 The Shuttleworth Collection's Discovery Hub in December 2021, with its Southern Martlet outside. | |
  Location within Bedfordshire | |
| Established | 1928 |
|---|---|
| Location | Old Warden, Bedfordshire |
| Coordinates | 52°05′22″N00°19′21″W / 52.08944°N 0.32250°W |
| Type | Aviation museum |
| Website | www |
The Shuttleworth Collection is a working aviation, automotive and agricultural collection located at Old Warden Aerodrome in Bedfordshire, England.
The collection was founded in 1928 by aviator Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth. While flying a Fairey Battle at night on 2 August 1940, Shuttleworth fatally crashed. His mother, in 1944, formed the Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth Remembrance Trust "for the teaching of the science and practice of aviation and of afforestation and agriculture." [1]
Restoration and maintenance work is carried out by a staff of 12 full-time and many volunteer engineers. These volunteers are all members of the 3,000-strong Shuttleworth Veteran Aeroplane Society (SVAS). [2] These dedicated enthusiasts are crucial to the preservation and restoration of the collection.
In addition to the aircraft, the collection houses a number of vintage and veteran cars. Events include model-flying days, flying proms and events dedicated to British engineering.
The Shuttleworth Collection puts an emphasis on restoring as many aircraft as possible to flying condition, in line with the founder's original intention. [3] There are typically about seven air shows per year, including evening displays and an annual Flying Proms event.
Some of the most notable aircraft in the collection are the five Edwardian aeroplanes, of which one is the oldest British aeroplane still in flying condition. The oldest, with British civil registration G-AANG, is the Bleriot XI (still with original engine), which dates back to 1909; six years after the Wright brothers' aircraft and the world's oldest airworthy aeroplane, the next oldest being, at only three weeks newer by date of manufacture, the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome's own restored original Bleriot XI (Bleriot factory serial number 56, with civil registration N60094) in the United States.
| Type | Date | Identity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANEC II | 1924 | G-EBJO | |
| Avro 504K | 1918 | G-ADEV | Painted as E3273 |
| Roe IV Triplane | 1964 | G-ARSG | Replica |
| Avro Tutor | 1933 | G-AHSA | Painted as RAF K3241 |
| Avro Anson | 1946 | G-AHKX | Restored by BAE Systems and donated to the Collection in 2022 after a period of temporary lease. [4] |
| Blackburn Type D | 1912 | G-AANI | Oldest airworthy British aeroplane |
| Blackburn B-2 | 1936 | G-AEBJ | Formerly part of the BAE Systems heritage flight based at Old Warden. Donated to the Collection in 2022. |
| Blériot XI | 1909 | G-AANG | World's oldest airworthy aircraft |
| Bristol Boxkite | 1964 | G-ASPP | Replica |
| Bristol F.2b Fighter | 1918 | G-AEPH | Painted as RAF B1162 |
| Bristol M.1C | 1981 | G-BWJM | Replica painted as RFC C4918 |
| Comper Swift | 1932 | G-ACTF | |
| de Havilland DH.51 | 1924 | G-EBIR | Miss Kenya |
| de Havilland DH.53 Humming Bird | 1923 | G-EBHX | Crashed on 1 July 2012 killing pilot. [5] Currently being repaired off site. |
| de Havilland DH.60 Cirrus Moth | 1925 | G-EBLV | Formerly owned and leased to the Collection by BAE Systems. Donated to the Collection circa 2022. [6] |
| de Havilland DH.60X Hermes Moth | 1928 | G-EBWD | This Moth was originally Richard Shuttleworth's own private plane and during its career was extensively modified with an original Cirrus Hermes engine but an x-legged undercarriage and different windshields on the front and rear cockpit. |
| de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth II | 1942 | G-ANKT | Painted as RAF K2585 |
| de Havilland DH.88 Comet | 1934 | G-ACSS | Grosvenor House |
| De Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk 22 | 1952 | G-BNZC | Painted as RCAF 671 |
| Deperdussin Type A monoplane | 1910 | G-AANH | |
| Desoutter I | 1930 | G-AAPZ | |
| English Electric Wren | 1923 | G-EBNV | |
| Gloster Gladiator I | 1937 | G-AMRK | Painted as RAF K7985 |
| Hawker Cygnet | 1992 | G-CAMM | Replica |
| Hawker Hind | 1935 | G-AENP | Painted as RAF K5414. Under restoration |
| Hawker Sea Hurricane Mk.Ib | 1939 | G-BKTH | Painted as RN Z7015 |
| Hawker Tomtit | 1931 | G-AFTA | Painted as RAF K1786 |
| Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet | 191454 | Fuselage mockup with original engine | |
| Mignet HM.14 Flying Flea | 1939 | G-AEBB | Not airworthy |
| Miles Magister | 1939 | G-AJRS | Painted as RAF P6382 |
| Parnall Elf | 1932 | G-AAIN | |
| Percival Mew Gull | 1934 | G-AEXF | Alex Henshaw's England - Cape Town racer |
| Percival Provost T1 | 1955 | G-KAPW | Painted as RAF XF603 |
| Polikarpov Po-2 | 1924 | G-BSSY | Painted as Soviet Air Force 28 |
| RAF SE.5A | 1918 | G-EBIA | Serial F904 now in its original 84 Squadron colours |
| Sopwith Camel | 2001 | G-BZSC | Reproduction built by Northern Aeroplane Workshop |
| Sopwith Pup | 1920 | G-EBKY | Painted as RFC 9917 |
| Sopwith Triplane | 1980 | G-BOCK | Replica painted as RNAS N6290 |
| Southern Martlet | 1930 | G-AAYX | |
| Supermarine Spitfire LF.Mk.Vc | 1942 | G-AWII | Serial AR501 |
| Westland Lysander Mk.IIIa | 1942 | G-AZWT | Painted as RAF V9367 |
Also resident, but privately owned:
Aircraft of the BAE Systems heritage collection were formerly resident at Old Warden, however the last three aircraft were donated to Shuttleworth in March 2022, becoming part of the collection proper. [8]
There is also a collection of tractors.
Captain Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, was an English aviation pioneer and aerospace engineer. The aircraft company he founded produced the Mosquito, which has been considered the most versatile warplane ever built, and his Comet was the first jet airliner to go into production.
The de Havilland DH.88 Comet is a British two-seat, twin-engined aircraft built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was developed specifically to participate in the 1934 England-Australia MacRobertson Air Race from the United Kingdom to Australia.
Old Warden is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of the county of Bedfordshire, England, about 6.5 miles (10 km) south-east of the county town of Bedford.
A warbird is any vintage military aircraft now operated by civilian organizations and individuals, or in some instances, by historic arms of military forces, such as the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, the Royal Australian Air Force's No. 100 Squadron, or the South African Air Force Museum Historic Flight.
The Hawker Cygnet is a British ultralight sesquiplane aircraft of the 1920s.
The Blériot XI is a French aircraft from the pioneer era of aviation. The first example was used by Louis Blériot to make the first flight across the English Channel in a heavier-than-air aircraft, on 25 July 1909. This is one of the most famous accomplishments of the pioneer era of aviation, and not only won Blériot a lasting place in history but also assured the future of his aircraft manufacturing business. The event caused a major reappraisal of the importance of aviation; the English newspaper The Daily Express led its story of the flight with the headline "Britain is no longer an Island."
Cole Palen was the founder of the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, a living museum of vintage aircraft from 1900-1937 located in Red Hook, New York. He became recognized for his work in the preservation of early aviation history. Palen's aerodrome boasts one of the finest collections of antique aircraft in the world including an original 1909 Bleriot XI, the oldest flying aircraft in the United States and the second oldest in the world. He also created many accurate flying replicas of historical aircraft. Many of these take part in the regular airshows which continue to place at the Aerodrome.
The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is a living museum in Red Hook, New York. It owns many examples of airworthy aircraft of the pioneer era, World War I and the Golden Age of Aviation between the World Wars, and multiple examples of roadworthy antique automobiles.
The de Havilland DH.60 Moth is a 1920s British two-seat touring and training aircraft that was developed into a series of aircraft by the de Havilland Aircraft Company.
The de Havilland DH.53 Humming Bird is a British single-seat, single-engine, low-wing monoplane light aircraft first flown in the 1920s.
The de Havilland Gipsy is a British air-cooled four-cylinder in-line aircraft engine designed by Frank Halford in 1927 to replace the ADC Cirrus in the de Havilland DH.60 Moth light biplane. Initially developed as an upright 5 litre capacity engine, later versions were designed to run inverted with increased capacity and power.
The Le Rhône 9J is a nine-cylinder rotary aircraft engine produced in France by Gnome et Rhône. Also known as the Le Rhône 110 hp in a reference to its nominal power rating, the engine was fitted to a number of military aircraft types of the First World War. Le Rhône 9J engines were produced under license in Great Britain by W.H. Allen Son & Company of Bedford, and in Germany by Motorenfabrik Oberursel where it was sold as the Oberursel Ur.II.
The Napier Rapier was a British 16-cylinder H pattern air-cooled aero engine designed by Frank Halford and built by Napier & Son shortly before World War II.
The Parnall Elf is a British two seat light touring aircraft of the 1920s. Built by George Parnall & Co. the Elf was the last aircraft designed by Harold Bolas before he left the company to go to the United States.
A barn find is a classic car, aircraft or motorcycle that has been rediscovered after being stored, often in derelict condition. The term comes from their tendency to be found in places such as barns, sheds, carports and outbuildings where they have been stored for many years. The term usually applies to vehicles that are rare and valuable, and which are consequently of great interest to collectors and enthusiasts despite their poor condition.
The ABC 8 hp is an 8 hp (6 kW) two-cylinder aero engine designed by the noted British engineer Granville Bradshaw for use in ultralight aircraft. The engine was derived from a specially tuned motorcycle unit and was built by ABC Motors, first running in 1923.
From 1905 to 1915, Alessandro Anzani built a number of three-cylinder fan engines and radial engines, one of which powered Louis Blériot's 1909 cross-channel flight. An Anzani three-cylinder engine that powers a Blériot XI operated by The Shuttleworth Collection in England is thought to be the oldest airworthy engine in the world.
The Granger Archaeopteryx is a British single-engined, tailless parasol monoplane designed and built in the late 1920s by two brothers, R.F.T. and R.J.T. Granger. The sole example built is currently under restoration for flight.
The ADC Airdisco is a British V-8 aero engine that first ran in 1925.
Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth was a racing motorist, aviator and prolific collector of veteran cars and aircraft. His collection forms the nucleus of the Shuttleworth Collection. He was killed in an air crash on a night RAF training exercise in 1940.
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