Old Warden is all about the smell of fabric dope, the sound of Anzani, Gnome, Clerget, Mercury and even Merlin, the sight of swirling scarfs in the prop wash and oil drips on your suit if you don't watch out. An extremely friendly place without barb wire and security police, where you can talk to the pilots and even sit in the cockpit if you ask nicely. Home of immaculately restored Bleriot XI, Bristol Boxkite,Deperdussin, Blackburn Monoplane, Sopwith Pup, Triplane, Camel, SE5A, Avro 504K, Tutor, Bristol F.2B, EE Wren, DH51, DH60X, DH82, DH88, DH89, Hawker Demon, Tomtit, Hind, Sea Hurricane, Westland Lysander, Gloster Gladiator, Spitfire Vc, to name just a few. And most of them out on the flying line too if it's not raining.
In my book of aviation Old Warden is a holy place. A place of magic and glory. Certainly and by all means not just your average common airfield of which thousands can be found all around the world like Orbx's Old Warden rendition seems to be modeled after. Where else in the world can you still be taken back to the year 1910 and see a Bristol Boxkite and Avro Triplane flying together.
There's a FS9 freeware package of Old Rhinebeck available, US equivalent of Old Warden. It comes with the almost complete Cole Palen collection of vintage aircraft and vehicles, static as well as 15 AI aircraft that fly in and out of the airfield. That was done about 7 years ago...
Can you model Old Warden and forget about the Shuttleworth Collection ? Yes, you can, but it'll be like drinking whiskey without alcohol, Oliver Hardy without Stan Laurel, London without the Tower Bridge, Paris without the Louvre, Amsterdam without Coffee shops, Pride without Prejudice, Samson without Delilah, James without Brown, Ferrari without Enzo, Austin without Healy, French Fries without Mayo, Pratt without Whitney, Messer without Schmitt, And so without forth...
I'll get off my soapbox and get my coat now.. :costum: