The main attraction at the National Museum of Flight, East Fortune, East Lothian is a real Concorde. It’s housed in a hangar more less all to itself.

Engines and fuselage:-

Tail (I forget now which aircraft’s front portion is in the background here):-

Mach and altitude indicators:-

External temperature and speed indicators:-

One of Concorde’s engines:-

Interior looking forward:-

Interior looking aft. It’s pretty cramped looking:-

Cockpit:-

A plaque at the National Museum of Flight at East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian, commemorates the airship R34 which flew from there on 2/7/1919 to make the first crossing of the Atlantic from east to west (landing on Mineola, Long Island on 6/7/1919) and subsequently made the first double crossing by returning (to Fulham) on 13/7/1919:-

The airship’s mooring block is still in evidence:-

Information Board:-

Model of R34. Sorry about the reflectuons. he model is behind glass and not well lit:-

A Comet in Dan Air livery:-

Its interior:-

And its cockpit:-

A BAC-1-11 in the colours of British Airways:-

Its cockpit:-

The front portion of a Boeing 707 was one of the exhibits. This is its cockpit:-

Hawker Siddeley Trident Cockpit:-

Sheila Scott’s Piper Commanche:-

I vaguely remember Scott’s flight round the world in 1966 in the above small aeroplane (the damage obvious in the photo was inflicted by the man she sold it to.)

More pictures taken at the National Museum of Flight, East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian, Scotland.

A Czech S-103:-

Lockheed Lightning. I forget which country’s livery this displays:-

The obligatory Spitfire:-

Messerschmidt Komet. This was a rocket propelled aeroplane as I recall:-

Vulcan Bomber:-

The images of two bombs/missiles under Argentine flags on the fuselage of the Vulcan signal the two raids made by this bomber on the Argentinian forces at Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands during the conflict in 1982. The flag of Brazil is because the Vulcan was forced to detour by engine trouble and land in Brazil after one of the raids.

Hawker Harrier:-

See yesterday’s post.

Bomb dropped from Zeppelin. (Luckily for the citizens of Edinburgh where it dropped, it seems not to have exploded.):-

Model (in the shop) of a Sopwith Camel:-

Real seat from a Sopwith Camel. It looks like a garden chair with its legs cut off:-

Compare and contrast. A more modern ejector seat:-

Hawk Training Aircraft:-

A Red Arrows XX308:-

A New Zealand War Memorial. Inscribed, “In memory of the men from the Dominion who served in Scotland during the 1939 – 1945 conflict. Also in heartfelt remembrance of those who, whilst flying from Scotland’s sea and shore in the Royal New Zealand Air Force and Fleet Air Arm, made the ultimate sacrifice. ‘They watch over Scotia still’.”

The 1930s were possibly the high point of aviation displays – exciting and new. This poster advertises one in Fife:-

I’d been wanting to visit the National Museum of Flight at East Fortune airfield, East Lothian, Scotland for ages. Last year we finally made it.

It has all the appearance of a Second World War airfield so familiar from films.

Control tower:-

However, the airfield was first commissioned as a Royal Naval Air Station. This was the gate:-

The airfield’s complement was tasked with protecting shipping in the Firth of Forth and preventing airship attacks on Edinburgh or the navy and its base at Rosyth :-

Hangar:-

Hangar Annexe, a Nissen Hut:-

Great War Roll of Honour. I missed this out in my War Memorials at Montrose post:-

A Sea Hawk:-

Showing twin tails:-

Model of Montrose Air Station at Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre:-

Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) poster. The ATA featured many women pilots:-

Detail:-

Photos of some women flyers:-

Civilian casualties:-

RAF Sector Clock:-

RAF Memorial Window, in stained glass. Inscribed, “This window commemorates the pilots of the Royal Air Force who in the Battle of Britain turned the work of our hands into the salvation of our country.”:-

Models of a Mosquito and Hurricane:-

War Savings Campaign Plaque:-

Part of a Memorial display at Montrose Air Station. A War Memorial rescued from a now disused Church at Logie, near Montrose:-

The placard beside the rescued Memorial asks, “Do we really remember them?”

The poppy wall above it commemorates the dead of both World Wars:-

BE2 Replica, small model Fokker Triplane behind, plus two other models in photo:-

Same BE2 with a small model of a Bristol Fighter to upper left and a Sopwith Camel, I think, to right:-

Fuselage and Wings of a replica Sopwith Camel under construction. This may now be completed:-

Sopwith Camel wing being worked on:-

Effigy of Lieutenant Ross Robertson:-

Cross erected at Marquion in France by the Germans at the grave of Lt Ross Robertson inscribed, “Er starb den heldentod – eng Flieger.” “He died the death of a hero – an English Airman.” He was buried there on 17/5/1917:-

Model of a Rumpler? Taube. Plus Bristol Fighter:-

Small Models of Fokker Triplane and Sopwith Camel:-

Part of the Fokker Triplane of the famous Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen. Souvenir hunters apparently got to it very quickly:-