Shuttleworth Festival of Flight 2026

The third two-day Shuttleworth Festival of Flight airshow was held on June 27 and 28, 2026, at Old Warden Aerodrome near Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, UK. It was a phenomenal success, breaking all Shuttleworth attendance records and being acclaimed by many as the best airshow ever held at Shuttleworth—and probably the best airshow anywhere in the world this year. Shuttleworth already has a great head start over most venues when it comes to organizing a memorable airshow, with its fabulous collection of aircraft based there and flown during regular display days. Add to that the fairly unique curved display line, the sun behind the crowd, and the gently rising ground away from the flightline, which means that from just about anywhere on the grounds, you get a great view of the show. There are no “VIP” tents or grandstands in the way here! Perhaps the biggest advantage, however, is the innovation and imagination of those organizing the airshow. It is never simply the tried-and-trusted formula. There is always something new: different pairings, different visitors, and everything we dream of perhaps happening at other venues actually taking place at Shuttleworth, right in front of the crowd—not during a private photo shoot or only on practice days. Even across the two days, we saw different formations involving the visiting warbirds, with aircraft flying together in combinations we had never imagined. What a great selection of visiting display aircraft there was, too.

Probably the overall highlight for many was the first UK appearance—and only the aircraft’s third public airshow appearance following Hahnweide and La Ferté-Alais—of Messerschmitt Bf 109E “Red 12,” D-FEML. In addition to its solo display, it flew in formation on Saturday with the Shuttleworth Collection’s Spitfire V, Flying Legends’ P-51D Mustang Frances Dell, and Fighter Aviation Engineering’s P-47D Thunderbolt Nellie B. On Sunday, it participated in a “Battle of France” formation with Shuttleworth’s Gloster Gladiator and the Polish Heritage Flight’s Hurricane XIIa, G-HURI. Several passes were made by each of these fantastic formations.

(Image credit: Nigel Hitchman)

Equally eagerly awaited was the first Shuttleworth appearance of the RAF Station Czechoslovakia Avro Anson Mk.I OO-ANS, marked as “K1693.” This aircraft was superbly restored by Bill Reid and his team in New Zealand, where it was displayed for 10 years before being sold to an owner in the Czech Republic. It is one of the best and most detailed restorations I have ever seen. The Anson was superbly displayed and flew in formation on Saturday with the Aircraft Restoration Company’s equally rare Bristol Blenheim—perhaps the first time two early British WWII bombers had flown together since the 1940s. On Sunday, it flew with Shuttleworth’s later-model Avro XIX Anson, providing another very rare occurrence: two Ansons in the air together. Another highlight was the first appearance at Shuttleworth by The Flying Bulls, with their B-25 Mitchell, P-51D Mustang, F4U Corsair, and P-38 Lightning. Originally, some of the aircraft were expected to operate from the grass at Old Warden, but at the last minute, it was decided that they would all operate from Duxford. Additionally, their newest acquisition, the F8F Bearcat, had been scheduled to appear, but it is still not quite ready to fly after undergoing extensive work following its importation from the United States. The Flying Bulls aircraft were great to see displaying at Shuttleworth, making excellent use of the display lines. In addition to their four-ship formation and solo displays, the P-38 Lightning joined the Shuttleworth Spitfire, P-47D Nellie B, and P-51D Frances Dell in formation on Sunday. Perhaps even more impressive was the sight of their P-51D Mustang Nooky Booky IV flying in formation with the Shuttleworth Collection’s de Havilland DH.88 Comet racer.

(Image credit: Nigel Hitchman)

On the lighter side, it was also superb to see Klemm L.25 G-AAUP displayed together with BA Swallow G-ADPS, the Swallow being a British development of the Klemm L.25. It might have been even better, but the scheduled Klemm L.25 G-ACXE, which was due to make it a three-ship formation, was unable to attend in the end. Next time… With the World Cup taking place, it was decided, as a bit of fun, to create a formation representing the tournament’s three host nations. It was also a great excuse to include a few more unusual aircraft in the display. We were treated to a formation featuring a Canadian de Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunk, an American North American Navion, and a Mexican Air Force CAP 10, now privately owned in England but still wearing its original Mexican Air Force livery. While it was warm and sunny throughout the weekend, the wind was too strong for the Edwardians on both days and also prevented some of the earlier aircraft, including the WWI machines, from flying on Sunday.

(Image credit: Nigel Hitchman)

We did see some WWI aircraft flying on Saturday, including the superb Bristol Scout replica, Shuttleworth’s Bristol F.2B Fighter, and its Sopwith Camel. The F.2B and Camel were almost in formation after the Camel took off, although they displayed separately. The Bristol M.1C should also have flown, but, as seems to have happened several times recently, the team could not get it started. It probably started easily on Monday morning after the show—it seems to be display-shy! A great formation of three unique Shuttleworth aircraft brought together Desoutter G-AAPZ—one of only three survivors, with the other two on static display in Australia—the sole surviving Southern Martlet G-AAYX, and Parnall Elf G-AAIN. Steve Jones was due to fly his superb de Havilland DH.71 Tiger Moth replica on Sunday, but conditions were too windy. It was still great to see the aircraft out on the flightline, though.

Modern aircraft were represented by one unlimited aerobatic display each day and Team Raven, an excellent formation display team flying Van’s RV-8s. A little less modern were the Tiger Club’s Turbulent aircraft, which entertained us with their barnstorming display on Saturday, while on Sunday we enjoyed a display by Shuttleworth’s own barnstormers. Both days featured displays by the Duxford-based Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Sally B. It is amazing to think that the aircraft is now in its 51st display season in the UK after being acquired from the Institut Géographique National in France, the source of many of the surviving B-17s flying today. In addition to its superb formation with the Avro Anson, the Aircraft Restoration Company’s Bristol Blenheim flew with the Shuttleworth Lysander on Sunday as a Bristol Mercury-powered pairing. The Blenheim also gave us two superb solo displays during the weekend.

(Image credit: Nigel Hitchman)

It is always great to see vintage gliders at Shuttleworth. The EoN Primary was flown on Saturday and the Slingsby Petrel on Sunday, although turbulence forced the Petrel’s pilot to abandon the display during the tow and land immediately. However, on both days, we had a real treat when the DFS Habicht aerobatic glider team came over from Germany and gave us a fabulous display. Shuttleworth once offered separate daytime and evening displays, with the evening shows often taking place after the wind had dropped enough for the Edwardians to fly. They were also frequently held in beautiful golden-hour light, making for great photographs and a wonderful spectacle. However, the evening shows often lost money because not enough people attended. Rather than lose them completely, Shuttleworth decided to add an evening element to selected events, including the Festival of Flight. This format worked extremely well, with a full daytime airshow running from 2:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m., followed by a 90-minute break. Visitors could leave if they wished or get something to eat from one of the many catering vendors before the evening display began. Unfortunately, the wind did not cooperate for the Edwardians this time, so various replacement displays were arranged. The beautiful golden-hour light did appear on Sunday, however, which was perfect for the Avro Anson pair and even better for the displays by the DH.88 Comet racer and Miles Hawk Speed Six.

It was also great to see a large crowd remain until the very end. Many visitors took advantage of the campsite and stayed from Friday through Monday. Numerous people commented on the excellent facilities, and “best campsite ever” was heard more than once! In addition to the fabulous flying displays, there were many ground attractions. Several aircraft attended for static display only, including Beech D17S Staggerwing F-AZJP and Spitfire Mk.IX PT879, G-PTIX, wearing its original Russian Air Force colors. All of the Shuttleworth Collection’s hangars were open, with many vintage vehicles also on display. Visitors could, of course, also explore the Swiss Garden and Shuttleworth House. Even the World Cup football matches were shown on a large screen during the evening. It was a truly fabulous and enormously popular event. The Festival of Flight has become the go-to airshow in England, now attracting the international visitors who helped make the sadly missed Flying Legends so popular. We are also seeing people who once traveled from around the world to attend Flying Legends now choosing the Festival of Flight as their airshow of choice. Next year’s dates have already been announced, and early-bird tickets are on sale. The 2027 Shuttleworth Festival of Flight will take place on June 26 and 27. See you there! For more information, visit www.shuttleworth.org.