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Me 163B Komet (photo, Paul Harrison)
National Museum of Flight Scotland
(An Unofficial Guide)
What's Here:
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. Special events are staged throughout the year. In late 2006 the former Museum of Flight was renamed National Museum of Flight Scotland.
Location:
East Fortune Airfield, north of the A1, off the B1347 west of East Linton. Well signposted.
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Opening Hours:
Daily 10.00 am to 5.00 pm, April to June; 10.00 am to 6.00 pm July and August; 10.00 am to 5.00 pm, September and October. Weekends only 11.00 am to 4.00 pm November 1 to March 31. Closed Christmas and New Year.
Admission:
£5.50 adults, £4.50 OAPs, children under 12 free. Includes access to the 'Concorde Experience' hangar, but access to the interior of Concorde requires a pre-booked 'Boarding Pass' : £3.00 adults, £2.00 OAPs, children under 12 £2.00. These are available on the official website - see below.
Amenities:
Toilets, Parking, Cafe, Souvenir shop, Access for the disabled.
Contacts:
Museum of Flight, East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian, EH39 5LF. Tel: 01620 897240, Fax: 01620 880355, e-mail: info@nms.ac.uk, Official Website.
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The Concorde Experience Hangar (photo, Jeremy Briggs) | Nose of Concorde (photo, Jeremy Briggs) |
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Main view of G-BOAA (photo, Jeremy Briggs) | Note the cutaway rafters to accomodate the fin (photo, Jeremy Briggs) |
List of Aircraft Exhibits:
| Identity | Type [Real Identity] |
|---|
| G-BOAA | Aerospatiale/BAC Concorde 206 |
| - | Albatros ASG.21 hang-glider |
| VM360 | Avro Anson C.19 [G-APHV] |
| XM597 | Avro Vulcan B.2 |
| G-AVMO | BAC 111-510ED |
| G-ASUG | Beech E.18S |
| - | Blackburn Buccaneer S.1 (cockpit) |
| G-APFJ | Boeing 707-436 (forward fuselage) |
| G-ATFG | Brantly B.2B |
| RD220 | Bristol Beaufighter TF.X |
| 9940 | Bristol Bolingbroke IVT |
| G-BELF | Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander |
| - | Catto CP-16 hang-glider |
| - | Chargus 18/50 hang-glider [BAPC-160] |
| - | Cirrus III hang-glider [BAPC-197] |
| G-BDIX | de Havilland Comet 4C |
| G-ANOV | de Havilland Dove 6 |
| VH-SNB | de Havilland Dragon I |
| VH-UQB | de Havilland Puss Moth |
| XA109 | de Havilland Sea Vampire T.22 |
| WW145/680-LM | de Havilland Sea Venom FAW.22 |
| G-AOEL | de Havilland Tiger Moth |
| WB584 | DHC Chipmunk (cockpit) |
| G-BDFU | Dragonfly man-powered aircraft |
| G-AVPC | Druine Turbulent |
| - | Electra Floater hang-glider |
| VX185 | English Electric Canberra B.5 (nose) |
| XN776/C | English Electric Lightning F.2A |
| G-MBPM | Eurowing Goldwing microlight |
| - | Ferranti Phoenix RPV |
| G-AGBN | General Aircraft Cygnet II |
| G-ARCX | Gloster Meteor Mk.14 |
| G-JSSD | Handley Page Jetstream 31 |
| G-BBBV | Handley Page Jetstream 31 (mock-up) |
| WF259/171-A | Hawker Sea Hawk F.2 |
| XT288 | Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer S.2B |
| XV277 | Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.1** |
| G-ARPH | Hawker Siddeley Trident 1C (nose) |
| - | Hiway Cloudbase hang-glider |
| - | Hiway Skytrike microlight |
| G-ACVA | Kay Gyroplane |
| 155848 | McDonnell Douglas F-4S Phantom II |
| 191659 | Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet |
| - | Mignet H.M.14 Pou-de-Ciel [BAPC-12] |
| 3677 | Mikoyan-Gurevitch MiG-15bis |
| 309 | Mikoyan-Gurevitch MiG-15UTI (Cockpit) |
| G-AHKY | Miles M.18-2 |
| - | Moonraker 77 hang-glider [BAPC-195] |
| G-BIRW | Morane-Saulnier MS.505 Criquet |
| ZE934 | Panavia Tornado F.3 |
| WV493/29 | Percival Provost T.1 [G-BDYG] |
| - | Pilcher Hawk hang-glider [BAPC-49] |
| G-ATOY | Piper Comanche 260B |
| XL762 | Saro Skeeter AOP.12 |
| 591 | Schleicher Rhonlerche |
| G-AXEH | Scottish Aviation Bulldog Series 1 |
| G-BBVF | Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer 2 |
| - | Sigma II Metre hang-glider [BAPC-196] |
| BED | Slingsby Gull I |
| TS291 | Slingsby T.8 Tutor |
| BJV | Slingsby T.21A |
| XA228 | Slingsby T.38 Grasshopper TX.1 |
| G-ACYK | Spartan Cruiser (fuselage) |
| TE462 | Supermarine Spitfire XVI |
| LA198 | Supermarine Spitfire F.21 |
| G-AMOG | Vickers Viscount 701 |
| - | Waco CG-4A Hadrian (cockpit) |
** This Harrier was an early trials aircraft, used for aerodynamic testing of the GR.3 nose shape. No LRMTS was fitted.
NOTE: Some of the light aircraft listed above have been temporarily put into store. Weir W-2 autogiro [BAPC-85] W-2 has moved to the Royal Museum, Edinburgh.
Whirlwind XG594 has returned to the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Chobham Hall. Miles Monarch G-AFJU was not owned by the museum and has been asked to leave. Air and Space 18A G-BVWL has moved to The Helicopter Museum.
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| Beech 18 G-ASUG (photo, Jeremy Briggs) | Boeing 707 G-APFJ nose (photo, Jeremy Briggs) |
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| Comet 4C G-BDIX (photo, Jeremy Briggs) | Cockpit of the Comet (photo, Jeremy Briggs) |
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| MiG-15bis 3677 (photo, Jeremy Briggs) | F-4S Phantom 155848 (photo, Jeremy Briggs) |
More photographs on the next page
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