Museum of Flight, East Fortune, East Lothian 


There are not many aviation museums in Scotland so the Museum of Flight, an offshoot of the Royal Museum of Scotland, shines like a beacon. Its base at East Fortune has itself a long pedigree in aviation. On 2nd July 1919 the airship R34, built by the Beardmore Engineering Company of Glasgow, left East Fortune Airfield and battled against strong headwinds to arrive at Long Island near New York on 6 July. This was the first east-west crossing of the Atlantic by air. Later, in the Second World War, the first German Luftwaffe aircraft shot down over Britain was by pilots based at East Fortune. On 16 October 1939, Spitfires of 602 (City of Glasgow) and 603 (City of Edinburgh) squadrons shot down two Ju88 dive bombers attacking Leith. 
The Museum of Flight has two large hangers crammed with aircraft and some larger aircraft parked outside.

Starting with an original Pilcher Hawk hang-glider of 1896, the museum tells the story of flight up to the present day. It houses the largest collection of preserved aircraft in Scotland in the hangars and buildings of the historic airfield at East Fortune. The site is largely unchanged since 1945 and has been scheduled as an Ancient Monument. A number of rare exhibits not normally seen in museums are on display, including a Bristol Beaufighter, an F-4S Phantom II and one of the early Harrier GR.1s. Various rebuild projects are underway, including a Spitfire F.21 and a Bolingbroke. In addition to the range of aircraft on show, a large number of aero engines, rockets, models, weaponry and uniforms can be seen.

Since Concorde was decommissioned it has been on display at East Fortune where you can discover the story of Concorde. 
From the race to break the sound barrier to the arrival of Scotland's Concorde at its new home in East Fortune. 
Learn about the highs and lows of Concorde, find out about the technology behind supersonic flight and the luxury lifestyle so closely associated with it. 
The Concorde Experience includes the chance to see Scotland's Concorde up close, an exciting exhibition for all the family, a 12-minute film presentation and exclusive pre-booked audio tours on board. 
Visitors will be able to view Concorde as she looked when she last flew, and even walk under her wings. 
The film presentation tells the story of Scotland's Concorde, G-BOAA through the eyes of the pilots, flight engineer, cabin crew and passengers. It includes news coverage of the historic final journey which took her not by air but by land and sea to the Museum of Flight. 
Follow in the footsteps of the rich and famous and upgrade your experience with a pre-booked on board tour. An audio handset will guide you through the cabin, where you'll be able to see the original décor and inside the cockpit.