Shuttleworth's DH88 Comet
The Race Day airshow is part of a Race Weekend at Shuttleworth, although there is only flying on the Saturday.
On airshow Saturday, Shuttleworth bids farewell to 2021 with its usual superlative flying, demonstrating the finest racing aircraft of the period, including the winning de Havilland DH88 Comet, celebrating Richard Shuttleworth’s racing career in the 1930s.
This is a relatively small venue, where flying feels closer to the crowd than in some bigger airfields, even since the change in the regulations. The venue also has a mansion, Shuttleworth House, which is usually open to visitors for at least part of airshow days, park-like gardens (Swiss garden) and huge children's outdoor play area.
Old Warden is home to the Shuttleworth Collection of planes from both world wars and earlier, including original pioneering aircraft such as the Bleriot (identical to the one that made the first crossing of the English Channel). There are around 40 airworthy planes in eight hangars.
The collection is on static display most days throughout the year. There are significant flying events about monthly between May and October, ranging from daytime full airshows to evening proms and additional smaller events.
| More aircraft will be listed when known | |
|---|---|
| DH88 Comet, Shuttleworth Collection | |
| All appearances are subject to technical, weather and other constraints | |
Spitfire PL983
No other airshow is quite like Race Day. There were a few aerobatic displays but most of the four hours of flying was taken up with groups of aircraft flying the same anti-clockwise circuit over the countryside east of Old Warden.
It is evident from social media and forum comments that this generates little excitement for many and for them the airshow season will have finished a week or two sooner.
For the significant crowds at Old Warden on that chilly October Day, however, Race Day represents the very spirit of Shuttleworth. The spirit of Shuttleworth is not jets, nor formation flying, nor flamboyuant aerobatics. The spirit of Shuttleworth is vintage aircraft and vintage road vehicles.
Shuttleworth House will not be open on Race Day. The vintage buses will still run to the house and back.
| Aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Flying | |
| Visiting Aircraft | |
| North American P-51D Mustang ‘Conrary Mary’ (Previously painted as Miss Velma. Replaced ‘Tall in the Saddle’) | |
| North American P-51D Mustang ‘Tall In The Saddle’. This was to have been Peter Teichman’s last ever public display, but it was cancelled. | |
| Spartan 7W Executive | |
| LeVier Cosmic Wind ‘Ballerina’ | |
| Taylor Titch | |
| Midget Mustang | |
| Druine D.31 Turbulent | |
| Miles Messenger | |
| Bulldog (that won the Kings Cup in 2002) | |
| Miles Hawk Speed Six | |
| Pitts: x6 | |
| Vans RV4 (Pace plane for Pitts race) | |
| Slingsby T.13 Petrel Glider | |
| Slingsby Falcon 1 Glider | |
| Slingsby Kite Prototype Glider | |
| Rhönsperber Glider (cancelled) | |
| Grob Viking T1 (cancelled) | |
| Aviat Husky Float Plane G-WATR | |
| Cessna 172F Float Plane G-DRAM | |
| Mew Gull: G-HEKL | |
| Travel Air Type R Mystery Ship | |
| Comper Swift: G-LCGL (Flew in the morning but not during the display) | |
| Comper Swift: G-ECTF | |
| Chilton: G-JUJU | |
| Shuttleworth Collection Aircraft | |
| Blackburn B2 | |
| DH60X Moth | |
| DH60 Cirrus Moth | |
| DH62A Tiger Moth | |
| Desoutter | |
| Southern Martlet | |
| Hawker Sea Hurricane 1B | |
| Miles Magister | |
 | DHC Chipmunk T.22 |
| DH88 Comet | |
| Percival Mew Gull | |
| Chilton: G-AESZ (cancelled) | |
| Chilton: G-CDXU (cancelled) | |
| Comper Swift | |
| Sopwith Camel | |
| Bristol M1C | |
| Sopwith Dove (did not fly) | |
| Avro 504K (did not fly) | |
 | Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vc |
| Supermarine Spitfire PRXI ‘PL983’ (John Romain flying a tribute to Lettice Curtis) | |
| Avro Triplane IV (cancelled) | |
| Bristol Boxkite | |
| Blackburn Monoplane Type ‘D’ | |
| Deperdussin | |
| Additionally the following are due to be on static display, but are not flying during the show | |
| Chilton: G-DWCB Sopwith Tabloid (Brooklands Museum) | |
Shuttleworth's Old Warden Aerodrome is about two miles to the west of the A1 near Biggleswade. It is about 20 miles from junction 13 of the M1 and from the south it is about 30 miles from Junction 23 of the M25. It is signposted from the A1 at Biggleswade.
The Post Code (for sat nav) is SG18 9EP but, as with all shows, ignore the sat nav in favour of local show signs as soon as you see them.
There are links to other route planners in the Travel Advice column if you prefer to plan ahead or don't have sat nav.
There is a train station at nearby Biggleswade, which is about 40 minutes from London Kings Cross and about 30 minutes from Peterborough. There is no bus service from the station to the aerodrome but there is a taxi rank close to the station.
The variety of rail tickets and fares can be very confusing. Trainline and Raileasy web sites list all ticket and fare options for the time and day of travel you choose but they both levy an admin fee. Click either of the blue ticket agency names to go to their web site.
It is best to book as far as possible in advance. This is not only because nearby hotels and guest houses tend get booked up well before the date of an airshow but also because prices can be better when you book early online.
There are plenty of booking agencies. We find that many of the well known ones are better at finding hotels from international or larger UK chains and may suggest hotels in main towns or cities quite a distance from the show site.
Expedia list a good selection of smaller, as well as bigger, hotels and will find accommodation in villages and small towns as well as the main centres. They also give, and take, Nectar points.
There are three Premier Inn hotels in Bedford, another two in St Neots and more in in Hitchen and Letchworth, all roughly 10 miles away.
The International Hotels Group have a Holiday Inn Express in Bedford about 6 miles away and another in Stevenage, about 14 miles from the show.
Travelodge have three hotels around Bedford, between six and eight miles from Old Warden and two more within ten miles.
Click any of the blue names to go to the corresponding web site. Most of the links already have the location built in, but please check, and change as necessary, the dates, number of rooms and number of guests.
A full 7 day Old Warden weather forecast from the UK Met Office
The Met office 7-day forecast includes actual and "feels like" temperatures, the likelihood of rain, wind speed, wind direction, wind gusts and visibility: the latter can have an impact on the viability of displays.
The BBC's 14-day forecast has overall conditions including and hourly estimate of temperature, wind direction, wind speed and UV range.
Click the blue-text link to go to the forecast. The location is already built into the links.
October 2nd
Sat Nav SG18 9EP
For links to travel and route planning web sites, click the 'Getting there' tab
Air display from 14.00
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