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The National Museum of Flight is located at East Fortune Airfield, just south of the village of East Fortune, in East Lothian, Scotland.
The museum is housed in the original wartime buildings of RAF East Fortune which is one of the best preserved wartime airfields in the UK.
History
The National Museum of Flight is on the former Royal Air Force Station East Fortune. It was used as a fighter station during World War I, and for training and night fighters during World War II. After the war, the site ceased to be used by the RAF, but the runway was extended to take American bombers, during the Cold War, but was never used for this purpose.
The collection of aircraft dated back to 1909 with the Percy Pilcher Hawk Glider, Wright Model A and Bleriot XI. These aircraft were put in the Royal Scottish Museum but as more aircraft were added to the collection a decision was made to open a Museum of Flight at East Fortune, with the public admitted for the first time on 7 July 1975.
The museum expanded significantly in 1981 as a result of the sale by auction of much of the Strathallan Collection of aircraft. The Avro Vulcan was added in 1984, and in 2006 the British Airways collection (previously displayed at RAF Museum Cosford) was added.
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