4/9/2022 Vintage Air Show @ Old Warden

Out in the countryside on the bike for an airshow the second weekend running: the wilds of Cambridgeshire last week - Bedfordshire this week. This was the Vintage Air Show staged by the Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden. I've been coming to this place since my dad first took me when I was a kid. Like at Little Gransden events here have a more informal and relaxed feel than the bigger shows at many other airfields - the atmosphere is definitely friendlier and you can get closer to most of the aircraft.

The 'Vintage' theme means we get to see aircraft from the dark days of WW1 up until the 1940s. Nothing with more than two engines as larger aircraft can't operate from the confines of this small all grass airfield - and definitely no jets! The aircraft shown below are in (roughly) chronological order...

A German Albatros - deadly, but a thing of great beauty. 

A Nieuport.

Bristol Fighter.

A pair of SE5As.

Avro 504.

However, there is still plenty of variety - even including some vintage gliders.

Hawker Hart.

Mew Gull racer.

Record breaking Mew Gull racer.

de Havilland Comet racer - a particular favourite of mine.

Avro Anson.

Gladiator and Hurricane.

P-51 Mustang.

Percival Proctor.

Percival Provost trainer.

Beech Bonanza.

The 'Vintage' theme doesn't just apply to the aircraft on display - there

are other live exhibits from many years past as well.

These old traction engines are in full working order.

There are even things like ancient fairground attractions that you can actually ride on.

But only I get to ride on this.

If you are in no hurry to leave after the air show is over it's worth hanging around to see some of the aircraft departing for their home airfields.