National Museum of Flight Digital stories

The benefits of taking part

We would like to invite you to take part in an oral history project organised by National Museums Scotland and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

We trust that taking part in the project will provide an opportunity to relive some of your experiences, and the role that aviation has played in your life.

Please read this information about why the project is being done and what it involves before you decide whether to participate.

We hope you will find it rewarding to have your contributions recognised publicly and that you will be pleased to have an opportunity to add your account to a historically significant collection of archived interviews.

Please get in touch if you have any questions or if anything in this document is unclear.

The purpose of the project The National Museum of Flight at East Fortune Airfield in East Lothian houses one of the most significant aviation collections in the United Kingdom and Europe. The Museum is currently in the process of restoring, conserving and developing new exhibitions in two large hangars on the site in order to better tell the story of aviation in Scotland. One hangar will focus on the history of civil aviation and the other on military aviation. As part of this redevelopment, the Museum is undertaking an oral history project to record the memories of people who have been directly involved with the aircraft, and types of aircraft, in its care. These spoken accounts will help us to fill the gaps in our knowledge and share stories and voices we would not otherwise be able to. The interviews recorded will be used to bring future exhibitions to life, inspire learning materials, inform research and to share the history of aviation more widely.

Why you have been invited to take part You have been selected because you have a connection to one or more of the aircraft in our collection. We aim to interview a wide range of people during this project including engineers, ground crew, pilots, passengers and people whose lives have otherwise been affected by the aircraft, or types of aircraft, in the Museum’s collection.

You will receive a copy of the interview on DVD or CD.

What will taking part involve? If you agree to take part we will arrange an interview. We would prefer to video record interviews but can record audio only if you would prefer. We will take a portrait photograph of all participants. Interviews will be arranged in a place that is convenient to you and will most probably be carried out by Mary Ferguson, the Community Engagement Project Officer on this project. Interviews will last between one and two hours but may be longer or shorter depending on the detail and range of subjects discussed. We are really interested in seeing any photographs you have that relate to your experiences. Please bring these to the interview. All material will be documented and archived to professional standards using digital technology.

Do I have to take part? It is not compulsory to take part. We believe you have something important to contribute to the project and visitors to the National Museum of Flight. As such, we hope you will want to contribute. If you agree to take part you will be asked to sign a consent form. You will be free to withdraw at any time and we will not ask you to give any reasons if you choose to do so.

Mary Ferguson, Community Engagement Project Officer Digital Stories 0131 247 4001 ▪ [email protected]