Shuttleworth Collection Season Premiere 2022 onwards

Shuttleworth Season Premiere

May 10th, 2026

Shuttleworth's Mk V Spitfire and Mew Gull at the Best of British Airshow (Season Premiere) 2024

In 2024, The Shuttleworth Collection Season Premiere had the theme the 'Best Of British'. For 2025, the Season Premiere was released from any other specific theme whilst 'The Best of British' enjoyed its own airshow in August. The Season Premiere retains its unfettered format for 2026 and the 'Best of British' theme has been dropped from the Shuttleworth schedule - at least for the time being.

Flying displays are in the table and will be amended when changes are known.

As well as the displays of resident and visiting aircraft, along with many statics, other attractions include a fun fair and an interactive exhibition of a BOFORS gun that visitors can operate.

There will also be the traditional Shuttleworth attractions, such as possible visits to Shuttleworth House; a chance to stroll around the Swiss Gardens and rides on one of Shuttleworth's vintage buses.

Shuttleworth Season Premiere

May 11th, 2025

Shuttleworth's Mk V Spitfire and Mew Gull at the Best of British Airshow (Season Premiere) 2024

In 2024, The Shuttleworth Collection Season Premiere had the theme the 'Best Of British'. For 2025, the Season Premiere is released from any other specific theme whilst 'The Best of British' enjoys its own airshow in August.

As well as the displays of resident and visiting aircraft, along with many statics lined up along the fenceline, other attractions include a fun fair, with free rides, and an interactive exhibition of a BOFORS gun that visitors can operate.

There will also be the traditional Shuttleworth attractions, such a visits to Shuttleworth House (10.00 - 15.00); a chance to stroll around the Swiss Gardens and rides on one of Shuttleworth's vintage buses.

Shuttleworth Season Premiere 'Best of British'

May 12th, 2024

Shuttleworth's Mk V Spitfire and Mew Gull at the Best of British Airshow 2024

The Shuttleworth Collection welcomed its 60th airshow season with a show that followed the 2023 season premiere theme, the 'Best Of British'; celebrating the history of aviation and automotive technology in Britain and its influence around the world.

The show was the best-attended Shuttleworth airshow since Covid-19, which augers well for the new season.

Parking was a bit tight because of attendance by near-capacity crowds and several car clubs but the staff and spacious grounds coped excellently. Even the weather defied the forecasts and stayed dry and bright throughout the day, although it was rather too breezy for the Edwardians to display.

There were several other changes to the flying list before the date of the show; most notably Vampire Preservation's Vampire T11 (WZ507), which was awaiting the return of fuel nozzles after cleaning and checking, and which was replaced on the display list by Newcastle Jet Provost Group's T.3A.

No-shows on the day, in addition to the Edwardians, were the Collection's Tiger Moth, which was to have flown with other de Havillands but had other ideas; their Sopwith Dove, which started along the runway but gave up, and the Hawker Tomtit, which also had a technical problem. There was a welcome late addition in the form of Shuttleworth's de Havilland DH80A Puss Moth, which joined the de Havilland themed combo.

Otherwise, the displays were as listed and in the order that was displayed on a board by the tower and pre-announced by commentator, Ben Dunnell.

The show opened with BBMF Hurricane LF363 in what was listed as a flypast. However, Officer Commanding the BBMF, Squadron Leader Mark Sugden was very generous in his interpretation of 'flypast' and made three passes including very welcome topsides.

The flying pattern then followed the format that has become quite common here and at some other shows, being mostly grouped by theme, interspersed by a few solos, including two typically impressive glider displays by Graham Saw, first in the Slingsby Petrel and later in the Elliots of Newbury (EON) Primary. (... continued below the table)

The first of the themed groups into the air were the de Havillands: five of them making it into their slot although the sixth, the DH82a Tiger Moth had a technical problem and was unable to join them. The group had taken off in advance of the Hurricane Flypast and the first of the de Havillands, the DH51, 60X Hermes Moth and 80A Puss Moth were waiting to join the circuit as the Hurricane departed, with the Chipmunk cavorting above them giving a very athletic aerobatic demonstration.

The 5th de Havilland, the DH88 Comet, followed with its own impressive demonstration of speed and agility.

Focus turned to another historic British manufacturer when Percival were represented by the Hunting Percival Jet Provost T3A owned by the Newcastle Jet Provost Group and flown by Mark Hooten and Shuttleworth's (piston) Provost T1 flown by Mark Sharp. The Provost T1 was the last piston engined basic trainer to be used by the RAF and the Shuttleworth example is the only one still flying in the UK.

Other manufacturer-based themes were Sopwith, whose Pup and Triplane reproduction took to the air, and Miles, represented by the Hawk Speed Six, flown by Paul Stone and a pair of Magisters, the Shuttleworth example flown by Andrew Monk, giving his first public display at Old Warden.

As well as the gliders, there were solo displays from Paul Shakespeare in the Parnall Elf, a British 2-seat light tourer from the 1920s; Si Davies in the Shuttleworth Collection's RAF SE5a; Willy Hackett in the Collection's Avro 504K; Richard Crockett giving his first public display of the Collection's Comper Swift, a single-seat racer from the 1930s; Jean-Michel Munn in Shuttleworth's Avro C.19 Anson and David Bremmner in his family's reproduction Bristol Scout, which has some parts from the original Scout flown by his grandfather.

The last of the special themed sections, programmed immediately before Nick Smith's finale, recognised the many and varied achievements of Alex Henshaw MBE. Originally an air racer, Alex became a chief test pilot, testing wartime aircraft such as Spitfires and Lancasters. There were to be three aircraft in the displays but the absence on sick leave of the Hawker Tomtit reduced this to two: the Mk V Spitfire and the Mew Gull, both from Shuttleworth's own Collection and representing the two 'arms' of his background and expertise. The Spitfire and Mew Gull arrived as a pair in a novel, even if not unique pairing, before separating into their individual displays.

Frank Chapman was in the pilot's seat for his typically imitable display in the Mew Gull, the very aircraft in which Alex Henshaw had made his record-setting two-way trip between the UK and Cape Town. His display was followed in the same segment by the Mk V Spitfire which was evidently rather shy and and didn't like to show its topside, except when it was way out over the trees, evidently preferring to show its belly whenever closer to the crowd.

With such an impressive line-up it is difficult to single out the stars of the show but there was certainly a special welcome for the Historic Aircraft Collection's Mk I Hawker Fury, the sole survivor of its type, which was flown by Clive Denney and was making its first ever appearance at Old Warden. (... continued below the pictures)

There was a special welcome, too, for the Navy Wings Heritage Flight's Swordfish W5856, not yet wearing its D-Day stripes, piloted by Glenn Allison as the opener to a sequence celebrating the Bristol engine company. Following the Swordfish in the sequence was the trio with Bristol Mercury engines, comprising more favourites: the Blenheim flown by John Romain, the Mk I Gladiator and Shuttleworth's Lysander.

Special respect for the display by Nick Smith in Fighter Engineering's Mk XIV Spitfire to close the show. The Mk XIV has new Indian Air Force markings, replicating those it wore when in post-war service. Nick had no trouble at all showing the new livery to the crowd with a delightful series of passes and a wealth of photogenic topsides. (... continued below the pictures)

There can be no better place than Old Warden to host an airshow around the theme 'Best Of British'. Their collection of historic aircraft with British connections is unparalleled. It might be tempting for them to depend exclusively on that wealth of history, but the organisers did much better than that, bringing in an unusually large number of aircraft that are not Shuttleworth-based to enhance the 'Best of British' story. Around a third of all aircraft that displayed were visitors, rather than Shuttleworth-based.

Although aircraft are our focus, it was good to see vintage and more recent British motor marques represented too, mostly through car clubs. The free rides on vintage busses also added both to the atmosphere and to the enjoyment of the crowds.

Without doubt, a stirling start to what should turn out to be a brilliant airshow season at the Shuttleworth Collection.

Season Premiere

7th May 2023

Bristol Boxkite and Avro Avro Triplane at Shuttleworth Premiere 2023

The first major airshow of the year was one to remember for some spectacular flying and some landmark debuts. The First public display by the refurbished Lynx XZ179 from Project Lynx; the first display by the Fairey Swordfish in private (Navy Wings) hands; a rare public display by the Royal Chipmunk and some spectacular passes by the BBMF Lancaster.

The weather was fine on the day, too, the rest of the flying list was great and the theme was promising. The flying list has been updated to reflect what actually flew.

Season Premiere

1st May 2022

English Electric Wren at the 2022 Shuttleworth Season Premiere

The first major airshow of the year got the season off to a cracking start with highlights in abundance.

The list of special moments would have to include a rare appearance of the Lancaster at Old Warden. The BBMF were very generous with their interpretation of 'flypast' and made two display passes with lots of topside as well as a fly-through, giving everyone a great chance to enjoy a favourite, seldom seen at airshows in recent years.

Also on the highlights list must be the first UK public outing for Arnaldo Leon's diminutive Ryan STM, taken aloft by Scott Butler, and displays by the Edwardians. Despite the tricky weather earlier in the day, conditions improved to 'marginal', which enabled no fewer than three of them to take to the skies. After several attempts, the Avro Triplane agreed to start, Willy Hackett making several passes before giving way to the English Electric Wren. Richard Crockett took the Wren higher and further than most people have seen it for a very long time, a truly impressive dual pilot and aircraft performance. Third in the trio of Edwardians was the Bristol Boxkite.

In the interests of balance, it has to be said that there were a couple of disappointments, too. The list of aircraft had been reduced prior to the show and more losses were announced just before proceedings began. But the highlights, including the late addition of the Anson, far outweighed the negatives. The one thing that could have helped make the day more enjoyable, especially for the families, would have been better weather. The rain that had been forecast earlier in the week failed to materialize but the chilly breeze was persistent for most of the afternoon and the characterless cloud presented a rather drab backdrop. So if the organisers could do a sun and warmth dance next time, as well as a no-rain dance, that would be great.

The show opened with a display by the Catalina, flown by Derek Head. The large hulk made its usual great impression, with a series of passes showing its various configurations. After some debate before the show began, it had been agreed that the Catalina would display and land. However, during the demonstration of the gear-down set-up, the starboard wheel refused to deploy. Consequently, instead of landing, the Catalina returned to base at nearby Duxford where, we were later advised, the Cat landed safely. The commentator quipped that the resolution came following the judicious use of a hammer! This has since been repeated as fact. However, this was a light hearted remark and not to be taken seriously: the gear can be lowered manually but this was not necessary as the problem resolved itself and the gear operated normally on approach to Duxford.

There are some types of displays that visitors can enjoy at Old Warden but that are rarely seen elsewhere. One such is the vintage gliders. At the Premiere , the Fauvel AV36 'tailess glider' drew gentle red patterns over Old Warden and, later, Richard Crockett took the EON Primary for a slightly more rapid descent. Whilst the gliders were gaining height, Paul Shakespeare entertained in the Comper Swift whilst the Fauvel reached display readiness and Claire Tector performed a wonderful routine in the Southern Martlet.

Something the Shuttleworth shows are really good at is combination flying. There were plenty of combos at the Premier, amongst which probably the most eagerly awaited, and best enjoyed, was the Sea Hurricane 1B, flown by John Hurrell, with the Seafire Mk XVII SX336 flown by Lt Cdr Chris Gotke. The Seafire, now part of the Navy Wings Heritage Flight, had not made a public display since 2015. It had been undergoing extensive refurbishment by Kennet Aviation, who are based at Old Warden, so it seemed appropriate that its first outing was in company with fellow Old Warden resident, the Collection's own Sea Hurricane.

Other outstanding combinations were the Magister pair flown by Chris Huckstep and Chris Bramwell; the Sopwith Pup with the Avro 504 and the less rare pairing of Shuttleworth's de Havilland DH88 Comet and Percival Mew Gull. (... continued below the pictures and information boxes)

The Avro Anson has been part of several such combinations at past Shuttleworth shows: duos with the Blenheim and with the Lancaster come immediately to mind. At the Season Premiere, the Anson had the skies to itself, celebrating its transfer from BAe Systems and making its first public display in Shuttleworth ownership.

This was the first of ten airshows being organised by the Shuttleworth Collection this year and the first to use the new entry off the B658 on the opposite side of the airfield to the previous entrance. The new access road provides plenty of queueing space for visitors who arrive early or at peak times, without blocking the local roads. Some people had clearly ignored, or not noticed, the diversion signs and had to be redirected but regulars will soon get used to the new arrangements which appear to have plenty of benefits. Strangely, there did not seem to be the usual efficiency with redirecting cars from the access road into the airfield, nor with the checking arrangements or zapping of tickets but no doubt this will come. There were also a few gripes that those who queued the longest didn't get in first but again, as this is a new feature, it may take a tiny while to bed in. All in all it appeared to be a sensible change that has the potential to benefit visitors and will certainly benefit local road users.

The Shuttleworth Collection appear to be investing substantially in making the venue the best it can be for visitors whilst reducing inconvenience to residents and businesses in the area. They have clearly focussed on improvements to the infrastructure as well as building the collection. And it is the visitors who are reaping the rewards, with a season of regular and varied airshows right through until October.

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Shuttleworth Season Premiere Airshows 2016 - 2021

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