Alberta Aviation Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Alberta Aviation Museum

Established	1980; Grand Opening: 1992
Location	Edmonton, Alberta
Type	Aviation museum
Visitors	20,000

The Alberta Aviation Museum is an exciting place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where you can explore the history of flight! It's located right at the old Edmonton City Centre (Blatchford Field) Airport. This museum is a fantastic spot to learn about airplanes and the brave people who flew them.

You can visit the museum almost every day, except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year's Day.

Discovering the Museum's History

The Alberta Aviation Museum is special because it's inside a historic building called Hangar 14. This hangar is one of only two left of its kind! It's a "double-double" hangar, which means it's made up of four connected sections. These hangars were built super fast during Second World War for a program called the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). This plan helped train pilots and aircrew from many countries during the war.

How Hangar 14 Was Built

Hangars like this one were built between 1939 and 1942. They used pre-cut wooden pieces from British Columbia fir trees. Hangar 14 was finished in 1943. It's a huge building, about 6,689 square meters (72,000 square feet) in size! It even has a special wall inside that acts like a support beam, dividing it into two main parts.

Hangar 14's Role in World War II

When the United States joined the Second World War, this airport became a busy place. Airplanes from the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) stopped here on their way to Alaska. After the war, in 1946, Hangar 14 was used for different things. It helped with building the Distant Early Warning Line (DEW Line), which was a chain of radar stations. Later, it even became a car dealership!

A Protected Historic Building

Hangar 14 is known in Edmonton as "The Hangar on Kingsway." Because it's so important to history, it was officially named a Provincial Historic Resource in 2000. Then, in 2004, the City of Edmonton also made it a Municipal Historic Resource. This means the building is protected because of its historical value.

The Museum Today

Even though Hangar 14 is a protected historic building, it needs some major repairs. The City of Edmonton is working with the museum to find ways to fix the building. The good news is that many people want the museum to stay right where it is!

Community Support for the Hangar

A group on Facebook called "Save Edmonton's Hangar 14" was started to help keep the museum in its historic home. This shows how much the community cares about the museum and its future.

Groups at the Museum

The museum is also a home for several important groups. These include the 504 Blatchford Field Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets and the 180 Royal Canadian Army Cadets. Other groups like the Royal Canadian Air Force Association also meet here. This makes the museum a lively hub for aviation enthusiasts and young people interested in flight.

Exploring the Collection

The Alberta Aviation Museum has an amazing collection of aircraft and helicopters. Many of these planes have interesting stories and played a big part in aviation history.

Aircraft Collection

Helicopter Collection

Images for kids

Museum Connections

The Alberta Aviation Museum works with many other groups and organizations. These connections help the museum share its amazing collection and stories with even more people. Some of its partners include the Canadian Museums Association and the Virtual Museum of Canada.