East fortunes strutter. Any news ?

When I visited last month, I sent some time in discussion with several of the volunteers. The accuracy of the information I was given, I have to accept as genuine.

There is much ground work underway at the moment relating to water and drainage etc which I was told is the start of a 2-3 year project which will see 2 of the hangers effectively dismantled and rebuilt allowing insert of modern insulation and climate control and necessary modern facilities, whilst still maintaining their grade listed status, these will be the civilian and restoration Hangers.
There was no mention of the museum closing but given it’s only open on weekends from October to Easter, it’s very likely that parts of the site will be closed off and that some aircraft will have to spend time outside over the next couple of years.

I mentioned the space display of yesteryear in a post above, I was told that the Blue Streak and the Polaris missile will both head back to Hanger 1, not sure what will relocate or roll outside to create that space. The Spitfire and Komet back to Hanger 4 and under Concorde’s tail perhaps.

Of other projects, apparently apprentices or trainees from somewhere will be washing down and repainting the 1-11 giving it a much overdue facelift, the Beau will be getting sent here there and everywhere as various parts are to be reworked and restored, several places and bits were mentioned but I think the Wings are going to Duxford this winter.The Bollingbrook is all but done, with the funds in place and approved for the final bits of metal work and the outer paint.

In trying to remember all that was said, I’m sure a spruce up of the Vulcan and Comet were mentioned but that could just amount to a run over with a pressure washer and removing the birds nests.

Sorry if this has hijacked the thread from the 1 1/2 Strutter conversation.

hi,
I visited late April, when I phoned previous, the lady I spoke to said the museum would be closing either later this year or next year, to have building work carried out.
The Sopwith was seen thru the hut windows, which was all closed up, the SWAG visited on 7/9/13 and was photographed in the Concorde hangar, looking near complete except for covering. I found the aircraft pretty well for photo,s the central aisle in both the restoration and civil hangars good for photo,s, the military hangar you had to work on.

regards

jack…

Update on the Sopwith One and a Half Stutter

This post is just to pay credit to the work of the Aviation Preservation Society of Scotland based inside the Museum of Flight at East Fortune. The guys spent some of their precious time today showing me the current work in progress on the build of the flying Sopwith One and a Half Strutter.

The enthusiasm, dedication and skill of this team is incredible. Their backgrounds and professions are not all in aircraft fabrication and shows that even teams staffed with non professionals can achieve high quality airworthy standard work.

The fuselage is largely complete as are the wings and the airbrakes (yes, this aircraft had them as well as an in-flight variable incidence tail plane). I saw the cowling mountings being fabricated today and apparently modifications have been approved to ensure the cowlings stay on better than they did originally. The fabric has been chosen for the recovering but will be expensive. I saw an experimental rig developed to prove the integrity of the tyre and rim configuration for side loading, which hopefully will satisfy the inspector on being tested. The modern Rotec 150hp engine has been selected and an engine mounting ring fabricated. However, neither is yet fitted.

They work in the old armoury building and greet all visitors with open arms, go to the Museum, but do and go and see them. Thank you gentlemen. You really made my day.

WZ862

Its very sad to see the museum as it is now. Adam had a great vision for the place – it seriously needs a rethink of its collecting policy and to actively co-operate with other museums. It needs to recognise Scotland’s rich history and acquire aircraft that have had an impact on the social and military history of Scotland.

When Concorde arrived, East Fortune really became Concorde and other aircraft, rather than the well thought out and laid out museum, it was previously.

Gone went the display stands detailing early attempts at flight, before moving onto actual aircraft themselves, the Sail planes and hang gliders that were suspended from the roof, the Puss Moth and Tiger Moth diorama etc from Hanger 4. Gone went the Space display from Hanger 1 in order to make room for the Spitfire and Me 163 Komet to come over from Hanger 4.

Hanger 2 was always aircraft just line up, and Hanger 3 was always the restoration hanger, so it’s great that these are open full time now, but they have become viewable storage area, as there has been that much squeezed into them. Hanger 3 just looks a mess with the Viscount fuselage against one back wall, bits of Nimrod that escaped then it was broken up, and the Beau laid out awaiting restoration – to begin who knows when.
And on the other wall with no identification at all – it’s not even mentioned on the website any more – was the Space display material including a Blue Streak Ballistic Missile.

It’s one thing refurbishing the smaller buildings, and the Parachute store, looks good if only to walk in, spend 30 seconds taking a photo and then walking back out again as there is only the audio recording playing in the building itself. Fantastic Flight is fine if you have kids, and I understand any museum has have educational elements, and the Fortunes of war whilst well laid does little more than replace the cinema room from Hanger 4 that’s now dedicated to films about Concorde.

Of the what other buildings can be refurbed and to what extent, there isn’t any that will increase the aircraft display space. Nowhere for the 1 1/2 Stutter or Bolingbroke to be shown in their glory, or even show of the Nimrod section that when I was there last was stuck in beside the civil aircraft in Hanger 2 rather than be a centre piece of the military display in Hanger 1.

The Beau is an important aircraft type for Scotland isn’t it? I always wondered why they would pull out all the stops to acquire
it, and then put it in storage. I know, save now and restore later but does that make sense in this particular case?
Wouldn’t a Beaufighter be a crowdpuller for any museum?

Cees

The biggest factor was a change in curator (and collecting policy) not long after the Beau was acquired. Adam Smith, who was instrumental in getting her, left to go to the EAA at Oshkosh and the new curator did not have an aircraft background. I always got the impression that military aircraft did not find favour for a while after that (albeit that has changed as recent additions have shown)

Then Concorde changed all priorities.

Cees -priorities changed at East Fortune and Concorde became the centre of efforts up there. To my mind its arrival cost a lot of money and effectively put a lot of interesting aircraft either in storage or up for disposal. This has left the museum a much poorer place to my mind when greater efforts should have been put into bringing Scottish produced aircraft and aircraft of national interest to the collection.

The Beau is an important aircraft type for Scotland isn’t it? I always wondered why they would pull out all the stops to acquire
it, and then put it in storage. I know, save now and restore later but does that make sense in this particular case?
Wouldn’t a Beaufighter be a crowdpuller for any museum?

Cees

I heard from an apss member recently and he said it was coming together very nicely. Some problems with minor issue between apss and the museum but this has long been the case. The museum have asked them if they will bring her out and rig her up in public again like they did before. And from memory the engine chosen is modern and non aerobat. Apparently they did have a choice. Dont know if I should be telling you all this but I wasnt told it was secret. And it was dicussed in a public place.

Cant wait to see this one fly.

On other points the bollingbroke is now being painted in its yellow and black training scheme. And the member I talked to said he would not be working on the beaufighter. Asked how long he reckoned it would be before it resembled an aircraft again he said 40 years.

Come on national museums of scotland get your finger out and spend some of that money that concorde has earned you on the museum its housed in.

I know they refurbished a few buildings a couple of years back and there are more plans which arent my place to discuss but I think the money made in east fortune should stay with east fortune. It should not be used for other nms museums as they dont earn money in the normal way because they are free entry. Why should east fortune as a specialist museum and thats why we pay an entrance fee not benefit from most of the money it earns.

Come on nms get the beaufighter built before I am dead.

It seems a while since they have said anything. An update would be nice.

http://www.apss.org.uk/projects/APSS_projects/Strutter/Status/index.htm