Old Warden - The Shuttleworth Collection

Old Warden at its best

Old Warden in Bedfordshire is the home of The Shuttlewort Collection and is known for being among the finest aviation organisations with some of the only flying examples of certain aircraft anywhere in the world. Until recently, gliding has not really been something you’d see often at Old Warden, but that is changing thanks in part to the VGC.

Old Warden is all about keeping old aircraft flying. It is home to both the world’s oldest flying machine, the Blériot XI (1909) and the oldest British aeroplane, the Blackburn monoplane (1912). Its key aims are to preserve in working order motorcycles, motorcars and aeroplanes for the future generations to see and experience.

There is a wonderful atmosphere to the shows. They have vintage cars, characters dressed in period costume and “old time” music playing, at least until the flying starts. People often bring picnics and set up for the day on the grass, stopping only to stroll through the stalls and static displays on show. It’s all part of the atmosphere, and often feels like going back to a bygone age.

But what does this have to do with the VGC? The new step into displaying gliders is thanks to the vision of Shuttleworth’s Aviation Trustee Tony Haig-Thomas, and the passion and drive of one its most talented display pilots, Willy Hackett. Having been one of the masterminds behind the current operations at Old Warden, Tony Haig-Thomas considered adding gliding carefully before putting the plan in place. Clearly gliding has a key role in the history of aviation, and indeed its future, and to date the response from the public has been fantastic! So to answer the question, they did it because they felt they should; it’s a part of aviation heritage they didn’t want to miss. Displaying the right gliders goes beautifully hand in hand with the powered performers; it’s a huge crowd pleaser and visually stunning. As Willy sums up: “Having been at the controls of both Shuttleworth Collection gliders at air shows last season, I can confirm that the pilot can almost hear the reaction from the crowd while still in the air!”

With this desire to incorporate more gliding, it was a natural progression to involve the VGC, and in 2010 they approached the VGC for initial talks about involving some of our members rare and beautiful machines. The outcome of this partnership was so successful, that the Shuttleworth collection has now added to its own glider collection by purchasing the historic 1934 Scud II glider. But it’s not all about simply giving privately owned VGC gliders to the Shuttleworth display pilots to display to the crowds! Our VGC members have joined the ranks of Shuttleworth pilots, and many of the VGC gliders that you will see will be invariably flown and demonstrated by their owners!

For us here at the VGC, we view this opportunity as a positive and important step to promoting our sport to the greater public, and we are delighted that we can do it alongside one of the most famous aircraft collections in the world, one that is instantly recognisable the world over. Shuttleworth has a unique ambience which fits our Vintage gliders perfectly, and we couldn’t have found a better way of promoting our sport outside the immediate gliding community had we tried! But it’s all not a one-way street however. Like all good and successful partnerships, there’s something in it for everyone, and for Shuttleworth, it is the ability to tap into some of the most unique and historic gliders in the country, if not the world, and that helps to keep interest with the air show spectator, who after all, plays an important part in keeping many of these beautiful and rare aircraft where they belong…in the air!

2012 Shuttleworth Calendar

* Marks displays with VGC glider participation.

May

Spring  Air Show
Date: 6 May 2012
Spring Evening Air Show
Date: 19 May 2012

June

Mid Summer Air Show
Date 3 June 2012
Evening Air Show
Date: 16 June 2012

July

Military Pageant Air Show
Date 1 July 2012
Evening Air Show
Date: 21 July 2012

August

5th - Military Pageant  Air Show
Date: 5 August 2012
11th - Evening Air Show
Date 11 August 2012
18th - The Original Flying Proms Concert*
Date: 18 August 2012

SEPTEMBER

Shuttleworth Pageant Air Show
Date: 2 September 2012
Shuttleworth Uncovered - Air Show
Date: 22September 2012

OCTOBER

Autumn Air Show
Date: 7 October 2012