It seems as though every airshow report commences with a variation of the usual meteorological complaints: we're either complaining that it was unbearably hot, too windy, too cold or a little on the damp side for our liking! This summer has seen an unfortunate trend setting in the past month or so, with variable conditions prone to swift changes of heart throughout the day. I recently returned from a three week holiday in Kent. Seldom did the day remain settled; instead, it often started overcast before breaking into bright, sunny conditions that eventually, after some hours, deteriorated into threatening dark skies as low fronts pushed their way across the country from the West. This was very much the order of the day on Saturday 14 August, with the day dawning wet and cool. I could write an essay on the different weather fronts we experienced as the day progressed, but needless to say, as with any proper British airshow experience, we witnessed a bit of everything.
Thankfully, being an evening show meant that the inclement weather had rained itself out over Bedfordshire during the afternoon, leaving a mostly clear sky with towering, spectacular cumulous clouds reaching thousands of feet into the air, framing slowly progressing fronts of low pressure passing nearby that brought the occasional thunderclap or flash of lightning. You couldn't ask for a more picturesque, varied backdrop. There are few finer places for an aviation enthusiast to be on a calm midsummer evening.
I'd initially been concerned that uncertain forecasts and a poor start to the day would put people off coming; after all, Old Warden is populated by vintage aircraft, many of whom require gentler conditions in order to fly. There have been some very small attendances at Old Warden in recent years on such days, but thankfully, it seems as though many people decided to bite the bullet and chance the trip regardless of what Metcheck had told them. It was pleasing to see a fair sized turnout for an evening display, particularly given that the show clashed, as Shuttleworth Collection shows invariably do, with a larger airshow elsewhere (in this case, the popular Eastbourne event and several smaller flying displays across the country). Those who ignored the cynical forecasts were rewarded by yet another very special evening of aerial ballet, reinforcing the very valid argument that Old Warden - already a national treasure, as far as I'm concerned - is at the very pinnacle of the British airshow industry as far as entertaining, atmosphere and quality of flying go.
That isn't to say that there have not been a smattering of criticisms of late. Several posters on the internet aviation forums - most notably, in this instance, the PlaneTalk message board - have levelled some very fair criticism at the Collection's participation at shows in 2010. As an aside, the vast majority, if not all, of these comments have come from long-term supporters of the Collection, many of whom are actively involved as volunteers and regular contributors to the Collection in many ways; these are not the usual gripes about participation you read so frequently on other forums - there is thought and consideration behind the words, in these instances, as these are individuals who want to see the Collection thrive and continue to be successful.
To elaborate, it has been suggested by some that the Collection's airshows this season (and indeed, in 2009) have often relied on the same visiting aircraft to bolster their line-ups, particularly at the larger Sunday events such as the August 1 Military Pageant and June 6 D-Day Airshow. There is no doubting that repeat appearances from the likes of the Hangar 11 Collection and Kennet Aviation are immensely popular, invariably offering some of the highlights of the day for warbird enthusiasts, but we are reaching a point where the overall participation is not dissimilar to the other events held throughout the year, making the shows less of an attraction for enthusiasts who would only attend an Old Warden show once or twice a year, not to mention the issue of, in these cash strapped times, forking out £20-£25 for a very similar programme.
It also seems a little strange that there are several Collection aircraft, such as the DH-60 Moths, the Humming Bird and the Chiltons, who only appear at a couple of the dozen or so events held each year. These little gems deserve to be seen and I can't help but feel that it would be a benefit to the Collection to substitute some of the lesser seen types, rather than the standard current format that sees a very similar selection of aircraft display each month. Indeed, the Battle of Britain show's participants, from a home based perspective, was almost identical to that of the May evening display.
Money will always be an issue with air displays and the Collection run on a limited visiting aircraft budget, allegedly often relying on the goodwill of operators to display for lower fees at Old Warden, hence the repeated bookings of a select few warbirds. However, there are alternatives to the current arrangement that could potentially see the budget dedicated to a select few shows each year. One idea I recently discussed with Karl was the possibility of holding two "supershows" during the summer, with four hours of flying and a multitude of visiting acts. The entire visiting budget would be dedicated to these events, with additional sponsorship from external organisations providing further assistance. This would allow a larger, punchier programme that could attract more substantial crowds on the basis that many part-time visitors often travel to Old Warden for the Sunday shows on the merit of the visiting acts in attendance. Such a shift in display format could allow the condensation of all visiting warbirds and classic aircraft into these two events, thus giving them broader appeal to the masses. The remaining Saturday shows would be held each month from May to October, and would generally offer a more intimate afternoon of aerial entertainment with 'meet the pilots' activities, lectures and speeches from pilots and engineers, fly-ins from other vintage aircraft operators (themed shows, for example a Russian fly-in or a de Havilland event have been suggested to vary the participation) and a two to three hour flying display from the based aircraft, in a similar vein to the evening air display format.
That isn't to say that such ideas are flawed - would there be a downturn in crowd numbers at Collection-only events, regardless of the additional ground attractions offered? Would poor weather at one of the large shows lead to a disastrous loss? This is undoubtedly an area open to a great deal of discussion and it wouldn't be appropriate to elaborate too much here. This is, after all, a review of one display and not an all-encompassing look at the way in which the Collection operate! However, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the matter, so please do feel free to add any comments you may have to this article.
Shuttleworth's Battle of Britain tribute was promoted earlier in the year in various magazine articles as featuring a "scramble of Spitfires and Hurricanes"; an exciting prospect, when you consider the evening setting and Old Warden's superb locale. The reality was quite different, with the Collection's Hawker Sea Hurricane and the Old Flying Machine Company's Spitfire IX offering the sole representation of the Royal Air Force's monoplane fighting force (the Vacher Hurricane I had been pegged to attend earlier in the year but had evidently been scrubbed prior to the show), while the 108 Flying Group's "Me-108 Taifun" providing a suitable, lone Luftwaffe bandit.
Joining the fighters in the air were Peter Holloway's Fiesler Storch, making its second airshow appearance, and the usual Gladiator, Hind and Lysander displays representative of the previous generation of RAF aircraft. On the ground, we had a small camp of RAF re-enactors positioned, bizarrely, opposite the Storch; the Germans were conspicuous in their absence on this occasion! This would have been the perfect opportunity to draft in the infamous 'Dad's Army' re-enactment group, whose tented village dominates the static park at Shoreham year on year. At Old Warden, they could be strategically positioned in such a way as to avoid offending the more serious photographers who resent having their line of sight blocked by such flightline obstructions, and in a more intimate environment, their weapons displays, period military vehicles, drill demonstrations and mock-defensive positions would've gone down a treat.
One event that took place during the afternoon was a question and answer session with two Battle of Britain veterans, Wing Commander Bob Foster DFC and Flight Lieutenant Richard Jones, held in front of the Sea Hurricane and chaired by Chief Pilot Trevor Roche. That a fair number of people stood out in the rain for quite some time listening to the fascinating anecdotes these gentlemen had to share was a testament to the popularity of this innovation. Coupled with the inquisitive contributions from several spectators regarding the Collection's warbird training regime and other associated topics, it would appear that this style of engagement is one which could be very popular and could even draw a few new faces to the air displays, particularly if advertised on the Collection's website in advance.
The flying commenced with a number of flypasts by the Miles Magister and Miles Hawk Trainer, with focused, contextual commentary from John Guilder explaining the historical provenance of these types and setting the scene perfectly, breaking the trend of sub-par announcing that has often blighted Old Warden. To my mind, finding a regular, experienced commentator - Tim Callaway and Ben Dunnell are two names that instantly come to mind - should be a priority for the 2011 season. This was followed by a formation sequence between Clive Denney in the Me-108 and Trevor Roche in the Sea Hurricane, before the Me-108 broke into a solo routine that eventually saw the 'Hun' intercepted by the Sea Hurricane and, as has become the norm this year, sent packing for the hills, smoke trailing from the engine and filling the cockpit. The crowds were then treated to some magnificent close topside passes from Chief Pilot Trevor Roche to round off the little dogfight set piece.
The Sea Hurricane returned later in the display, this time tangling with Dodge Bailey in the gorgeous Storch in a truly innovative sequence that presented one of the stand-out moments of Old Warden's airshow season. Demonstrating the Storch's infamous short take-off and landing capabilities, Frank Chapman kept the aircraft at slow speed in front of the crowd while the Sea Hurricane dove in from altitude for sweeping strafing runs. To everyone's surprise, the Storch suddenly turned tightly away from the crowd and performed a full-stop landing alongside the trees, turning into the new concealed hangar complex located amongst the trees on the other side of the runway. Taxiing behind the trees and under cover, the Storch then turned around and departed out of the small opening, bursting into the skies mere moments after appearing from the opening. Most unique! There have been a number of these low key but intriguing set pieces at recent shows, a sign perhaps of Trevor Roche's influence as Chief Pilot and a willingness to try out different methods of illustrating these fine aircraft. They are exactly the kind of scenarios that utilise the based aircraft using interesting presentation techniques to exhibit these machines in a way that is refreshing and often very entertaining. I look forward to seeing what other developments we can look forward to in that respect.
The last time Spitfire IX MH434 appeared at Old Warden was in 1998, when the late, great Mark Hanna displayed this most famous of Spitfires in a scintillating routine that drew rave reviews at the time. Expectations were high for the aircraft's return display and, as you would expect from the Old Flying Machine Company, they were met on every level by Lee Proudfoot, displaying with a passion unmatched by other displays over the weekend. Displaying in perfect evening light, Lee's display brought '434 in close and low, allowing for some spectacular photographic opportunities. Towards the end of his display I put the camera down to savour the moment. It isn't often you get such staggering, tremendous warbird solo displays in this day and age. Indeed, at times it was like watching one of the Hannas display - which is as big a compliment to the routine as I can give.
The remainder of the flying programme saw the usual excellent flying from the based aircraft, supported by a nice display from a visiting Kirby Kite glider. Particular highlights were the Gladiator, Hind and Blackburn B2, all of which sport silver schemes that look so elegant in the beautiful light they were bathed in on Saturday evening. Keith Dennison's solo display in the Collection's Tiger Moth was another stand-out display in an evening full of memorable routines. It was also a pleasant surprise to see the lovely Parnell Elf, flown with verve by F-35 test pilot Jim Schofield, making a rare and unexpected appearance.
As the sun disappears behind the clouds, the air cools and the Shuttleworth Collection turn the clocks back and allow you to lose yourself in the moment. These twilight displays are, to me, what Old Warden is all about. They are what separate them from the plethora of other air displays in the UK and the world over. There are few more evocative sights than the likes of Bristol Boxkite and Avro Triplane perambulating about the still skies at dusk, silhouetted against the reddening cloudscape; or the Bleriot and Deperdussin gently lifting into the air for but a short distance before kissing the grass, their primitive engine notes filling the silence with echoes from the infancy of aviation where man's realisation of the possibilities powered flight could offer him left a generation in awe. A century later, we share their wonderment. In the capable hands of Keith Dennison, Sir John Allison, Dave McKay and Dodge Bailey, the Edwardians have never been more engaging.
With the flying drawing to a close some time after 8.30pm, the Heavens looked set to open momentarily as the weather front that had threatened Old Warden throughout the evening finally unleashed itself over the aircraft while the volunteers, engineers and pilots assisted in the swift 'clean-up' operation to get the aircraft back in the hangars. By the time the last aircraft had performed, there was little doubt in anyone's mind that this had been another vintage display at Old Warden and the participation woes touched on earlier in this report faded into insignificance. It certainly forces one to question whether the current format needs altering; after all, when you come across something as pure and perfect as the flying displays at Old Warden, what possible reason could there be to change?
GAR wants to interact with its readers so if you have a question for the author or a comment to make on this feature, please click on the button below. The best comments will appear right here on GAR.If you would like to discuss using any of our imagery or feature content please contact us.