Fleet Finch 16-B
- : United States
- : 1942
- : Kinner R-5
- 160
- 28 '
- 2000 lbs (907 kg)
- : Active
- 21 ' 8"
- : Original
The Fleet Finch 16B is one of 447 built in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada between 1939 and 1941. Known for their ruggedness and reliability, they were used extensively in the training of Canadian RCAF pilots during the Second World War. The Fleet is a true workhorse of the Aerodrome, balloon bursting, ribbon cutting and bombing every weekend throughout the air show season. It was also used to carry countless camera crews from newspapers, TV networks and magazines from around the world to photograph and experience the Aerodrome from the air.
Finished in bright yellow, this aircraft was the first Fleet Finch that Cole Palen owned, and it may very well have been the first aircraft to touch down on the runway at Old Rhinebeck. It was originally equipped with a Kinner B-5R engine and was later upgraded to an R-5. Cole Palen purchased this Fleet in 1957 for $900 and sold it in 1962. When the Aerodrome’s other Fleet Finch (N666J) was retired in 2016, we reached out to Bruce Allen of Anna, TX. He owned Cole’s old N24197 and was willing to sell it back to the Aerodrome. It arrived in June 2017 and has been a steady performer ever since.
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