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 place located at the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in Mount Hope, Ontario, Canada. It's a special museum dedicated to military aviation. Here, you can see 47 different military jets and propeller-driven aircraft. Many of these amazing planes are still able to fly!

The museum has a fantastic collection of Canadian military aircraft. Some of them are even being carefully restored. These include planes from the Second World War and the Cold War era. You might see a TBM Avenger, a De Havilland Canada built S-2 Tracker, or a Bristol Bolingbroke. The planes that can fly often perform at air shows. Visitors can sometimes even take local flights in them!

One of the most famous planes at the museum is the Avro Lancaster. It's one of only two airworthy Lancasters in the entire world! This special plane is called the Mynarski Memorial Lancaster. It honors Pilot Officer Andrew Charles Mynarski and is painted to look just like his aircraft.

History of the Museum

How the Museum Started

The museum began in 1972 when four friends, Dennis Bradley, Peter Matthews, Alan Ness, and John Weir, bought a Fairey Firefly airplane together. They moved their new aircraft into Hangar 4 at Hamilton Airport. A few years later, the museum grew and bought another hangar, Hangar 3.

Growing the Collection

The collection of aircraft expanded quickly. In 1975, they added a B-25 bomber. Then, in 1977, they acquired the famous Lancaster. Sadly, that same year, Alan Ness was killed in a plane crash. It happened during the Canadian International Air Show while he was flying a Fairey Firefly.

The 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, an Auster, a Stinson 105, and a Supermarine Spitfire. But the museum didn't give up! A new, specially built hangar was completed in 1996 to replace the one that burned down.

The Lancaster's Big Trip

In August and September 2014, the Mynarski Memorial Lancaster Bomber went on an incredible journey. It flew all the way across the North Atlantic Ocean to RAF Coningsby in the United Kingdom. For six weeks, it participated in many airshows and events across the UK. This tour was very special because the Lancaster, known as VeRA, flew alongside the Royal Air Force's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's Lancaster bomber, PA474. They flew together for most of the 60 displays! Lancaster VeRA returned home to Hamilton on September 29, 2014.

Aircraft Collection

CF-104 Starfighter

As of February 2023, the museum has many aircraft. They are listed in the Transport Canada database. The museum operates with the ICAO airline designator CWH and the telephony WARPLANE HERITAGE.

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 Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is connected with several important organizations. These connections help the museum share its knowledge and preserve history.

• 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