We have lift off!

National Museums Scotland (NMS) has invested £2 million at the National Museum of Flight at East Fortune, East Lothian. The museum already houses an impressive collection of aircraft, including the supersonic Concorde and attracts over 70,000 visitors a year. The latest stage of development includes two new permanent exhibits, Fantastic Flight and Fortunes of War. Director of NMS, Dr Gordon Rintoul is confident the “latest developments will bring to life the fascinating history of this exceptional site, as well as highlighting the compelling story of flight.”

Fantastic Flight features state of the art interactive exhibits, including a simulator that recreates the experience of flying in the R34 – a massive record breaking airship that took off from East Fortune in 1919 to return across the Atlantic. A number of historic objects are also on display, including the Wright engine from 1910, donated by Orville Wright.

Fortunes of War uses a mixture of recorded interviews, archive footage, maps, uniforms and models to explore the area’s wartime heritage and highlight the important role East Fortune played during the wars and the stories of the people who served there.

For visitor information visit www.nms.ac.uk