Despite dark clouds, the threat of rain on the horizon and a biting wind whipping across the hallowed turf of Old Warden in Bedfordshire on May 1, a near sell-out crowd gathered for the Shuttleworth Collection's much anticipated Season Premiere. While a slight hike in ticket price may have deterred some, for many it was a chance to attend a show without the pressures of COVID-19 restrictions. That said, with the ongoing niggles of the pandemic still apparent, there was ample space to enjoy the planned three-and-a-half hour flying display that boasted 30-odd aeroplanes - including several collection favourites such as the speedy Mew Gull, the elegant DH.88 Comet Grosvenor House, the pugnacious Gladiator and the brutish F.2B Bristol Fighter. Between them, they produced several unique moments and formations. Flying highlights included the long-awaited debuts of Old Warden's resident Dutch-marked Ryan STM-2S and Kennet Aviation's US Navy-liveried Stearman and a blistering solo by Lt Cdr Chris Gotke in Navy Wing's recently-returned-to-the-air Seafire Mk.XVIl. There was also the ever-agile PBY-5 Catalina Miss Pick Up, a welcome trio of topsides from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's Lancaster PA474 and the unexpected appearance of a pair of the collection's Edwardians: the Bristol Boxkite and the Avro Triplane. Despite only boasting a modified 3hp ABC motorcycle engine - in comparison, the Seafire's Rolls-Royce Griffon spews out l,850hp! - it was the Collection's incredible English Electric Wren that stole the show, with pilot Richard Crockett climbing to new heights in the 1923 ultralight aeroplane.
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