It was Britain’s first operational military air station, going on to train aces of two world wars.
Now, more than a century on, the former RAF Montrose has staged its latest special mission.
And on the runway where everything from the Sopwith Camel to Supermarine Sptifire touched down, the rarest of aviation sights has been seen.
Flying Haggis.
Dundee University students were the guests of Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre as the young engineers trialled a craft they hope will carry them to glory in a global design competition.
International rivals
The students are amongst 30 universities from across the world competing in the UAS Challenge.
It is a keenly contested annual event run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
Teams design and build a lightweight unmanned aerial system (UAS) to undertake specific mission objectives.
Dundee’s drone designers have entered the event under the name of Haggis Aerospace.
But despite the quirky name they have real ambition to take the flight fight to rivals from as far afield as Russia, India, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Turkey.
The air museum was delighted to host the trial missions as the launch for its own STEM project to encourage more young people into engineering.
Covid complications
Student Max Vassiljev said: “The trial was pretty successful since it was the first time almost all of the team has been together because of Covid.
“We also got to see round the museum, which was a real bonus.”
Haggis Aerospace will face the judges in a virtual challenge showdown.
They hope to score highly for a design which is cheap and easy to manufacture.
“We then face a dragon’s den-style pitch,” Max added.
MASHC chairman Stuart Archibald said the Broomfield attraction was pleased to offer the use of its recently-laid mini runway for the project.
“The air station has a proud military aviation history that goes back to its formation in 1913 by our founding Royal Flying Corps No2(AC) Squadron, currently based at RAF Lossiemouth,” he said.
“Throughout the first and second World Wars the air station was renowned for its training and engineering excellence.
“Our STEM start project will continue this excellence in conjunction with local education and business partnerships.
“The coming together of 108 years of history with aerospace students of today is a testament to the value of engineering excellence across the years,” he said.
