The Shuttleworth Collection presents 12 air displays throughout the year, from May to October. Traditionally, these are a mix of larger afternoon air displays held on the first Sunday of each month, supplemented by several more intimate evening airshows. Part of the Collection's drive to vary its event line-up in 2010 is the introduction of a number of themed events, featuring visiting participants relevant to the overall theme. The first of such events this year was the D-Day airshow, held appropriately on 6 June, 66 years to the day since 'Operation Overlord', the allied invasion of occupied Europe commenced. Continuing the trend as the airshow season goes on are the LAA Party in the Park Evening Air Display, American Air Day, Battle of Britain Evening Air Display and the superb 'Meet the Pilots' event in September, which was a huge success last year.
There has been some criticism on the internet forums of late regarding the increased ticket prices for some of the Sunday shows. At £25 per person on this occasion, Shuttleworth's entrance fee falls just north of the mid-range airshow pricing, being somewhat cheaper than events like the Biggin Hill International Air Fair and the Duxford airshows. Whilst the flying displays at Old Warden do not always match up to these shows in respect of their duration and the number of aircraft present, the rate remains fairly competitive. As mentioned in my report from the May Air Display, visitors have access to the large museum site and can look around the hangars on show days; the size of the Collection means that there will usually be plenty to see within the hangars, even at the larger shows where the majority of based aircraft are on the flightline.
Aircraft wise, Old Warden boasts a hugely impressive variety of aircraft, from the very earliest stick and string designs, to the sturdy, purposeful trainers of the 1950s. Subsequently, many of the aircraft on display are unique, or one of only a handful of survivors. To my mind, the rarity of many of the aircraft goes a long way towards justifying the £25 entry fee; you simply cannot see a lot of these machines elsewhere, particularly the lighter, older aircraft that seldom venture away from Old Warden.
Much of the criticism levelled at the cost of attending a Shuttleworth Collection show has related to the limited number of visiting 'acts', and consequently the familiarity of the flying line-ups for each show. It should be noted that the Collection has a limited budget allocated for the booking of visiting items and does not enjoy the same amount of freedom as many other shows when it comes to booking the more expensive performers. However, with dozens of aircraft from many different backgrounds - be they trainers, racers, fighters or bombers - resident at Old Warden, the Collection can, and does, vary the 'home team' representation in their programmes accordingly, so as to maintain diversity between shows.
The D-Day show, for example, had a predominantly military focus, with none of the Collection's civilian aircraft partaking in the flying, whereas the second Evening Air Display on June 19 featured many of the exquisite 1930s civilian biplanes and Lympne trials aircraft, portraying the lighter side of aviation. This type of repeated changeover undoubtedly keeps the shows feeling fresh; not an easy task when you have a dozen airshows to organise! Taking into account the usual smattering of visiting aircraft one can expect at Old Warden, many of whom are infrequent performers on the British airshow circuit, it does seem a little truculent to criticise the Collection for not booking large numbers of expensive warbirds and classic jets.
Away from the display area, there is also the added attraction of free entry to the Bird of Prey centre, which I sampled for the first time at the D-Day airshow. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but the size and content of the centre vastly exceeded my expectations. This isn't just a sideshow attraction with a few owls and eagles; this is a sprawling complex, home to dozens of rare birds of prey, displayed in large, open enclosures that allow close access to these beautiful creatures. The barn owl aviary is definitely worth visiting. Furthermore, the handlers around the site are more than willing to speak to the public and let them handle some of the birds - perfect if you have children. I'll certainly be returning to have a proper look around on a non-airshow day, when there is more time to take in the whole site.
The June 6 airshow had been marketed as a D-Day themed event for some time, promising participation from aircraft involved in 'Operation Overlord'. As previously mentioned, the Collection organises the visiting displays with a limited budget, so it was a pleasant surprise to see an impressive provisional line-up appear on the Collection's website a few weeks before the show. The programme boasted a wide range of types, from L-4 Grasshoppers to the Avro Lancaster and C-47 Skytrain. It certainly appealed to me as a warbird enthusiast; piston engine aircraft invariably look fantastic in the more intimate, photogenic Old Warden setting, and I was looking forward to seeing how the programme would come together on the day.
Unfortunately, as is occasionally the case with airshows consisting of vintage types, the weather put paid to a number of the star attractions. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, who were scheduled to appear with the Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane in a full routine, cancelled on the day due to inclement weather. The C-47 Skytrain had apparently been damaged at Dunsfold the night before and would not be able to make it. Maurice Hammond's Auster remained on the ground at Hardwick in Norfolk, though his P-51D Mustang 'Janie' arrived mid-afternoon. Similarly, the Messerschmitt Me-108 Taifun from White Waltham failed to materialise. Peter Teichman's Spitfire XI, which was due to make one of its first appearances following an extensive maintenance programme over the winter, had not yet flown in time for the event and was thus replaced by the P-40 Kittyhawk. Despite the reduction in visiting D-Day hardware, the large crowd (one of the largest I've seen at Old Warden in some time, I would say) were still treated to an excellent, full afternoon of flying.
From an aerial participation perspective, the initial programme had an excellent range of key types, with aircraft representative of fighter, bomber, transport and liaison roles. Even taking into account the numerous cancellations, the show still delivered a strong line-up that generally remained loyal to the D-Day theme. The Vehicle Section were also complimented by a small gathering of German, British and United States army military vehicles, complete with a handful of re-enactors engaging the public on the ground, which added to the thematic element of the show.
In the air, D-Day Naval aviation was represented by Kennet Aviation's Seafire XVII, which joined the resident Gloster Gladiator and Hawker Sea Hurricane for a three-ship formation flypast, which is no easy feat when you consider the major differences in speed between the three aircraft. Dave McKay led the formation in the Gladiator, with Trevor Roche in the Sea Hurricane and former commanding officer of the Royal Navy Historic Flight, John Beattie, piloting the Seafire. The trio made one formation pass before breaking into their individual routines. Dave McKay's Gladiator display was particularly spritely, making for an interesting contrast with the two monoplane warbirds, demonstrating the evolution of Naval aviation in less than a decade. The Seafire display was a fine exhibition of graceful aerobatics, with John Beattie even including a gear down banking pass, the likes of which are rarely seen in warbirds of this ilk.
With the Hangar 11 Collection and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Spitfires unable to attend for reasons beyond the organiser's control, the show was unfortunately left without a representative of this hugely important type, which played a crucial role in flying defensive fighter sorties over Normandy before, during and after 6 June 1944. Filling the void left by the cancellation of these fighters was Peter Teichman in his P-40 Kittyhawk. Peter's displays are always of the highest quality, and this was no exception, with the Kittyhawk being displayed in a terrific routine that combined both raw aggression from the poetic screams of the Allison engine and the usual graceful barrel rolls and loops we have come to expect from the Hangar 11 boss. Peter just seems at home flying at Old Warden, making good use of the crowdline curves to show the P-40 from an assortment of angles. The dog leg crowdline also allows him to fly interesting quarter clover type manoeuvres, transitioning from A to B axis at the top of a loop in one seamless progression before pulling up into an elegant wingover, diving in for a fast pass along the crowdline. I'm sure we'll be treated to another memorable routine once the Spitfire XI is airworthy; one for the Battle of Britain airshow, perhaps?
The United States Army Air Force's contributions to 'Operation Overlord' involved appearances from a pair of Piper L-4 Grasshoppers and a P-51D Mustang duo, comprising Maurice Hammond's 'Janie' and the Old Flying Machine Company's 'Ferocious Frankie'. The Grasshoppers put on a surprisingly impressive routine, utilising the tree line at Old Warden to suddenly appear from behind the trees in a manoeuvre somewhat reminiscent of the RAF Chinook's 'rollercoaster' showpiece, albeit on a far lighter scale! Credit must go to Dave Evans and Alister Kay for their wonderful Mustang sequence. Arriving in formation, with 'Janie' departing Old Warden to meet up with 'Ferocious Frankie', which had operated from Duxford, the Mustangs made a number of very close formation passes in the worst weather of the day.
Typically, what had started as "interesting light" and unusual cloud formations quickly progressed into a fully blown downpour, the stunningly dark clouds delivering an uncompromising deluge that forced the Mustangs to abort their routine. Dave Evans managed only a few passes before departing into the hold, where both aircraft remained for some time before 'Janie' quickly landed and Alister Kay wisely returned to Duxford amid driving rain and thunder. A great shame, especially given that both Dave Evans and Alister Kay can always be relied on to put on excellent, stylistically contrasting routines in the P-51D. Still, everyone who witnessed the pairs display will surely agree that the sight of two Mustangs, low and close over Old Warden in ominous, dramatic skies, will live long in the memory.
The Collection aircraft on display were presented in such a manner that many of the segments retained a tenuous link with the D-Day landings. Trainers from the UK, USA and Germany were represented in the form of the Tomtit, Tutor, Tiger Moth, Magister, Miles Hawk Trainer, PT-22 pair and Jungmann, demonstrating the first steps that young pilots would take before progressing onto aircraft like the P-51D Mustang and Spitfire. The trio of Tiger Moth, Magister and Miles Hawk Trainer flew a number of close formation passes before breaking into a tailchase that brought the aircraft nice and close for the photographers, with Jim Schofield leading Paul Shakespeare and Frank Chapman. The show also saw the first full display in over a year from the Collection's lovely Hawker Hind, flown on this occasion by 'Willy' Hackett. Having been restricted in its performance at the May Evening Air Display, owing to a very recent first flight following deep maintenance over the winter, the Hind was back to its old self at the show, with an impactful routine of wingovers, topside passes and agile turns, showing the Hind's fighter-like characteristics. Bringing the D-Day theme back into play was the Westland Lysander, flown by Frank Chapman, followed by the Avro XIX Anson, the civilian version of the Ansons that operated in the liaison and communications field in 1944.
Completing the array of Collection aircraft were the World War One quartet of Se5a, Bristol F2b, Sopwith Pup and Sopwith Triplane. Highlight of this sequence was the Sopwith Triplane, once again flown by the Collection's Chief Pilot, Trevor Roche. Trevor had put the Triplane through its paces a few weeks ago at the first evening display and his display here was similarly excellent, the quite remarkable agility of the type demonstrated to fine effect via tight turns and wingovers that kept the Triplane well within the confines of the small airfield at Old Warden. The Triplane's display was certainly one of the main talking points after the display.
There were a number of ground attractions that added to the overall theme of the show, with a small gathering of visiting military vehicles supplementing the Collection's already extensive automobile assortment. Some of the drivers contributed to the period feel of the event by dressing appropriately in military uniforms prior to taking part in the military vehicle parade, which event included a jeep towing an anti-aircraft gun, giving the parade something of a unique identity on this occasion. Even the engineers and volunteers got into the D-Day spirit, wearing black and white stripes on the sleeves of their overalls, thanks to some carefully applied black tape!
While the presence of military vehicles and a handful of re-enactors on the ground contributed to the mood of the event, it would have been nice to see this aspect of the display expanded on. The superb event at Spanhoe in 2008 showed what can be done with a few re-enactors and some period equipment, with a small tented village erected around two L-4 Grasshoppers, manned by 'USAAF' and 'US Army' personnel. Such features are a cause of much debate amongst the enthusiast community, with many criticising the 'living history' groups for obstructing photographs.
Personally, I'm all for anything that serves the dual purpose of both giving the public the chance to speak to the re-enactors and learn about the conflict, whilst contributing to the overall atmosphere of the event. A fairly minor point in the greater scheme of things as the flying display is the most important aspect of the airshows, but nevertheless a development that I would welcome to an Old Warden show like this. Indeed, it has been done before; I recall a very popular World War One encampment at an air display a couple of years ago, and I understand that a recent Military Pageant featured a strong Luftwaffe and German Army presence in the form of a re-enactment group who set up camp around the Klemm 35D and Me-108.
Commentary for the event was generally sub-par in my opinion, with the commentator making a noticeable number of glaring errors in both aircraft and pilot names. I appreciate that commentary is often provided by Shuttleworth Veteran Aeroplane Society volunteers, many of whom have no prior experience, but it appears quite unprofessional to have your commentator referring to the P-51D Mustang as a "P-41", for example. On one such occasion it could easily be overlooked as a slip of the tongue, but repeated errors throughout the day should be considered unacceptable at a show of the calibre and standing of Old Warden's displays. However, the commentator did a fine job of emphasising the D-Day theme and provided some interesting historical context to the display, linking them to the theme where applicable.
Despite a poor start to the day, with low cloud and scattered showers, the 6 June airshow attracted a large crowd to Old Warden; proof that, in this instance, the new concept had paid off. The Old Warden team assembled a strong programme with several noteworthy highlights and put on a hugely entertaining afternoon of flying. Even the late afternoon downpour failed to dampen spirits, as the Collection prepared to fly the Avro Triplane at 6.30pm - a plan that unfortunately did not come to fruition, thanks to a persistent band of low cloud and rain that set in once the main flying display had ended.
There was still time for a quick banner towing exercise from the Piper Super Cub, advertising the next air display, before the curtain came down on what appeared to me to have been a very successful event. As the crowds dispersed and found shelter in their cars, the Collection's team of engineers, volunteers and, indeed, pilots, began returning the aircraft to their hangars, all the while being lashed by the relentless precipitation. Their job was far from over, as the following day saw the commencement of the laborious task of preparing the aircraft for the next airshow.
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