North Atlantic Aviation Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1985 |
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| Location | Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. |
| Type | Aviation Museum |
The North Atlantic Aviation Museum is a cool place in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It's a museum all about airplanes and flying! You can learn about the amazing history of aviation, especially how it connects to Gander.
Contents
Discover the Museum's History
The idea to create this museum started in 1985. The museum then opened its doors to visitors in 1996.
What You Can Explore at the Museum
The museum has four main parts that tell different stories about aviation:
- Gander's Start and World War II: This section shows how Gander International Airport was built. It also explains Gander's important role in World War II. Airplanes from the RAF Ferry Command used Gander as a key stop.
- Civilian Air Travel: Here, you can learn about how people started flying across the Atlantic Ocean for fun or business.
- Eastern Provincial Airways and International Flights: This part focuses on Eastern Provincial Airways. It also covers flights from countries like the Soviet Union and Cuba.
- Gander's Role on 9/11: This section tells the story of September 11, 2001. Over 6,700 passengers had their flights rerouted to Gander International Airport. The museum has a steel beam from the World Trade Center on display.
You'll also find other interesting items around the museum. These include a working Rolls-Royce Merlin engine and a Link Trainer. There's also a de Havilland Tiger Moth airplane and the oldest known mercury barometer in Newfoundland.
Gander: A Crossroads for Airplanes
Aviation has always been very important to Gander. The first airport, called the Newfoundland Airport, was finished in 1938. The very first plane landed there on January 11 of that year.
Gander became a major stop for planes flying across the Atlantic. This started during the Second World War with the RAF Ferry Command. It continued until new jetliners could fly much farther without needing to refuel. Gander was even called the "Crossroads of the world" because so many planes passed through.
The Concorde airplane, a very fast passenger jet, even used Gander for test flights starting in 1974. On September 11, 2001, Gander became a safe haven. It welcomed 6,700 people whose international flights to the U.S. had to land elsewhere.
Amazing Aircraft Collection
The museum has several cool airplanes on display. You can see them up close!
Planes You Can See
The museum's collection includes:
- An F-101 Voodoo jet.
- A Lockheed Hudson plane.
- A "Canso" waterbomber. This plane is a special version of the PBY Catalina and is used to fight fires.
- A de Havilland Tiger Moth.
- A Beechcraft Model 18-S.
At the front of the museum building, you'll see the tail of a 1930s Douglas DC-4 airplane. It's used as a cool awning! The cockpit of the same plane is at the back of the building. You can even go inside it from the museum!
Museum Connections
The North Atlantic Aviation Museum works with other organizations. These include the CMA, the CHIN, and the Virtual Museum of Canada.
See also
- List of aerospace museums
