CADPAT Freedom Kilt at Scottish Museum of Flight

**cessna152towser** · 7th September 07, 12:19 PM

Today we visited the Scottish Museum of Flight at East Fortune airfield, about 15 to 20 miles from Edinburgh.

East Fortune Airfield was a military airfield from 1916 to around 1960, and is listed as a historic monument by virtue of the very large number of wartime buildings which survive in good order.

After World War II, the airfield was handed over by the Royal Air Force to the United States Air Force in Europe for operations during the Cold War, but although they extended the runway to accommodate jets they did not use it but returned it to the Royal Air Force later in the 1950's.

My big regret in life is never having flown on Concorde.
Scotland's only Concorde has her own dedicated exhibition hangar.

Up the gangway and over the wing.

Having worn my other Freedom kilt aboard Duxford's Concorde earlier in the year it seemed only fair that the CADPAT kilt should have the same opportunity

Concorde's forward passenger cabin.

A final look at Concorde, before we move onto other areas of the museum in my next post.

**cessna152towser** · 7th September 07, 12:36 PM

In the next hangar I was re-united with an old friend.

This handsome Beech 18, built in 1955, with her big piston radial engines was the pride of the Loganair fleet which I used to wash and valet for pocket money as a youngster. She maintained the Glasgow-Aberdeen-Stavanger route in an era when far fewer people travelled by air, and after she was superseded by faster, larger capacity, jets she became an air ambulance. One of her regular pilots was the late Captain Duncan MacIntosh, a lawyer turned pilot, who had a major influence in my life by his suggestion that I should study for a law degree before a pilot's licence.

I would have liked to find a Hurricane for Riverkilt, but this Spitfire was the next best thing.

Spitfires flew from here during World War II, but today's example now keeps company with this US Marines Phantom.

And this Soviet Mig

And this Harrier

And even a German Messcherschmitt Me-163B Komet. This was the fastest fighter in World War II, introduced by the Germans in 1944, but it had its limitations, being rocket powered it could climb quickly to intercept the bombers but then had only seven minutes fuel available before gliding back to earth.

**cessna152towser** · 7th September 07, 12:42 PM

Another type of Comet, this DanAir example was the last civilian Comet jetliner when retired in 1981. The type was the world's first jet airliner, beating the much larger and more successful Boeing 707 into service by a short margin.

Another jetliner which is now retired, this BAC111 was withdrawn from British Airways service in 1992. My old notes show that Ann and I flew to Paris in this actual aircraft in 1989.

The Museum of Flight also have a Vulcan in their collection

This example saw active service in the Falklands campaign. The small Brazilian flag recalls an emergency diversion to land in Brazil after a broken refuelling probe prevented return to Ascension Island.
Thats all for today folks.

**starbkjrus** · 7th September 07, 12:58 PM

Very nice Alex. Is that Vulcan a sister ship to the one we toured at the Carlise Aviation Museum?

**cessna152towser** · 7th September 07, 01:00 PM

Is that Vulcan a sister ship to the one we toured at the Carlisle Aviation Museum?

Yes indeed it is, Dee.

**ccga3359** · 7th September 07, 01:20 PM

I'm jealous of your kilt, being that I have yet to get one for myself. Interesting collection. We too have a Komet at our national war museum in Ottawa. Would like to see more Spits though.