Canada Aviation and Space Museum facts for kids
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The exterior of the Aviation and Space Museum
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| Former name | National Aviation Museum |
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| Established | 1964 |
| Location | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, at the Ottawa/Rockcliffe Airport. |
| Type | Aviation museum |
| Ingenium | |
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The Canada Aviation and Space Museum (French: Musée de l'Aviation et de l'Espace du Canada) is Canada's national museum about the history of flight. It's located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, at the Ottawa/Rockcliffe Airport. This museum helps everyone learn about Canada's amazing journey in aviation and space.
Contents
Discovering Flight: The Museum's Story
The museum first started in 1964. It was called the National Aeronautical Collection back then. It brought together three different collections of aircraft. One collection focused on early planes and "bush flying" (flying in remote areas). Another had military planes, including war trophies from World War One. The third collection featured aircraft used by the Royal Canadian Air Force.
In 1982, the collection got a new name: the National Aviation Museum. Six years later, in 1988, all the planes moved into a brand-new, triangle-shaped hangar. Before that, they were kept in older wooden hangars from World War Two. In 2006, another new hangar opened. This meant all the museum's aircraft could finally be stored indoors, safe from the weather.
The museum closed for a short time in 2008 to rearrange the planes. It reopened later that year. These changes made space for a new exhibit called Canadian Wings: A Remarkable Century of Flight. This exhibit opened in 2009, celebrating 100 years since the first airplane flight in Canada.
In 2008, the museum also announced plans for a big expansion. This project added more space for a new entrance, a theater, a cafeteria, and classrooms. In 2010, the museum's name changed again to the "Canada Aviation and Space Museum." This new name shows that the museum also covers space exploration.
Who Runs the Museum?
The Canada Aviation and Space Museum is part of a larger organization called Ingenium. Ingenium used to be known as the Canadian Science and Technology Museums Corporation. It's a special group that works to protect and share Canada's history in science and technology.
Ingenium is in charge of three national museums. Besides the Aviation and Space Museum, it also runs the Canada Agriculture Museum and the Canada Science and Technology Museum.
The museum is also home to the 51 Canada Aviation Museum Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. This is a youth program focused on aviation.
What Can You See? The Museum's Collection
The museum has a huge collection of planes. You can see all kinds of aircraft, from early planes before the First World War to modern jets. It has many old "bushplanes" from the 1920s to the 1940s. These planes were super important for exploring Canada's vast wilderness.
You'll also find military aircraft that Canadians flew in the First World War, Second World War, and during the Cold War. One of the most famous exhibits is parts of the Avro Arrow. This was a very fast interceptor jet from the 1950s that Canada designed.
The museum also has the Space Shuttle Endeavour's Canadarm. This is the robotic arm built in Canada that helped astronauts on the Space Shuttle. It was shown to the public in 2013, with astronaut Chris Hadfield even helping from the International Space Station!
When you visit, you can enjoy hands-on activities about how planes fly. There are also films, demonstrations, a gift shop, and guided tours. Some tours even take you "behind the scenes" to see how experts work to fix and preserve old aircraft.
Affiliations
The museum works with other groups like the CMA, CHIN, and Virtual Museum of Canada.
See also
- Canada Science and Technology Museum Corporation
- History of aviation in Canada
- List of aerospace museums
- Military history of Canada
- Organization of Military Museums of Canada
Images for kids
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Aerial view of the museum in 2005. The triangle building is the main museum.
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The nose section of an Avro Arrow RL 206.
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A Bensen B-8 aircraft.
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A prototype of the Canadair CL-84 Dynavert.
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A Bell CH-135 Twin Huey helicopter.
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A Fleet Canuck plane in storage.
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An Aeronca C-2 aircraft.
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The Zenair CH 300 Tri Zenith, used for a record flight across Canada.
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Canada's first amateur-built aircraft, the Stitts SA-3A Playboy.
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An original single-seat Rutan Quickie aircraft.
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A CH-113 Labrador helicopter in the museum's main hall.
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A Taylor E-2 Cub showing its engine.
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A Wills Wing XC-185 hang glider.
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A PW120 engine at the museum.
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The UTIAS Snowbird ornithopter.
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360° Panorama of the museum.
