AIRCRAFT will be flying high this summer – and visitors and pilots will be able to enjoy the spectacle even more than last year.
Staff at the Shuttleworth Collection in Old Warden have been working hard during the quieter winter months and on Thursday, April 19 they unveiled some changes for 2012.
Tony Haig-Thomas, who has been the aviation trustee for 15 years, is retiring later this year. He will be replaced by Air Chief Marshall, Sir John Allison.
Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, April 19, Tony said: “The collection now is moving to a new phase.
“Hangers nine and 10 have been a huge development here. They are very big and we will have 35 guest aeroplanes there.”
Hanger nine is already in full use and Hanger 10 is expected to be at 100 per cent capacity by the middle of summer.
Tony said that he has been a pilot at Shuttleworth for 25 years and he has been the executive in charge for 15 years.
“John Allison produces a different range of skills. He is a very intelligent man and writes beautifully. He will be taking over on November 1,” he added.
One of the airfield’s historical buildings has also been given a make-over. Richard Shuttleworth’s shed has been completely refurbished and renovated.
It was built to house his Gipsy Moth in 1932 and the plane has never been housed anywhere but Old Warden.
It is now available to rent for a 1930s folding wing design or a modern ultra light aircraft.
To read the full story see the Biggleswade Chronicle of Friday, April 27.