Introduction
The National Museum of Flight preserves Scotland’s premier national aeronautical heritage at historic East Fortune Airfield. Operated by National Museums Scotland, the facility showcases civilian, commercial, and military aviation breakthroughs. Visitors explore supersonic engineering, wartime tactical aircraft, and interactive flight science displays housed across authentic wartime hangars designated as a national Scheduled Monument.
General Information
- Full Name of Museum: National Museum of Flight (branch of National Museums Scotland)
- Address: East Fortune Airfield, B1347, near North Berwick, East Lothian, EH39 5LF, Scotland, United Kingdom
- Admission Prices:
- Adult: £15.00 – £15.50 (online discount applies; walk-up admission £16.50)
- Concession: £13.00 – £13.50
- Child (ages 5–15): £9.50 – £10.50
- Under 5s and National Museums Scotland Members: Free
- Opening Hours:
- April to October: Daily, 10:00 to 17:00
- November to March: Weekends only (Saturday and Sunday), 10:00 to 16:00
History
RAF East Fortune originated in 1915 as a naval air station protecting maritime convoys during the First World War. In July 1919, the British airship R34 departed the airfield to complete the first east-to-west non-stop transatlantic flight. The airfield reopened during the Second World War as a training base for night-fighter operations.
The museum’s foundational aviation collection began when the Royal Scottish Museum received a Supermarine Spitfire in 1971. The Ministry of Defence transferred additional historic airframes to East Fortune, culminating in the formal public opening of the National Museum of Flight in July 1975. In 2004, the museum acquired Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde G-BOAA, delivering the supersonic flagship via barge along the River Forth and overland transport. Because the airfield maintains intact wartime architecture, authorities designated the grounds an official Scheduled Monument.
Indoor and Outdoor Collections
- Current Indoor Exhibits:
- Hangar 2 (Military Aviation): Interceptor fighters, light bombers, jet trainers, reconnaissance drones, and wartime survival artifacts.
- Hangar 3 (Civil Aviation): Propeller airliners, regional transport airframes, general aviation aircraft, and air ambulance equipment.
- Hangar 4 (The Concorde Experience): Britain’s first commercial supersonic jet alongside technical walk-through galleries.
- Fantastic Flight Gallery: Interactive aerodynamic laboratories demonstrating thrust, drag, lift, and aviation engineering physics.
- Conservation Hangar: Active maintenance workshops displaying reserve airframes and specialized restoration projects.
- Current Outdoor Exhibits:
- Large transport and strategic cold-war airframes parked on historic dispersal stands and concrete hardstandings.
- Former Exhibits:
- BAC One-Eleven (G-AVMO “Lothian Region”) – Former long-term tarmac exhibit, removed and scrapped due to environmental wear.
- Temporary loan airframes and auxiliary equipment rotated to external storage depots.
Specifications
- Key Aircraft in Collection:
- Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde (G-BOAA “Golf Alpha-Alpha”) – Length: 61.66 m; Wingspan: 25.60 m; Maximum Takeoff Weight: 185,070 kg.
- Avro Vulcan B.2A (XM597) – Cold War nuclear deterrent and veteran of Operation Black Buck during the Falklands Conflict; Length: 30.45 m; Wingspan: 33.83 m.
- Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet – Rocket-powered interceptor capable of speeds exceeding 950 km/h; Wingspan: 9.32 m.
- Supermarine Spitfire LF.XVIe (TE462) – Rolls-Royce Merlin/Packard-powered fighter; Wingspan: 11.23 m.
- de Havilland Comet 4C (G-BDIX) – Pioneer commercial jet airliner; Length: 35.97 m.
- Hawker Siddeley Harrier (XV277) – The oldest surviving operational Harrier jump jet.
- English Electric Lightning F.2A (XN776) – Mach 2 supersonic interceptor.
- Panavia Tornado F.3 (ZE934) – Twin-engine variable-sweep wing interceptor.
- Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer (G-BBVF) – Scottish-built STOL transport aircraft.
- Facility Dimensions & Quality:
- The museum covers an exhibition footprint exceeding 12,000 square meters of covered hangar space across a wider 60-hectare historic airfield site.
- Holds national accreditation, housing an aviation collection recognized as a Nationally Significant Collection of Scotland.
- Staffing Structure:
- Managed and curated by full-time professional museum specialists, conservators, and educators employed by National Museums Scotland, supported by trained volunteer docents and technical aviation support groups.
Following our photo-report from september 2024
