United Kingdom: Summer of resilience for the Shuttleworth Collection By Paul Eden

For thousands of enthusiasts, a trip to the Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden Aerodrome in Bedfordshire is more than a visit; it’s a pilgrimage. Set in a natural amphitheatre, the airfield provides a magical setting for the collection’s unique air displays.

With more than 30 airworthy machines among its collection of vintage and veteran aircraft, plus an impressive array of historic vehicles, Shuttleworth is always a special place to visit and remains open - under strict adherence to COVID guidelines. But Rebecca Dalley, Executive Director of The Shuttleworth Trust, says the collection essentially makes its money for the year during the summer display season and with takings predictably down; the industry has identified a ‘three winters’ effect’.

There really is nowhere like Old Warden, where wonders like this Bristol Boxkite replica round out displays, but only on the calmest of evenings | Photo: Nick Blacow.

Dalley says the site was among the earliest UK attractions to open as lockdown eased, welcoming visitors under strict regulation from June. An early decision to continue with a drive-in air display programme was also made, although Dalley admits that when the team devised arrangements for an initial round of socially-distanced events, they fully expected a return to business as usual by August. The reality is that they have all learned a great deal, very quickly, about staging outdoor events under the new norm, while addressing all the safety requirements of any well-run airshow.

Parking visitor vehicles in large painted ‘boxes’ and asking their occupants to remain within their box as much as possible was fundamental to the scheme. And it worked brilliantly. Dalley reckons the majority of visitors behaved impeccably, fully respecting instructions and taking care around the site. Their feedback has been overwhelmingly positive but, she says: “The fixed costs of running an airshow are huge and in order to cover those and make a contribution to the wider upkeep, we need to put more money through the gate and that means more people.”

Final Show held this week

Shuttleworth held its final show of 2020 on 4 October, combining its unique aircraft and car collections in a single event. Now, Dalley is applying herself to ‘our survival over the winter’. Planning for shows in the same, socially-distanced format for next year has also begun. “Much of the infrastructure is the same for a ‘normal’ show,” she says, “and we’ll probably keep the boxes painted over the winter so that we’re ready for either format next year.”

Visitors to Shuttleworth’s drive-in, socially-distanced air displays generally appreciated the venue’s efforts to keep them safe | Photo: Nick Blacow.

Beyond its aircraft, Shuttleworth also includes a spectacular house and gardens, and a magnificent children’s play area. It’s a popular corporate event and wedding venue - 75 couples typically choose Shuttleworth for their nuptials every year - against which it employs a large hospitality staff. Dalley notes with obvious regret that many of those people have already been made redundant. “And we’ve inevitably made other major changes to how the attraction works, including a different entry point and visitor tickets that allow access to everything on site as standard.”

More changes at Shuttleworth are unavoidable if restrictions on mass gatherings remain into summer 2021. Interestingly though, some of those already made have improved the airshow experience, the site’s profile as a more general visitor attraction and its fundamental way of working.

Dalley therefore remains upbeat. “We’ve hunkered down for the winter,” she says. “We have lots of strategic challenges to unravel; what we want to do is to sprinkle some of the magic of one of our perfect, almost addictive summer air displays across the whole experience, all year round.”

A life-long, profoundly passionate aviation enthusiast, Paul E. Eden began writing about aircraft in 1996 and became a freelance aerospace writer and editor in 2003. He says his addiction began with a Matchbox Spitfire model kit and the Ladybird Book of Aircraft, around 1975. Since then, he has written for the Official RAF Annual Review and Salute publications, and currently edits and writes Executive and VIP Aviation International magazine. A regular contributor to a number of specialist publications, including Aerospace, the journal of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and airline, cargo and flight test magazines, he also blogs for Runway Girl Network.

His first book for Bloomsbury, The Official Illustrated History of RAF Search and Rescue, was published on 25th June 2020.

Blog: https://pauleeden.wordpress.com
http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/paul-e-eden/15/9a5/671
Twitter: @TwoDrones

BlueSky Business Aviation News | 8th October 2020 | Issue #576

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