Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada facts for kids
 |
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Former name | Western Canada Aviation Museum (1974–2014) |
|---|---|
| Established | 1974 |
| Location | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| Type | Aviation museum |
| Founder |
|
The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada is an exciting museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It used to be called the Western Canada Aviation Museum. This museum is all about the amazing history of airplanes and flying in Western Canada!
Contents
History of the Museum
The Western Canada Aviation Museum started in 1974. That same year, it asked the Canadian government for money. The goal was to build a museum on a 19-acre site at St. Andrews Airport. However, the museum ended up in downtown Winnipeg. It was located near the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature.
By 1975, the museum had a collection of 25 airplanes. These included both military and civilian aircraft. In the mid-1980s, the museum moved again. It found a new home in a large hangar at Winnipeg International Airport. This hangar, called T-2, used to belong to old airlines like Trans Canada Air Lines and Transair.
In 2013, the museum planned for a brand new building. They worked with a design company called Reich&Petch. A big change happened on December 19, 2014. The museum was given the special "Royal" title. This is why it is now called the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada.
The museum closed its old location in October 2018. The lease on the hangar had ended. But good news came in July 2019! The Canadian government gave the museum a grant. Construction on a new, much larger building began in May 2020. This new museum building is about 86,000 square feet. By November 2020, more than half of the building was finished. The entire new facility was completed on August 4, 2021.
What You Can See: Exhibits
The museum has a huge main floor where many airplanes are displayed. There is also an upper level called a mezzanine. From here, you can look out and see the runways of the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport.
Airplanes are shown on the floor and even hanging from the ceiling! The collection includes very rare aircraft, fast military jets, tough bush planes, and large commercial airplanes. The exhibits are grouped into different areas. These areas show different parts of aviation history. For example, you can explore "Canadian Innovation," "Northern Connections," and "Military Skies."
The museum also has fun, hands-on displays. These are called "Experience Flight" and "Mechanics Workshop." They let you learn by doing!
Amazing Collection of Aircraft
The museum has a very impressive collection. It includes over 90 historic aircraft. There are also 70,000 other items. These include old tools, uniforms, texts, and photographs.
.jpg)
- Auster AOP.6
- Avro CF-100 Canuck 5 18674
- Avrocar – replica
- Beechcraft CT-134 Musketeer 134235
- Beechcraft Expeditor 3N 1477
- Bellanca 14-13 1208
- Bellanca Aircruiser Eldorado Radium Silver Express – being fixed up
- Bristol Freighter 31 9699
- Canadair CL-84 CX8403
- Canadair Sabre 6 1815
- Canadair Silver Star 21075
- Canadair CT-114 Tutor 114004
- Canadian Vickers Vedette Composite
- CASA 352L T.2B-148 – changed to look like a Ju 52/1m
- de Havilland Fox Moth Composite
- de Havilland Tiger Moth
- de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver 1500
- Fairchild 71C 516
- Fairchild F-11 Husky 2
- Fairchild Super 71 50
- Fokker Universal
- Fokker Super Universal Composite
- Froebe helicopter
- Froebe ornithopter
- Heath Parasol
- Kolb Flyer
- Lockheed Model 10A Electra 1528
- McDonnell CF-101 Voodoo 101034
- Noorduyn Norseman IVW 2456
- North American Harvard
- North American NA-64 Yale 3430
- Schweizer SGU 2-22 glider C-FACL
- Stinson SR-8CM Reliant 9733
- Vickers Viscount 279
- Waco YKC-S 4267 – being fixed up
Archives and Library
The museum has a very large and special aviation reference library. It is one of the biggest in Canada! It holds many books, magazines, and technical manuals. There are also drawings, about 40,000 photographs, films, and audio recordings. Many of these items cannot be found anywhere else.
One very rare item in the archives is a five-minute film. It shows the famous pilot Amelia Earhart starting her solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. This happened from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, on May 21, 1932.
You can visit the library by making an appointment. Photos, films, and audio recordings can also be borrowed or copied if you ask.
Bringing Planes Back to Life: Recovery and Restoration
The museum has a special team called the Restoration Department. They work hard to fix damaged airplanes. They have brought many aircraft back to looking brand new for display. A group of volunteers finished building a full-size copy of a Canadian Vickers Vedette Mark V aircraft in May 2002.
The museum has also helped find and bring back several aircraft. One amazing story is about the "Ghost of Charron Lake." This was a Fokker Standard Universal airplane that took over 30 years to find! It is now displayed at the museum exactly as it looked when it was found at the bottom of the lake.
Museum Connections: Affiliations
The museum is connected with several other important groups. These include the Canadian Museums Association, the Canadian Heritage Information Network, and the Virtual Museum of Canada. These connections help the museum share its collection and knowledge with more people.
See also
- Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame
- List of aerospace museums
- List of Canadian organizations with royal prefix
