He visited Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome many years ago and returned in 2004 to help fly some planes. Later in the season he began playing the role of the Black Baron. Then after the show season ended, Tom Daly, the former Air Shows Director, submitted his resignation and the position was offered to Bill.

Today, he drives two hours each way, everyday, to perform his duties as the new Air Shows Director at Cole Palen’s Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome.

Because so little information about ORA had been available the last two years, I approached Bill by phone for an interview. I found him very easy to talk with and open on any subject that involves his position. He is friendly and loves talking about aviation and the Aerodrome.

Ancient Alley: Will the development of the Becht property by 7 Pines jeopardize the future of ORA’s Air Shows?

Bill Horrigan: No. There are sections near the airstrip that are not developable due to ledge outcroppings. Even if residences did have some affect, the museum would buy one or two lots. The FAA’s opinion is there should be no problem. Regulations require between 300 and 400 feet of altitude for take off and approach patterns.

AA: Will the sale of property across Oriole Mills Rd. affect the Air Show flight path?

BH: No, because the museum owns the meadow across from the airstrip.

AA: Other than improvements noted on the ORA website, what others are planned for the preservation and storage of the collection?

BH: The exhibit hangars had 80% of the skylights replaced and still need to be finished. They were painted last fall with an epoxy paint that seals holes. When the new hangar is finished, the Spirit of St. Louis will be moved to the Ryan hangar and displayed to the public.

AA: Jim Kick said the Spirit would have a clear covering on the wing so the craftsmanship could be appreciated by everyone. Would you consider putting a sign up that names those who worked on it?

BH: Actually, it hasn’t been decided whether or not to just go ahead and put a silver fabric on the wing. I think it would be a good idea to acknowledge those who have worked on it.

AA: I understand from Jim Kick that the second New Standard ride plane will be returning. Will there be two planes giving rides?

BH: Yes. We will be flying two ride planes. That should generate additional capital. In the past, there are many people who are turned away due to a lack of time. The second plane should return in late in June or early July.

AA: Is there a two passenger limit? I noticed many times the plane only went up with two passengers. If so, why?

BH: No, there is no limit for any reason, except on very warm days and we make the decision to limit the load. On a number of occasions we have had people buy all the seats for two passengers, so they can go by themselves.

AA: Who will be your ride pilots?

BH: Mike Lawrence and myself are qualified to fly the ride planes. There are plans to purchase a Boeing Stearman to train additional ride pilots. The Stearman has a similar feel to the New Standard. Although, it isn’t exactly the same it will give trainees the experience necessary to fly rides. It is better to put training time on the Stearman because their parts availability is so much better.

AA: What’s the status on the Avro 504? (The Avro crashed in 2003 due to an engine problem that caused it to stop shortly after takeoff.)

BH: It will be back in the air.

AA: Will the Curtiss Pusher fly this season?

BH: It doesn’t fly now because the engine has serious metal fatigue problems. Chad Wille may have time to put an OX-5 engine in it. Will it fly this season? I can’t say now.

AA: What about the Curtiss Wright Junior and Aeronca C-3?

BH: No. The museum had a rebuilt engine donated but the rebuild was not done properly. The engine wouldn’t run. The Aeronca won’t be flying this year due to other planes, like the Davis D1W and Great Lakes Trainer, taking priority. The Great Lakes needed a fuel tank due to being old and leaky. It is also an integral part of the top wing structure.

AA: Will the Liberty engine run for demonstrations? And, what about the Renault tank?

BH: The Liberty is gong to be running this season. The tank is all set. It had a fuel system problem last year but that has been fixed and the engine is running very well.

AA: Jim Kick said there would pyrotechnics this year. In earlier years Cole used to have mortar type airbursts that would be fired at the planes. What type do you plan on having?

BH: Well we won’t have the variety that Cole used to use because the FAA has developed strict regulations as to what we are allowed. All I can say at this point is the pyrotechnics are back and it will be much better than last year.

AA: What about the rumor that Jim Hare has been asked to return?

BH: (He chuckles) I would like it if Jim would return. He does have other away shows of his own already scheduled for this year. You know how you develop a mental picture of someone before you meet them, based on what you hear? I met him just the other day, and my mental picture was nothing like what I expected.

AA: Jim Kick told me that Chad Wille would be back again this season but not on a full time basis.

BH: Chad is planning to be back this year. He will do some flying and mechanical work. He still has his business to take care of but he plans to be here as much as he can.

AA: What about Jim Record, will he return, too?

BH: Jim will be here flying.

AA: How many pilots do you have lined up for this season? And, how many have extensive rotary experience?

BH: As many as 14. They won’t all be here at one time. But, we have enough to cover every show. We have two rotary pilots. All the rotary planes (Nieuport, Camel, Avro, Caudron) are ready for the show season.

AA: Is Gene DeMarco gone for good? I know that he is busy full time with the Omaka Collection belonging to Peter Jackson.

BH: I can’t honestly say what the status is on Gene. I know his Howard is no longer stored here. The only thing of his left is his trailer, in which the pipes froze last winter.

Additional topics from May 5^th, 2005

Bill briefly discussed the progress of the hangar. It is three quarters complete as of the afternoon of 5-5-05. The hangar is as you see in the pictures (on the Aerodrome website), will be entirely made of steel similar to a Quonset hut. But this will fit into the time period of the Barnstorming Era, because it has vertical nine-foot walls on which sits the arched roof. The walls will be set on 18" high knee walls. This will prevent loss of space due to the curvature of the roof. Although in 1920 most hangars of this type were made entirely of wood, some were constructed in all steel panels. Bill's only reservation on the new hangar is the brightness of the galvanized surface. "But, it will dull in a short time," was his response. The old #1 hangar facade has been moved to the Museum building and put on display.

The new hangar has yet to be named. It will have a basic electric service, to operate the doors and provide lighting. The doors are hung on over-extended rails and slide horizontally, just like in the old days. The only difference is these will be operated by electric motors. (From pictures on ORA’s website, it looks like they will be bi-fold doors.)

What does this mean in other ways? It means plenty of storage room, enough for eight planes. It also means that the Ryan Hangar will eventually become the permanent residence for the Spirit of St. Louis. (I hope this doesn’t mean that all the show planes will be stored across the airfield during the show season. One part of visiting ORA is to arrive early in the morning to watch the roll out of the planes from their open front hangars. It was just like being back in 1914.)

Lee Cookingham of Fast Track donated all the excavation work for the hangar. And Lee Merrihew, the concrete contractor, donated to the hangar by charging an extremely reduced rate, only so he could pay the workers involved.

In conclusion, thanks Bill for taking valuable time conduct this brief interview. From this opportunity, I see in him some of the same qualities that Cole Palen had. He seems tireless in view of what he has accomplished since last fall. A vision of where the Aerodrome should be going is something that has been absent since 2003, but which Bill is seriously working on. He likewise had a childhood aviation dream, which was realized, in his adult life. He isn’t afraid to get dirty and is willing to do what ever is needed to insure the success of the Air Shows. As Air Show director, this will be his first season, and he has done a lot of positive work in preparation. His presence has inspired a Renaissance in donations to the museum, critical in financing a variety of projects since last fall.