Shuttleworth Season Premiere Air Show – May 7th, 2023

by Charlotte Bailey

The Shuttleworth Collection’s Season Premiere Air Show will take place on Sunday May 7th, 2023, officially inaugurating their 2023 display season.

Coinciding with Coronation Weekend (which will see King Charles III crowned at Westminster Abbey on Saturday May 6th) and with a Bank Holiday on the following Monday, the Season Premiere promises a “unique, celebratory atmosphere throughout” incorporating a “wide variety of visiting aircraft taking part from different parts of the UK.”

Alongside a myriad of early 20th Century aircraft which the Shuttleworth Collection owns and operates – such as their unique de Havilland DH.88 Comet, Avro Tutor and Miles Hawk Speed Six – the extensive flying display will include a variety of additions from further afield. These will include the Navy Wings’ Fairey Swordfish, the Red Devils (the British Army’s parachute display team), and the show’s only jet-powered aircraft – a BAC Jet Provost. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Avro Lancaster will also perform a fly-past.

Alongside the airborne entertainment, “plenty of other activities will also be available on the ground” – including vintage vehicles, a chance to explore the Shuttleworth Collection’s six hangars, or even the marvelous, Regency-period Swiss Garden onsite. A T-6 Texan/Harvard will also be available for pleasure flights during the show, with flights being available for booking HERE.

Gates open at 9:30a.m. on show day, with the ground attractions starting from 10:00a.m. onwards. Subject to weather, the flying display will take place between 2:00p.m. and 5:00p.m.. Tickets to the show are available at the gate, or online via the Shuttleworth’s website.

On the day after the show, visitors keen to make the most of their Bank Holiday Monday by extending their stay can book accommodation at Shuttleworth House for the Sunday night.

Alternatively, self-sufficient camping is also available onsite from Thursday through Monday (subject to a minimum two-night booking).

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The Shuttleworth Collection was founded in 1928 by Richard Shuttleworth, a keen aviator who lost his life in a training accident whilst flying a Fairey Battle with the Royal Air Force on August 2nd, 1940. His mother formed the Trust in 1944 and today, a dedicated team of restorers, engineers and maintainers continue to care for the world-class collection at Old Warden in Bedfordshire, UK.