The Shuttleworth team worked hard as several factors conspired against their Military Airshow, still managing to put on a quality afternoon of flying despite this.
Despite gusty conditions keeping many of the lighter types from flying, the airshow team worked hard to write a programme with the heavier types, with aircraft due to fly twice in different combinations, but unfortunately, the conditions even went on to scupper those plans. Organising airshows really can be unforgiving at times, but their determination is hugely appreciated nonetheless.
Opening the show, flying in from East Midlands Airport, was Rolls Royce Heritage Flight’s P-51D Mustang, resplendent in Don Blakeslee’s scheme and very well finished with bare metal surfaces, rather than all over silver paint. The display didn’t quite have the same presence and impact usually expected from the Mustang, however, perhaps due to the RRHF’s seemingly set display routine, which consists of more distant aerobatic figures and lots of repositioning.
The Gazelle Squadron returned to Old Warden, where their quartet display really suits the confines of the airfield.
A quartet of trainers told the story of RAF trainers from the 30s to the 70s with Avro Tutor through Tiger Moth, Miles Magister and Chipmunk. Their formation, break and tailchase were an excellent way to utilise and display them. The Sea Hurricane and Avro Anson also flew solo displays.
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Sally B was unaffected by the wind and gave an excellent performance, as it always does at Old Warden – one of the best places to see the bomber display.
Sadly the wind denied us an early war pairing of Gladiator and Spitfire Mk.I, with the wind increasing to be out of limits for the Gladiator, but nonetheless, Jon Gowdy performed a beautiful elongated solo display in N3200 having flown over from Bicester.
The appearance of the Kraguj exemplifies Shuttleworth’s ability to get less well known types in front of the crowd. The Soko J-20 Kraguj is a Yugoslavian close air support and counter-insurgency aircraft that first flew in 1962. It had a pair of 7.7mm machine guns and the ability to carry a variety of underwing ordnance including rockets, free fall and cluster bombs. With fixed undercarriage, it could take off from unprepared strips and has a surprisingly short take off and landing roll. The sound of the Kraguj was amazingly agricultural!
The same can be said of the Ryan Navion that put on a very pleasant display. The Navion, a light four seater tourer initially made for the US post-war market, was also used by the US Air Force, Army and Air National Guard as liaison and staff transport aircraft. The Navy Wings T-6 also gave a very energetic aerobatic display, it is just a shame that this aircraft is in such a hideous paint scheme, in yellow adorned with the Fly Navy logo.
With Shuttleworth’s own Spitfire, AR501, having been flown by No 310 (Czech) Sqn at Duxford in 1942-43, it had been planned to pair it with newly restored Mk.IX TE517, flown with No 313 (Czech) Sqn in July 1945. It was a great shame therefore that the wind was out of limits for AR501, being an earlier marque, but to add insult to injury, as TE517 ran in for solo display, it was forced to land due to a technical issue. It shows great vision by the team to pinpoint interesting pairings or individual aircraft that can be better appreciated at the intimate confines of Old Warden or celebrated in a specific manner. TE517 and its Czech links would be lost, for instance, in a large multi-Spitfire sequence, but at Shuttleworth could have really shone. Hopefully, we can see the two Czech Spitfires together in the future.
The Polikarpov Po-2 did manage to get aloft and put on an excellent display despite the conditions.
It was left to Lancaster PA474 to round off the day with a series of impressive flypasts, as it has done on numerous occasions in 2023 – a sight and sound one will never tire of!
It is a great shame that the Military Airshow was so badly affected by the weather and other factors, but the dedication of the Shuttleworth team to persevere and still put on an enjoyable afternoon of flying is very much appreciated.
For more information on upcoming Shuttleworth airshows and to purchase tickets, follow this link: www.shuttleworth.org/events/
