The second air display of the 2023 Shuttleworth season took the theme of Around the World, celebrating world-wide aviation. With the usual flying display scheduled for the afternoon beforehand visitors were able to enjoy a number of displays, including classic vehicles, along with the museum and the usual trade stands. 

The display was opened with a Shuttleworth Collection owned World War Two trio as the Gladiator lead the Spitfire and Sea Hurricane in the afternoon’s first formation. The trio then separated to perform solo displays joined by the collections Westland Lysander. The pace then changed as the small colourful Cap10 performed an aerobatic display followed by the slow pace of the afternoon’s first glider display performed by the collection’s Kirby Kite, another collection aircraft, the Comper Swift then performed some flypasts. Next up was a group display of training aircraft from around the World as the collection’s Canadian built Chipmunk was joined by a visiting Miles Messenger for a series of flypasts before the Chipmunk went into aerobatic display. The German built Bucker Jungman the also performed aerobatics that included perfect slow rolls along the crowd-line before the collection’s Piston Provost closed the section. With the trainers on the ground the sky was now clear for the visiting Bouchon, a Rolls Royce  Merlin engine variant of the Me109 fighter from the Aircraft Restoration Company at Duxford. In the hands of John Romain the Bouchon performed an amazing display in its Luftwaffe livery as seen in the Battle of Britain film. 

The pace slowed once again as the collection’s Dragon Rapide was displayed in its BEA livery, representing the early days of air travel around the World. It was then back to between the wars with a trio of bi-planes from the collection, the Avro Tutor, Tiger Moth and the Blackburn B2 recently donated to the collection from British Aerospace. For the second Shuttleworth display in a row the Lancaster from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight made an appearance, this time for a full display rather than a flypast which proved very popular. The collection’s 1924 DH51 ‘Miss Kenya’ then performed flypasts, this aircraft was the first to be registered in Kenya in 1926 and transported back to England in 1965 to become part of the collection. The DH51 is the oldest De Havilland aircraft currently flying. Representing American aviation from between the wars was the visiting Spartan 7W Executive, a rare privately owned example. It was then back to the collection aircraft with the Russian Pe-2 and the Dutch built Desoutter 1berfore the second glider display of the day. This time it was the collection’s EoN Primary glider being expertly flown. An unusual pair was next but a pair with a common connection. The collection’s Percival Mew Gull that was flown by Alex Henshaw to set the record for flying from England to Cap Town and back in 1939 wile the Vans RV-7 of Steve Noujaim set a new solo record for London to Cape Town and London-Cape Town-London in 2010. The collection’s trio of air racers then flew together, the Mew Gull joined by the Miles Hawk and DH88 Comet that won the MacRobertson air race in 1934 from Mildenhall to Melbourne. The Miles Hawk the performed a solo display before the Mew Gull and Comet returned, this time joined by the Silver Spitfire IX that completed a round the World flight in 2019. Following the formation passes the Spitfire then performed a solo display to close the event. 

Further details on the Shuttleworth Collection and events can be found by visiting https://www.shuttleworth.org/

Event Gallery – https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1051959230265369&type=3

 

Gary Malkin