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 |
|---|---|
| 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. The museum opened its doors at a brand new location on May 21, 2022.
Contents
History of the Museum
The museum started as the Western Canada Aviation Museum in 1974. In the mid-1980s, it moved to a large old hangar at the Winnipeg International Airport. This hangar, called T-2, was once used by big airlines.
A big change happened on December 19, 2014. The museum was given the special "Royal" title. This made it the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada.
In October 2018, the museum closed its old building. But don't worry! With help from the government, construction began on a new, much bigger museum in May 2020. The new building was finished on August 4, 2021. It opened to visitors in May 2022.
What You Can See: Exhibits
The museum has a huge main floor where many aircraft are displayed. Some planes are even hanging from the ceiling! There's also a cool upper level called a mezzanine. From here, you can watch planes take off and land at the nearby Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport.
You'll find all kinds of aircraft here. There are unique planes, fast military jets, tough bush planes, and large commercial aircraft. 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. In "Experience Flight," you can learn what it feels like to fly. The "Mechanics Workshop" lets you see how planes are put together. These interactive areas make learning about aviation super fun!
Amazing Collections
The museum has a huge collection of items related to aviation. It includes over 90 historic aircraft. That's a lot of planes! They also have 70,000 other items. These include old tools, uniforms, photos, and important documents.
Archives and Library
The museum has one of the largest aviation libraries in Canada. It's filled with books, magazines, and technical manuals about planes. There are also about 40,000 photos, films, and audio recordings. Many of these items are very rare and can't be found anywhere else.
One special item is a short film of Amelia Earhart. It shows her starting her solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932. This film is a real treasure! You can visit the library by making an appointment.
Bringing Planes Back to Life: Restoration
The museum has a special team that restores old and damaged aircraft. These volunteers work hard to make the planes look new again. In 2002, they finished building a full-size copy of a Canadian Vickers Vedette Mark V aircraft.
The museum has also found and brought back several aircraft. One amazing story is about the "Ghost of Charron Lake." This was a Fokker Standard Universal plane that crashed into a lake. It took over 30 years to find it! Now, it's displayed at the museum exactly as it looked when it was found at the bottom of the lake.
Images for kids
-
A model of the Avrocar, a unique flying saucer-like aircraft.
-
The Lockheed Electra 10A "CF-TCC" in its original Trans-Canada Air Lines colors.
-
A replica of the Vickers Vedette, a Canadian flying boat.
-
The outside of the Vickers Viscount, a classic passenger plane.
.jpg)
