SHUTTLEWORTH WINGS & WHEELS 2015 at OLD WARDEN, UK
When we bought our 1954 Piper Super Cub last year, one of the prime objectives was flying her into as many vintage aircraft events as possible. High on that list for me, was a flight to Old Warden (UK); home of the Shuttleworth Collection, which organises about a dozen aviation events per year.
The Collection was founded in 1928 by Aviator Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth at the Old Warden aerodrome near Biggleswade, Bedfordshire. After his dead in August 1940, the idea of collecting cars, airplanes, motorcycles and even bicycles was continued by the family members. Today, with the help of hundreds of volunteers, the collection has grown to more than 40 vintage aircraft, most of them airworthy.
After having been grounded due to bad weather on two earlier occasions, we finally managed to fly over to the UK on August 2nd; the event was the yearly "Wings and Wheels" held at Old Warden every first weekend of August.
The flight started at the Kortrijk-Wevelgem airport in Belgium, went across the Channel between Calais (France) and the White Cliffs of Dover, North-East of London, to land at the beautiful Old Warden aerodrome after a flying time of two hours.
Wing and Wheels; a combined event of vintage aircraft, cars and motorbikes, has some great opportunities for photography.
The afternoon airshow had a good variety of flying displays; from a biplane formation of a Hawker Demon and a Hawker Hint;
to a very rare Sea Hurricane on the wing of an as rare Gloster Gladiator
World War I dogfight with a German Albatross and a British Sopwith Snipe;
A Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5.a;
Several 1930's Racing airplanes such as the Percival Mew Gull below;
my all time favourite, a beautifully restored original de Havilland Comet racer;
a great flying example of the Spartan Executive,
vintage gliders such as the Eon Primary;
and the very rare Fauvel glider;
Because the wind picked up later in the afternoon, the Edwardian planes from the early days of aviation, such as a 1909 original Blériot XI, had to unfortunately stay inside the hangar;
There was much more to see at Wings & Wheels 2015 and I therefore invite the readers to visit my Shuttleworth Wings and Wheels gallery for more!
Even though Old Warden is now ticked off the bucket list, I feel a second visit coming up over the next few years!
Even though Old Warden is now ticked off the bucket list, I feel a second visit coming up over the next few years!
BJORN
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