Vintage Wings of Canada facts for kids
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| Location | Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport, Quebec, Canada |
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| Type | Aviation Museum |
Vintage Wings of Canada is a not for profit, charitable organization, with a collection of historically significant aircraft. The facility is located at the Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport, Quebec, Canada. It was founded by former Cognos CEO and philanthropist Michael U. Potter. Most aircraft in the collection are in flying condition, or being restored to flying condition and are frequently flown.
The facility is located in a 23,000 sq ft (2,100 m2) hangar that was designed to resemble a wartime military hangar. The hangar is open on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for public visitors. Visits from Monday to Friday need to be scheduled in advance. As well, the facility is host to group tours, aircraft fly-ins and visits by veterans with prior arrangement.
Vintage Wings is a flying museum, which displays its aircraft in the air and on the ground at many airshows and other events such as Royal Military College of Canada graduation parades, Battle of Britain Sunday parades and many other air shows in Canada and the USA.
Mission
The organization states its mission as:
...to acquire, restore, maintain and fly classic aircraft significant to the early history of powered flight...It is our goal to inspire and educate future generations about the historical significance of our aviation heritage and to demonstrate that these aircraft are more than just metal, fabric, and wood artifacts. We seek to keep the souls of these aircraft alive through the thundering sound of engines, the smell of leather, glycol, oil and sweat, as well as the laughter of their pilots as they dance with them in their natural element in the skies over Canada.
History
Vintage Wings was created by former Cognos CEO and founder Michael Potter, following his retirement from the company. After retiring Potter developed an interest in collecting "exotic vintage aircraft", starting in 2000. As the collection grew Potter decided to form a foundation to acquire, manage, maintain and fly the aircraft. Potter recruited a cadre of professional pilots, including a number from the National Research Council Flight Test Laboratory, to assist in managing, displaying and flying the aircraft.
Aircraft
Vintage Wings owns and operates many classic aircraft, most notably various Allied World War II era aircraft.
The aircraft owned by Vintage Wings are:
List of aircraft operated in December 2018:
- North American Mustang IV
- Hawker Hurricane Mk IV
- Curtiss P-40N Kittyhawk
- Westland Lysander IIIA
- Goodyear FG-1D Corsair
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk XVI
- North American Harvard Mk IV
- Fleet-built Fairchild Cornell
- Fleet Finch II - Model 16
- de Havilland Tiger Moth
- de Havilland Fox Moth
- Hawker Hurricane XII (under restoration Dec 2018)
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIVe (under restoration Dec 2018)
Aircraft for sale, sold or no longer in Collection include:
- Beechcraft D17S Staggerwing (sold 2011)
- Canadair Sabre Mk 5 in the markings of the Golden Hawks (up for sale in March 2017)
- Fairchild Cornell
- Waco Taperwing ATO (sold in 2011)
- Boeing Stearman
- de Havilland Tiger Moth
- de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver
- Blackburn-Fairey Swordfish Mk III
