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome has one of the most authentic/accurate reproductions of the 'Spirit' ever built, now completed and soon to fly.

- JNE Aviation (John Norman) is well advanced on what is/will be the absolute "definitive" reproduction of the 'Spirit' - likely to be completed within the next year.

[normb]

Wow! Good info. I'm going to save it with my other "Spirit" stuff. More birds built that I would have guessed.

Another question: Didn't Pete Bowers (in his historical aircraft articles) say that a "reproduction" could only be built by the original manufacturer (or builder) and that the others were technically "copies"? So the one built for the Japanese was a reproduction and the others copies? Or did I imagine that?

Thanks
Norm

[Spad54]

taken Wednesday 11/25 and posted to the ORA FB page
https://youtu.be/tDXK3YLxGDk

https://www.facebook.com/groups/oldrhinebeckaerodrome/

[Bomber_12th]

With Ken Cassens at the controls, she made her first flight today at Old Rhinebeck! Early videos/photos being posted here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/oldrhinebeckaerodrome/

[DaveSHQ]

The one from FS9 ports over nicely