Shuttleworth Festival Of Flight 2025 Review

Wandering around the static lineup during the dull, grey morning let visitors get up close to a unique aircraft which, whilst not taking part in the flying display, was a special, silver treat at the event - this being the Junkers A50 Junior. Flown by Claus Cordes to the show from Germany via Poland, Finland, Norway and Scotland as part of the 'Junior Tour'. The replica A50 Junior is a modernised recreation of the vintage, stylish namesake of the 1930s - carrying modern technology in an ultra-light frame. The aircraft is powered by a 100hp, four-cylinder Rotax engine, creating a sleek nose profile compared to the typically used Armstrong Siddeley Genet ll radial engine of the original, whilst the fuselage shape replicates that of the original, with the corrugated all-metal construction. It is a beautiful little aircraft and parked in its own area by the hangars at Old Warden, was an eye-catching addition to the show. Also, on static display before the flying began was the Douglas R4D 'Ready 4 Duty', visiting from the USA courtesy of the Commemorative Air Force - the aircraft was open for tours ahead of the flying display for a small donation. Part of the 'Navy to Victory' tour that took place in 2025, the aircraft had been spending the summer based just across the county border at IWM Duxford in Cambridgeshire, whilst paying visits across Europe at airshows, fly ins, and fly overs as a commemoration to those who lost their lives during the Second World War.

Whilst some may argue that the time in the morning before the flying is too drawn out, I think the time allows for everyone, even the late arrivals to wander around the hangars and the ground exhibits, plus enjoy the new retail style avenue set up along the centre of the car park area which was present during the 2025 event. Elsewhere, a premium tent arrangement was set up further back towards the hangars, which kept them from blocking the views for the visitors - whilst the fun fair too was tucked back behind the hangars entirely, ensuring whilst the setup catered to everyone, at no point did it interrupt the flying display or the viewing of it, which Old Warden is famous for, and credit must be given to the organisers for creating that variation in family enjoyment, whilst not alienating the core enthusiast base which has helped put the Shuttleworth Collection on the map - other events and shows could learn from their approach. You don't have to shun enthusiasts for families, or vice versa.

You can feel how welcoming the atmosphere is at Old Warden when a Shuttleworth Collection show is on, the showground is buzzing in a quiet, classic, summer fair sort of way - a unique experience that just epitomises just how good a visit to the a Shuttleworth show is; there is nothing else like it, and when the flying begins, that is when the real magic begins to happen, when the skies come alive with the sounds, the smells and the visuals of vintage aviation that brings a certain spark to this little slice of Bedfordshire countryside. Even with cancellations, even if the Tannoy is a bit dodgy, the meat of the show gave opportunity for the organisers to flex their muscles with the unique formations and displays teams which delivered a memorable and truly high-flying display afternoon, laid across a backdrop that is Old Warden, including its famous curve!

For our retrospective article, we have split the review across both days to give a flavour of what was on offer at the show.

As is the way with current Shuttleworth shows, the flying started at 2pm across both days, for the Saturday this began with a single, high, flypast by an RAF Boeing Chinook HC.6 from 28sqn based at RAF Benson, who had been conducting flypasts across the South of England to celebrate Armed Forces Day, with Old Warden being one of their events. Kicking off the visiting aircraft displays was Christophe Simon in his Mudry CAP 10, who put the aircraft through a dynamic display that came across as if he were flying something much more powerful than he was – his use of energy management to allow himself to perform the aerobatics was skilful to say the least. More aerobatics came in the form of a pair of Pitts Specials flying together in formation, which saw Stu Goldspink and Jean-Michel Munn put on a very spirited display featuring loops, rolls and several well-coordinated mirror formations passes before coming in low for some lovely topside passes, making use of the famous Old Warden curved display line – the first of many! 

As the afternoon went on, the pesky wind that was plaguing the schedule did drop just enough to allow some of the home-based aircraft to get into the skies, first up was the Miles Magister pair alongside the deHavilland DHC-1 Chipmunk for some formation passes, followed by some tail chasing antics. This sort of display suits the setting at Old Warden a lot more than at some other venues and the lesser powered aircraft can still make full use of the display line without getting lost in it. 

Next up was another of the RAF displays, that of the Avro Lancaster B.1 from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight out from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire. Whilst always a pleasure to see, and in recent years we have seen at Old Warden those appearances be magnificent with the bomber making full use of the bend with some simply extraordinary topsides during billed flypasts, this full display left a little to be desired, as if we had rewound the clock ten years; it was sedate and abundantly cautious with this full routine. During the display, there was no bomb bay door pass, nor a gear down pass as we have seen in previous years. As much as we love to see the BBMF, this was certainly a disappointing routine even with the new overhead departure, we hope when the Lancaster returns to the airshow scene following its maintenance at Duxford, it will be shown in a way we have seen in recent years.

It was when the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, The Red Arrows started to display that the show seemed to click up a gear and the event felt like it kicked off properly, despite being limited to a rolling display because of airspace restrictions the Reds have never visually looked so good with their jets shining perfectly against the stunning blue, summer skies. The team performed their usual mix of large formation, 9-ship passes, before dynamically breaking off for various synchronised crossovers and crowd breaks as they rolled through manoeuvres such as the Tornado and the Rollbacks. The display in 2025 is perhaps not the best routine that has ever been seen – we wonder if it may be time for a refresh of some of the stale parts of the show, but it still shows how good the national team is, despite this. Red Ten's use of repeated wording still rings in the ears, though! 

Following on from a very good Red Arrows display, some more of the vintage treasures went up, with the Shuttleworth Collection's Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vc in formation with the Aircraft Restoration Company's Bristol Blenheim. The pair only flew together on the Saturday, with the two aircraft flying several passes together before going on to perform solo displays. The beautiful light and the nature of the display line was simply outrageous - with Jon Gowdy at the helm, instead of the usual well-known hands of John Romain - It was an epic display! The Blenheim is another airframe that works well in the space over Old Warden with some brilliantly flown topside passes for the crowds, and photographers, to enjoy. 

A unique trio of airframes followed, with Stu Goldspink back up again flying the lovely Stampe SV-4 and was joined by the bare metal Ryan STM-S2, as well as the Shuttleworth Collection Polikarpov PO-2 in a mixed trainer formation of aircraft from the earlier days of aviation. The PO-2 does sound rather more like it belongs in a field with a plow on the back, than in the air however -  compared to the decidedly more sleek Ryan and Stampe. Another of the Collection gems were sent up with the deHavilland DH-88 Comet for a glorious display - the first of two during the Saturday. We were spoiled with not only the two displays, but with such perfect light for both! The Comet is, of course, one of the main attractions for the Shuttleworth Collection, with its history, its story and its presence at the shows throughout the year, it never fails to stun when it's taken to the skies and shown off for the crowds. The racer is not just the icon of Old Warden, but most definitely one of the icons of British aviation history with its legendary 70-hour, 54-minute speed win from RAF Mildenhall in England, to Melbourne in Australia in the hands of C.W.A. Scott and Tom Campbell Black. 

The final display on both days for the afternoon session of the flying programme saw the Spitfire Mk.Vc back up in the air, this time joined by the Lilham Aviation Spitfire Mk.IX 'MK912' and one of the star visitors in the German based Flying Legends GmbH Chance Vought F4U Corsair. The half hour routine began with multiple formation passes, followed by a dynamic tail chase of the trio, leading into the Spitfire pairs display, before the conclusion saw a cracking solo display by the Corsair which opened with one of the fastest passes, we got to witness! The whole routine was one of the best to be seen at a Shuttleworth show for a long time, and, again, with the picturesque summer weather across the weekend, ended both afternoon flying's with a bang.

Heading into the first evening display of the weekend, saw a curtailed programme because of the wind, nonetheless saw a unique formation with the first appearance by the French based Dassault MD312 Flamant courtesy of Amicale Alenconnaise des Avions Anciens A3A alongside the Shuttleworth Collection's Avro 19 Anson. The sun-kissed pair of transport aircraft gleamed across the skies on Saturday evening, before the crowd enjoyed some solo passes. The last time a Flamant graced the Shuttleworth skies was in the 1990's, as Chris recalls seeing back then, and whilst the display at the Festival of Flight was a little high and distant compared to that of the Anson, or any of the other routines of the weekend, it was still such a treat in the early evening skies. The evening concluded with the return of the Comet, this time joined by the Miles Hawk Speed Six and the Desoutter II, plus the Comper Swift for a full-on racer sequence, ending with Steve Jones in the DH71 Tiger Moth, in its debut display - an elegant, typically Shuttleworth type of aircraft to end the Saturday. 

Day Two of the event featured an array of aircraft that did not appear on the first day of the show, whilst a healthy number of the cast of visitors hung around, giving the crowds enough variation in the show between the two days - and with the calmer winds, had a much more full feeling to the flying programme. Whilst the second day of the show did not have the Red Arrows, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster, or the RAF Typhoon (due to unforeseen circumstances), the vintage variety of the show meant that lineup was none-the-worse for it, such was the overall strength and imagination of the organisers to attract such brilliant displays. A massive kudos needs to be extended to the team at Shuttleworth for putting together such an exciting lineup across both days.

Beginning with a veteran of the airshow world, and a true gentleman of the hobby; Bob Grimstead in his trusty Fournier RF 4 motor glider known as 'Red Hawk'. The display was a lovely sequence of graceful aerobatics using the skill of energy management in his air-cooled VW powered Fournier, dancing across the sky to the soundtrack of Bittersweet Symphony. 2025 was the final year for Bob flying as a display pilot at airshows, having a generation-spanning flying career, flying the biggest airliners before his current mount at airshows across Europe, and will now take a much-earned retirement from the world of airshow flying. As a friend of ours, it was a moment to witness one of his final air displays - thank you Bob.

Following on from the Fournier was a wonderful aerobatic glider demonstration with the Slingsby T.21 which was dragged to height by the SVAS donated Piper Cub. This sizeable RAF glider type was put through a series of elegant loops before coming in for a gentle and well- executed landing towards the hangars. Following the subtle grace of the glider, came Bob Davy in his Yakovlev Yak-3UTI, which tore across the sky as this early soviet fighter was shown off with the growling powerplant up front – the first of two we would see during the day. This airframe is marked as a Ukrainian aircraft as a nod to the continuing conflict in Ukraine. 

The ‘Mercury Flight’ was next up, with the ARCo Bristol Blenheim Mk.1F back in the air following its wonderful appearance the day before, this time with the Gloster Gladiator Mk.1 and Westland Lysander III from the Collection. The trio performed a series of formation flypasts before breaking off for well-flown solo displays, with the Blenheim first, before the Lysander and then the Gladiator displayed for the crowds individually. Another formation in the air, and one which was a little more unusual was the Desoutter I and the Southern Martlet, with the debut of the wonderful DH.83c Foxmoth – whilst this was a slower display than the previous trio, the inclusion of the interesting Foxmoth was quite special, with its enclosed canopy and larger fuselage than other Moth types, it was a most unusual airframe to witness in a display. 

Having starred in the evening display the day before, the beautiful French based Dassault Flamant MD312 was back in the skies for a solo routine in the afternoon this time, which was well flown with two topsides and some nice shapes in the sky in the hands of Nikash Coffin. The pair of air-cooled V12 Renault 12 engines had a wroughty roar to them as the 600hp they produce propelled the early transporter through the sky. It was due to make another appearance at the Manston Airshow before it was postponed, but we hope to see the Flamant back again soon, as it was a wonderful aircraft to see once again after so many years. A personal favourite of Matts! Look out for an exclusive article in the near future with Nikash about flying the Flamant! 

The span of the types on show was impressive, as the flying display switched swiftly from French 1950s glamour to early British WW1 replicas, with the Sopwith Dove, Sopwith Triplane and the Bristol M1C taking part in a routine of tail chase action as the rotary engined machines filled the skies – watching the SVAS volunteers help get them fired up before they trundle off down the runway is, again, another classic Shuttleworth image. Another three-ship routine, and a much more powerful one, was that of the Duxford based “Flying Comrades” with their Yakovlev Yak-18T and two Yak-52s. The team are new on the airshow scene but have established themselves as a very dynamic and enjoyable display team, normally seen at various Duxford flying days and airshows. The routine at Old Warden incorporated the bend into how they flew which was much appreciated, giving extra spice to their colourful, entertaining and enjoyable display - one we look forward to seeing again. 

As with the Saturday, there was another showing of the racers with the deHavilland Comet with the Miles Hawk Speed Six in a routine of formation, then solo displays, which as ever, was delightful, as it always is whenever the Comet is in the air. As the Comet returned to the airfield, a far more unique and less common formation took to the skies, in a very interesting segment of flying, focusing on axis trainers – or their facsimiles anyway. This being the FW44 Stieglitz and Bucker Jungmeister with a Nord Pinguin playing the part of a BF108 Taifun. The display opened with a juxtapositioned flypast of the slower bi-planes being overtaken by the faster Pinguin, before the Pinguin took to its solo routine of fast, low, sweeping passes – the Nord Pinguin 1001 being a French license-built version of the BF108 with a different engine, giving it a slightly more tapered front nose section. The slower and more graceful displays by the Stieglitz and the Jungmeister followed on behind, with the two showing some of the earlier German designs.

As aforementioned, one of the highlights of not only the Shuttleworth Festival of Flight, but also the UK summer Airshow season overall, was the visiting Commemorative Air Force Douglas R4D ‘Ready 4 Duty’. The aircraft flew both days, but was arguably better on the Sunday, with the cloudscapes, and the dynamism of the routine really on full show! Having been lucky to see the R4D at the Military Show earlier in the season, this Festival of Flight display was much more sympathetic to the uniqueness of the Old Warden layout, with more emphasis on working the curved display line and slightly more favourable conditions to the aircraft’s favour, much to the delight of the crowds who watched on. The aircraft was much appreciated as whilst it had been in Europe doing plenty of varying engagements, actual full-blown aerial displays had been less common – the fact that Shuttleworth had it displaying both days was a coup in itself. 

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will always be a welcome addition at any show, and with the Lancaster the day before being quite sedated, the hope was the fighters on the Sunday would bring some higher tempo aerobatics and formation flying to proceedings, but alas the display was, again, very tame. Of course, it is not expected to see high G manoeuvres from the aircraft, but the distance compared to that of the civilian aircraft to the crowds, the very gentle nature of the flying and the lack, it felt, of any presence left the whole thing a bit...bland. As lovely as it was to see the Spitfire PR Mk.XIX and Hurricane MK.IIc, them following on from a series of dynamic and engaging routines as the programme had prior to it, the BBMF routine was a bit underwhelming to watch.

Thankfully, the Belgium based Warbird Display Team would more than make up for any lapses in the programme when they took to the skies with their Yak-3UWP and CAC CA-13 Boomerang for a highly dynamic routine of flying both in formation, before tail chasing, and solo slots as well. The pair, flown by Rick Van der Graaf and Remko Sjiben, was a masterclass in what makes Old Warden special, and why their display has been heralded as one of the very best warbird displays of 2025. Entering from crowd left on both days, the Boomerang trailing white smoke from its onboard system, led the pair round the bend at a tight and highly photogenic angle. They then circled around the crowd rear to do it all over again, before continuing with further topsides and tight passes for the crowds and photographers. Eventually they broke into a tail chase and the solo segments before recovering to the grassy strip of Old Warden. A brilliant display, fittingly, in the most brilliant afternoon light! The way the pair of aircraft were flown was a feast for aviation photographers, coupled with the rarity factor of the T-6 derived replica Boomerang, a truly rare sight indeed, made it a highlight of 2025. 

With the afternoon programme drawing to a close, the Spitfire pair and Corsair went up for their finale section of display flying once again, in beautiful light and with some wonderful flying to round out the show. 

But this being Shuttleworth, of course, with the winds calm and the sun low, the stutter and splendour of the magnificent flying machines provided a fitting encore to a superb airshow, with the cast of Edwardians taking to the skies with vigour and a few hops. The Bleriot Type XI gave some spirited skips and jumps, before the wonderful Deperdussin went for a short galivant down the grass strip, both to applause and awe at these very delicate machines. The Blackburn Monoplane followed with some gentle circuits in the ever-fading summer light, before the slightly larger Bristol Boxkite and Avro Triplane IV went up for a formation display together. The display concluded with the eccentric little English Electric Wren which performed a magnificent display with some low passes across the airfield, a rare sight too, to see it airborne for as long as it was that evening. 

The Festival Of Flight really was a gem of an airshow, amongst the pantheon of many great shows held at Old Warden by the Shuttleworth collection, this one ranked highly with its innovative mix of familiar favourites, rare overseas visitors and the sprinkle of modern military displays to deliver a splendid array of flying for every taste! We are truly looking forward to this year’s show with much anticipation, with a high bar set by their 2025 edition. 

Words and Photos by Matt Silvaire & Chris Gurney.

With thanks to the Shuttleworth Collection.