22 FLYPAST August 2018
AIRSHOW OLD WARDEN
Tw i l i g ht
of the Gods
Neil Hutchinson captures images from a
memorable Evening Airshow at Old Warden,
home to the Shuttleworth Collection
T
raditionally, Old Warden’s
regular evening shows have
offered a low-key alternative
to the busier daytime events at the
pretty Bedfordshire aerodrome.
Nothing wrong with that, you
might argue, and it’s pleasing to
report the spirit of those occasions
lives on into 2018.
All that’s changed is that the
participant list seems to have
expanded. The most recent
Evening Show, on Saturday,
May 19, included some real
‘heavyweight’ contenders,
including one of the most famous
warbirds in the UK, the RAF Battle
of Britain Memorial Flight’s Avro
Lancaster PA474. Also airborne
were the Shuttleworth Collection’s
Westland Lysander and Hawker
Sea Hurricane, while it’s Bristol
F.2b Fighter led a quartet of World
War One-era machines.
The undoubted highlight was
the long-awaited return ofSupermarine Spitfire Vc AR501.
The popular fighter has been the
subject of a lengthy overhaul
at Old Warden, and it’s great
to finally see it back where it
belongs – and back in its
previous clipped wing
configuration. The May Evening
Airshow was the perfect start
to the venue’s always extensive
calendar of events. For details of
what’s next, see:
http://www.shuttleworth.org