Between 10,000-15,000 spectators are expected to attend the aeronautical celebration which, for Amanda Jopling, general manager at the National Museum of Flight, will be the culmination of a year's work.

"There's a massive amount of organisation that goes on behind the scenes and that's over and above sourcing the actual aircraft that appear on the day. It's a massive operation involving many different groups of people who work exceptionally hard to provide an amazing event for the public," she says.

The 2008 event will be the third Jopling has overseen at the East Lothian airfield. This year, there will be a theme running through the day.

"We've tried to include a number of aircraft such as the Vampire, Sea Hawk and Spitfire that we have within our own collections, so that people can see them up close on the ground, as well as watching them in the air. We are also using a number of aircraft that are owned by private individuals in East Lothian so that we maintain our local links."

The three-and-a-half-hour fly-past is programmed by air display management specialists TSA Consulting Ltd, who are commissioned to put together "a varied programme of flight" that "won't break the bank". It's not just commercial carriers that have been hit by the soaring cost of aviation fuel. "We aim to break even each year, so there's a lot of careful financial management. This has been particularly tricky this year due to the rise in fuel costs, but we've been very lucky to secure support from a major fuel supplier which is a great help," adds Jopling.

Subject to weather, serviceability and operational commitments – well these are vintage flying machines – the aircraft stacking up over the Firth of Forth awaiting their moment of glory this year will include historic and modern names such as the Hawker Hunter, Mustang, Sea Hawk, Spitfire, de Havilland Tiger Moth, Swift Glider and Eurofighter Typhoon.

Jopling has no hesitation in naming the aircraft she is most looking forward to seeing again. "The Eurofighter Typhoon blows me away," she says excitedly. "The sound of the roaring engines, the glow of the afterburners and the agility are incredible. Last year, I also saw the Swift Glider in action and it was awesome. It has a huge wing-span, fabulous smoke trails and even with no engine, seems able to perform magic in the air."

Adding to the airborne thrills will be the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, The Blades display team and the death-defying Team Guinot Wingwalkers.

On the day, all will come under the control of Flying Display Director Ray Thilthorpe, an ex-Red Arrow known to his squadron as Harry the Pilot, who will ensure that all the aircraft arrive and depart on time.

"If you think of it like a music concert I'm the conductor," says Thilthorpe, who was an RAF man for 27 years before joining the Red Arrows.

"There is a timeline of sorts running through the display this year. We have a Tiger Moth from before the war, it was in that plane that a lot of pilots cut their teeth. Then we go on to the Second World War with the Mustang, the Catalina and the Spitfire. Then there are the jets; the Vampire from the 1950/60s and the Hunter in the 1960/70s, and, of course, there is also the Sea Hawk, a Royal Navy veteran.

Thilthorpe founded what has evolved into TSA Consulting Ltd in 1986, and now also organises the Red Bull Air Race Series.

"Our job at East Fortune is to procure and co-ordinate the aeroplanes and then take real-time control of the show. If one of the aircraft couldn't get past the Teviot Hills because it was coming from the south and there was cloud on the hill, for example, we would get a message to say that he is going to be 20 minutes. So I then have to get in touch with one of the planes and slide them forward in the schedule."

Back on the ground, the Phoenix Falconry team will be on hand with their own air display of birds of prey including a great American bald eagle, falcons, hawks, kestrels and owls.

More down to earth, the MAD mountain bike display team will demonstrate some of the exhilarating stunts that have taken them over the world, while the RAF host an activity and display area.

• National Museum of Flight 2008 Airshow, East Fortune Airfield, July 26, 10am-5pm, £17 , family ticket £45, prices do not include Concorde boarding pass, parking £4. To book at discount visit www.nms.ac.uk/airshow or call 0870-421 4299

FLIGHT PROGRAMME*
• Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
• The Blades
• Scottish Aviation Bulldog
• Catalina
• Hawker Hunter
• Beechcraft King Air
• Mustang
• Pitts Special
• Sea Hawk
• Sea King Demo
• Supermarine Spitfire T.IX
• Stolp Starduster
• Swift Glider
• Team Guinot Wingwalkers
• de Havilland Tiger Moth
• GROB 115E Tutor
• Eurofighter Typhoon
• de Havilland Vampire
*Subject to change