Mark Jefferies routine in the Extra was another high-octane crowd-pleaser. Peter Davies produced a stunning display of aerobatics in his Calidus autogyro - one which certainly revised my opinion of an act I'd always dismissed as 'filler' on many display programmes. While much of the display fought a running battle with the scattered cloud, the aircraft who displayed later in the day enjoyed the better of the conditions. A touching, warm embrace between the two men which rates among the finest moments at Shuttleworth in 2016. On arrival at Old Warden it was wonderful to witness Teichman greeted by 91-year old Lieutenant Colonel George Hardy, who'd flown this very aircraft 'Tall In The Saddle' during the last days of World War II as a teenage member of the 332nd Fighter Group. He still seems higher and perhaps tamer than his displays in previous years, but we can put this down to the CAA's current reign of terror, and a pilot perhaps living in fear of a 'red card' stoppage which could lose him his ability to display his much-prized collection. Sadly, this didn't happen during Peter's show-opening display, during which the sun managed to hide itself behind a lump of clag for the duration of his routine. While perhaps not quite as visually striking as its former 'Jumpin' Jacques' incarnation, the new, and historically-accurate, paint on the machine makes quite an impression, and really seems to come to life when the sun shines. Peter Teichman's recently re-painted P-51D Mustang 'Tall In the Saddle' headed the list of visiting machines. Quite how the airfield's neighbours will react to those, however, if the needless Shoreham-inspired road closures continue at next year's shows might be a situation worth monitoring. I'm told the At Home Days have seen, in some cases, paltry crowds, so perhaps it was inevitable that they'd be ditched for 2017 in favour of a welcome return of the traditional evening shows which Shuttleworth has done so well for decades. People are coming in their droves, at least to the 'proper' airshows at the venue. Varied line-ups, interspersed with exciting visitors are proving an excellent draw. Decent people at a fine airfield.Ĭrowds at the main Shuttleworth shows have been very healthy this season, which suggests that, for the most part, The Collection are doing something very right. Perhaps not full to last year's Vulcan farewell, or May's Season Premiere levels, but a very handsome attendance, and one which seemed to be a true Shuttleworth crowd - unlike at the aforementioned events. Even arriving shortly after the gates opened, there was already a sizeable chunk of the car park filled, and the crowd-line was extremely well-populated by the time the display began. Pleasingly, Old Warden was positively bursting. As a one-off set piece as part of, say, a 1930s-themed show, a race might be an entertaining interlude. As a general rule, with some obvious (and one scarlet red) exceptions, racing aircraft lack the character of military types, and to hang an entire show around them wasn't to my tastes. I remember, a long time ago now, at the 1986 Warwickshire Air Pageant at Coventry an excellent handicap race being a fantastic spectacle as a part, rather than the overriding theme, of the airshow. That's not to say 'racing' at an airshow can't work. The glider race was, for me, the afternoon's low-point, robbing the show of momentum just two acts in. Even types such as the de Havilland Comet and Hawker Hurricane lose some of their appeal when lost in the middle of a faux 'race'. Civilian vintage aircraft flying repeat straight and level passes over a series of laps does not make for a dynamic air display. The Race Day theme, I felt, didn't really work.

Let's be clear, this was by no means a perfect show. The cure, even for the most acute case, is a visit to The Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden.ĭan O'Hagan was at Old Warden's Race Day season finale. A certain apathy has developed among even the most ardent enthusiasts. It's been a difficult season for the UK airshow scene. Shuttleworth Race Day & Roaring Twenties Finale

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