Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum

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Location	John C. Munro International Airport in Mount Hope, Ontario
Type	Military aviation museum
Founder	Dennis Bradley Peter Matthews Alan Ness John Weir

The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is an exciting aviation museum located at the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in Mount Hope, Ontario, Canada. It's a special place where you can see 47 amazing military jets and propeller-driven aircraft up close!

Many of the planes here are still able to fly. The museum also works hard to fix up and restore old aircraft from the Second World War and the Cold War. Imagine seeing a TBM Avenger or a Bristol Bolingbroke being brought back to life! These flying planes often perform at air shows. Sometimes, visitors can even take local flights in them.

One of the most famous planes is the Avro Lancaster. This museum has one of only two Lancasters in the whole world that can still fly! It's called the Mynarski Memorial Lancaster. This name honors Pilot Officer Andrew Charles Mynarski. The plane is painted to look just like his aircraft.

The Museum's Story

How It All Began

The museum started in 1972. Four friends, Dennis Bradley, Peter Matthews, Alan Ness, and John Weir, bought a Fairey Firefly plane together. They moved it into Hangar 4 at Hamilton Airport.

A few years later, the museum bought another hangar, Hangar 3. They added more planes to their collection. This included a B-25 in 1975 and a famous Lancaster in 1977. Sadly, in 1977, Alan Ness died in a plane crash. This happened during an air show.

Fire and Rebuilding

On February 15, 1993, a big fire destroyed most of Hangar #3. Many valuable planes were lost in the fire. These included a Hawker Hurricane, a General Motors TBM Avenger, and a Supermarine Spitfire.

But the museum didn't give up! A new, special hangar was built to replace the old one. It was finished in 1996.

The Lancaster's Big Trip

In 2014, something very special happened. The Mynarski Memorial Lancaster Bomber flew all the way across the Atlantic Ocean! It went to RAF Coningsby in the United Kingdom.

For six weeks, it took part in air shows and events. This was a unique tour. The Lancaster, known as VeRA, flew alongside another Lancaster. This was the Royal Air Force's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster bomber PA474. They flew together for many displays. The Lancaster VeRA returned home to Hamilton on September 29, 2014.

Amazing Aircraft Collection

A CF-104 Starfighter on display outside the museum.

The museum has a fantastic collection of Canadian military aircraft. Many of these planes are still in flying condition! As of February 2023, there are many different types of aircraft. They are listed below.

Images for kids

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  Avro Canada CF-100

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  CF-104 Starfighter and CF-101 Voodoo

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  Avro Lancaster

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  PBY Canso and Avro Anson

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  Mynarski Memorial Avro Lancaster

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  North American B-25J Mitchell

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  Sabre Mk VI cut-away display

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  The CWH and BBMF Lancasters during a display in 2014

Museum Connections

The museum works with several other groups. These connections help the museum share its history. They also help it preserve important information. The museum is connected to:

• CMA
• CHIN
• OMMC
• Virtual Museum of Canada

See also

• List of aerospace museums
• List of attractions in Hamilton, Ontario
• List of Canadian organizations with royal patronage
• Organization of Military Museums of Canada
• Military history of Canada