We’re all in need of some Airshow action!

Welcome to this latest edition of Aerodrome and our regular look at the fascinating world of aeroplanes and the historic aviation scene around the UK.

As we have just safely negotiated a leap year and how the nights slowly seem to be getting just that little bit lighter with each passing week, it’s probably about time we started thinking about filling our diaries with the events we plan to attend over the coming year. That being said, I thought we were all in need of a little Airshow action this weekend, so that’s exactly what we intend to do. As the most enjoyable way in which to immerse ourselves in the world of aviation, getting so close to aeroplanes that you can smell them is a rare treat indeed and if that’s the experience you’re looking for, there is one venue which stands head and shoulders above the rest here in the UK and that’s where we’re heading this time. 

The hallowed grass runway at Old Warden aerodrome has long been a place of worship for the aviation faithful, but as ever more people discover the delights this venue has to offer, Airshow Day is certainly much busier than it ever used to be. As I usually like to attend a couple of Shuttleworth shows each year, last year gave me the opportunity to try something a little different and saw me heading down for their Best of British Evening Airshow, the event which will be the focus of our attentions this time.

Did the weather gods look favourably on the masses gathered at Old Warden for an evening of flying entertainment, or did they send in the clouds to spoil our enjoyment of what promised to be one of the highlight shows of the year? Please join us to find out, as we post an image rich review of this enjoyable high summer event from last year, one which included many Shuttleworth Collection favourites, along with a selection of appealing visiting aircraft. As we all enjoy the pictures, let’s also use this weekend as an opportunity to start looking forward to the coming Airshow season and where appropriate, to secure tickets for the events we’re planning to attend.

Although it’s probably still a little early to start getting excited about Airshows, it's never too early to look at Airshow pictures, so please join us for an evening of flying at Old Warden. 

Old Warden airfield in the evening

Although we didn’t quite get the evening conditions we were hoping for, this image of the Collection’s Lysander does prove that the sun did put in a fleeting appearance.

As one of the premier aviation related destinations in the country today, many Aerodrome readers will be only too familiar with the delights a visit to the Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden offers, a beautifully maintained grass airfield which is also home to one of the most impressive collections of historic aircraft to be found anywhere in the world. Lovingly cared for by a committed team of engineers, technicians, volunteers and pilots, the Collection organise a series of events each year, where their own aircraft are given the opportunity to feel the wind beneath their wings for the enjoyment of the gathered faithful, but how they also attempt to secure the attendance of some of the most popular historic aircraft in the country to display as guest attendees.

Keeping old aeroplanes in serviceable condition and booking the most popular external display acts can both be quite a challenge for all concerned and incredibly expensive, but as enthusiasts know only too well, there is one additional cost-free factor which will have an impact on every event and this one is even more volatile – the weather. Even though most enthusiasts become weather experts over the summer months and have every conceivable weather related app on their phone, I’ll bet most of us have still attended events in the face of a worrying forecast, just in case things don’t turn out quite as bad and how such optimism isn’t always rewarded. For an evening show, the weather really is a crucial factor and even though the forecast certainly wasn’t perfect for Old Warden, this was one of those occasions when you just have to have faith.

Having never previously attended a dedicated evening Airshow but having been impressed many times by the beautifully lit photographs taken by those who had, I decided that 2023 was going to be the year I would be breaking my evening event duck. With ticket in hand, I headed down to Old Warden and the Shuttleworth Collection’s Best of British Evening Airshow, hopeful that the skies would be clear and that the setting sun would be serving up some glorious light in which to photograph the displaying aircraft. Even if the conditions didn’t play ball, I knew I was still in for a spectacular evening of flying entertainment and a new Airshow experience for me to enjoy.

If you need the evening sun to put in an appearance, you’d better get a Gloster Gladiator into the air.

As ever, the show offered the usual heady mix of classic home-based aircraft and some specially invited aviation guests, but all using the intimate surroundings of this delightful airfield as their performance backdrop and all engaging with the crowd in a way only a Shuttleworth show can. If you’ve ever been, you will know exactly what I’m talking about and if you haven’t, what on earth are you waiting for?

If everything went to plan, once the sound of Merlin and Bristol Mercury engines had died down, the Collection’s fragile Edwardian aircraft would be taking to the sky, but only if the conditions allowed and usually only as the last of the evening light begins to fade. If we managed to get to that stage, then we had definitely had a good day, but as far as an evening Airshow is concerned, favourable weather conditions are even more important than they would be at a traditional daytime show.

With much excitement, just a little trepidation and with my eldest daughter in tow (she wanted to see a Spitfire), I made the 400 mile round trip to Old Warden and my first evening Airshow experience.

90th Anniversary of the MacRobertson Air Race

Of the many rare and historic aircraft under the care of the Shuttleworth Collection, there’s one which is as striking as it is rare, a racing aeroplane which still cuts a dashing silhouette in the skies above Old Warden to this day and one which has to be described as a particularly spirited performer, their beautiful de Havilland DH.88 Comet. The Collection’s distinctive de Havilland DH.88 Comet racer is a truly stunning aeroplane and one which has to be considered as the Collection’s ‘Jewel in the crown’, true British aviation royalty and an aircraft which is regularly flown to the delight of the Old Warden masses.

Designed and produced specifically to take part in the 1934 London to Melbourne MacRobertson Trophy Air Race, this sleek twin engined aircraft only made its first flight eleven days before the start of the race but was about to embark on one of the most challenging feats of aviation endurance the world had ever seen.

Wearing a smart scarlet red and white colour scheme and carrying the name ‘Grosvenor House’ (promoting the aircraft owner’s London hotel) on both sides of its forward fuselage, this aircraft was actually one of three D.H 88 Comets which took part in the race. Posting an impressive time of 71 hours and 18 seconds for the epic flight, this very aircraft (G-ACSS) emerged victorious in the a race which captured the imagination of the world, winning the handsome £10,000 prize and a place in aviation history. For the design engineers at de Havillands, their prowess was now the talk of the aviation world, and they must have been delighted with their achievement.

Although sometimes taken for granted by the crowds at Old Warden Airshows, the beautiful red aircraft which performs at many of their events is the very same historic aeroplane which won the MacRobertson Trophy back in 1934. After its stunning victory, the aircraft was passed to the RAF for evaluation, during which time it suffered a number of mishaps and was subsequently sold for scrap. Later rescued and restored, it would go on to set more aviation records, before being left abandoned on the edge of an airfield, left to an uncertain fate and slowly falling into disrepair. De Havilland D.H 88 Comet G-ACSS finally came into the hands of the Shuttleworth Collection in 1965, where she embarked on a period of long-term restoration to flying condition, triumphantly taking to the air once more in 1987.

Aviation history in Bedfordshire skies, this year marks the 90th anniversary of the MacRobertson Trophy Air Race.

Unfortunately, the aircraft suffered an undercarriage collapse when landing back at Old Warden following an Airshow appearance back in 2002, with the resulting damage requiring another extended period of renovation in their workshops. Whilst these works were ongoing, Shuttleworth’s engineers managed to obtain CAA clearance to incorporate several modifications to the original de Havilland undercarriage design, in an attempt to make the units much more functional for contemporary use.

After many years of painstaking work, de Havilland DH.88 Comet G-ACSS made her latest post restoration flight in August 2104, gracing Bedfordshire skies with her iconic shape and stunning good looks, but more importantly, marking another significant aviation achievement for the Shuttleworth Collection.

An extremely photogenic aeroplane, the Comet has gone on to become one of the real stars of the UK Airshow circuit and although she is always most comfortable when displaying to a home crowd at Old Warden, she will also venture a little further afield when a display organiser wants to add a little aviation culture to their show. One of the most significant British aircraft still flying today, the de Havilland Comet is a real crowd puller and whenever she is listed on a display programme, will always have an army of enthusiasts keen to fill their senses with her latest performance.

As 2024 marks the 90th anniversary of her MacRobertson Trophy Air Race triumph, we can expect Comet ‘Grosvenor House’ to be coming in for plenty of media and enthusiast attention during the summer months.

A further selection of racing aeroplane delights, whether on the ground or in the air, the Miles Hawk Speed Six looks every inch the aviation speedster.

Built for speed, the Percival Mew Gull is a British racing aeroplane of some repute.

The Golden Age of British Airshows

In this next selection of images, we will be including some of the display acts which fall into a generic category of Old Warden favourites, but how organisers and pilots alike have become expert in transporting their crowds back to an era when Airshows were some of the best attended events in the country. With hundreds of thousands of people gathering at places like Hendon to see the latest aircraft and marvel at the intrepid pilots who flew them so expertly, a Shuttleworth show will always include several displays attempting to recreate those glory days, whilst at the same time reminding us all that aeroplanes are still the most exciting machines ever produced by man.

This beautiful Tiger Moth wears the colours of the RAF’s Central Flying School Aerobatic Team.

In a perfectly flown display routine which was reminiscent of the historic displays at the Hendon Air Pageants, these three aircraft took off and displayed whilst all connected together with bunting.

How low can you go in your Parnall Elf?

Old Warden favourites and some new acquaintances

Being the custodians of one of the foremost collections of historic aircraft to be found anywhere in the world, it will come as no surprize to learn that enthusiasts and those with just a casual interest in aviation regularly head to Old Warden to admire these magnificent machines and if they go on Airshow day, they might just see them in the air. Undoubtedly, the home based aircraft are the stars of every Shuttleworth show and even though maintenance and general serviceability will always dictate that several aircraft aren’t available for Airshow duties at any one time, we’re usually treated to some interesting visiting types secured to take their place.

With a collection which spans every era of flight from the first aircraft to fly across the English Channel, to the final piston engined aircraft in Royal Air Force service, the Shuttleworth Collection is an Airshow organisers dream and even if we didn’t have the benefit of visiting aircraft attendees, there would still be a world class Airshow taking place at this unrivalled venue.

The only airworthy example of its kind in the world, the Hawker Sea Hurricane Ib is just one of many aviation reasons why a visit to Old Warden is an annual pilgrimage for many.

Representing the pinnacle of biplane fighter technology, the Gloster Gladiator is a thing of aviation beauty.

Great War air power, firstly in the shape of the diminutive Sopwith Triplane, followed by the exceptionally capable Royal Aircraft Factory SE5a 

A pair of de Havilland delights, firstly the cultured DH-89A Dragon Rapide, followed by the smaller DH-90 Dragonfly. This red beauty is a real aviation treasure and is one of only two airworthy examples of this stunning aircraft still flying.

The most unusual visitor to the show was Cranfield Aerospace Solutions Britten-Norman Islander G-HYUK, an aircraft powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

The most famous Spitfire in the world, and her friends

We all know that everybody loves a Spitfire, but when it comes to the subject of airworthy Spitfires, there is one particular aircraft which stands above all others, an aircraft which despite boasting an active service career, has gone on to do more in preserving the legacy of this famous British fighter than any other and continues to do so to this day.

Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk.IXb MH434 was produced at the Vickers Supermarine Castle Bromwich factory during the summer of 1943, making its first flight in the hands of famous Supermarine Test Pilot Alex Henshaw on 7th August 1943. Just six days later, she was delivered to her first operational squadron, No.222 (Natal) Squadron based at Hornchurch, a new replacement machine as the unit upgraded their existing war weary Spitfire fighters.

During an active service career, MH434 would regularly be flown by South African pilot Flt Lt Henry Lardner-Burke DFC, who would use this aircraft successfully in combat with the Luftwaffe. She can claim to have several aerial combat victories to her name, in addition to several more shared and probable victories, which mark her as an aircraft possessing real wartime combat provenance.

After completing 79 operational sorties during WWII, MH434 was retired in March 1945 and sent to No.9 MU at Cosford, where she was stored awaiting disposal, however, this was not to be the end of her operational flying career. She would later form part of a consignment of 25 Spitfires destined for the Royal Netherlands Air Force, but whilst some were shipped and unloaded in Holland, the majority remained on board bound for the Dutch East Indies and operations against Indonesian pro-independence guerrillas. Flying fighter bomber missions during her time in Southeast Asia, she would go on to fly a further 165 operational sorties in this role.

Following the withdrawal of Dutch forces from the region, MH434 arrived back in Holland during the summer of 1950 to something of an uncertain future, however, would later be one of several aircraft sold to the Belgian Air Force, a rather short lived period in Belgian markings. For MH434, a much more active and significant future awaited her.

The star of many a UK Airshow, MH434 carries the name of wartime pilot Henry Lardner-Burke's wife 'Mylcraine' on the port side fuselage, complete with his impressive victory tally.

In March 1956, this Spitfire was purchased by a young airline pilot who had always dreamt of flying a Spitfire, brought back to the UK, where she underwent inspection at Elstree aerodrome. She would carry the civilian registration G-ASJV and would be flown for fun by the pilot who could hardly believe his good fortune and under his ownership, would also make her film debut in the 1965 movie 'Operation Crossbow'. Her film credentials would go on to include the now legendary Battle of Britain movie, a time when her owner decided to sell his Spitfire to the production company following a change in his circumstances.

Following the end of filming, MH434 was sold once more, this time to Cathay Pacific Airways board member and millionaire businessman Sir Adrian Swire, who having purchased the Spitfire, released it for service on the growing UK Airshow circuit, often displayed in the hands of former Red Arrows leader Ray Hanna.

Flown for the first time by Ray Hanna in 1970, he would go on to become synonymous with this aircraft, with his thrilling displays doing much to present the Spitfire to a new generation of admirers. Everyone fortunate enough to have enjoyed one of his Spitfire displays in MH434 will probably have described the experience as watching a man and his flying machine in perfect harmony. In fact, Mr Hanna would become so attached to this Spitfire that when an opportunity to purchase her presented itself in 1983, he simply had to have her, becoming the founding aircraft of the Old Flying Machine Company.

It could be argued that Spitfire Mk.IX MH434 has done more than any other Spitfire to preserve the legacy of Britain’s most famous fighting aeroplane.

During her time with OFMC, MH434 would become a much loved component of the UK's growing Warbird scene, with Ray Hanna's stunning displays leading many to describe him as the finest Spitfire pilot in the world. Displays which created an enduring legacy of their own, Ray's show closing displays at the annual Biggin Hill Airshow would become the stuff of Airshow legend, where he and MH434 would hold the crowd spellbound as this magnificent machine graced the skies of Kent in a way only this special pairing could do, a unique aviation experience at this former RAF fighter station. There was something very special about a Ray Hanna Spitfire display at Biggin Hill and is an experience greatly missed, but always cherished by those who were fortunate enough to have seen one.

Over the years, MH434 went on to star in numerous TV, film and commercial productions, whilst at the same time entertaining millions of Airshow enthusiasts at shows up and down the country. As such, she has arguably done more than any other Spitfire in maintaining the legacy of this iconic aircraft, re-affirming the affection in which this aircraft is held by those who consider themselves already converted, whilst at the same time introducing new legions of admirers to this aviation classic, with every display routine she performed.

A superstar Spitfire if ever there was such a thing, MH434 has created an aviation legacy which endures to this day, a combat veteran aircraft with aerial victories to its name and a Spitfire which had never been fully rebuilt since leaving the Castle Bromwich factory back in 1943. A living piece of Britain’s aviation heritage which can still hold us captivated whenever she takes to the sky, Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk.IXb MH434 surely has to be considered the most famous Spitfire of them all - the greatest of the few.

For her latest Shuttleworth appearance, MH434 brought along a few Supermarine friends, including the growling PR.XIX operated by the Rolls Royce Heritage Flight.

Tally Ho! Spitfires inbound.

Spitfire Mk.Vc AR501 calls the hallowed turf at Old Warden its home airfield.

A beast unleashed, the Rolls Royce Griffon powered Rolls Royce Spitfire PR XIX whipped up quite a storm with its immaculate and energetic display at Old Warden.

When the air is still, the Edwardians fly

Well, that’s usually the case when it comes to Shuttleworth Airshows, but on this occasion, whilst several of the aircraft did get airborne, the conditions were definitely less than perfect for these fragile aeroplanes. As you can see from many of the images included here, we didn’t get the optimum conditions the gathered photographers had been hoping for, but we were still royally entertained, and the intrepid pilots of the Edwardian aircraft were determined to play their part in the proceedings.

As these slightly more delicate examples of the Collection’s aviation heritage enjoyed a circuit or two in the dying embers of twilight, we knew that was our latest visit to Old Warden almost over and even though I didn’t get the sunset shots I had been hoping for, I was already hooked and in the words of a famous cybernetic assassin and former US politician, ‘I’ll be back!’

Only when their pilots have access to the still air of a late evening will they risk taking these more fragile aircraft in the collection up for a quick spin. Here we have in order, the Bristol Boxkite, the Avro Triplane, the Hawker Cygnet and the English Electric Wren, with the latter putting in quite the performance.

 
I’m afraid that’s all we have for you this time, but we will be back again in four weeks’ time with more news and pictures from the world of aviation. Thank you for your continued support and as always, if you would like to comment on anything blog related or suggest a subject you would like to see covered in a future edition of Aerodrome, please do drop us a line at aerodrome@airfix.com, where we would be delighted to hear from you.

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The next edition of Aerodrome is scheduled to be published on Friday 29th March, where we will hope to be bringing you another feature linked to the fascinating world of historic aviation.

See you all back here then.

Michael

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