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Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada

Coordinates: 49°54′05″N 97°13′29″W / 49.90125°N 97.22464°W / 49.90125; -97.22464
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Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada
Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada is located in Manitoba
Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada
Location within Manitoba
Former name
Western Canada Aviation Museum
Established1974; 50 years ago (1974)
LocationWinnipeg, Manitoba
Coordinates49°54′05″N 97°13′29″W / 49.90125°N 97.22464°W / 49.90125; -97.22464
TypeAviation museum
Founder
  • Murray Clearwater
  • Doug Emberley
  • Gord Emberley
  • Al Hansen
  • Keith Olson[1]
PresidentTerry Slobodian
CEOTerry Slobodian
Websiteroyalaviationmuseum.com

The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada (formerly the Western Canada Aviation Museum) is an aviation museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

History

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The Western Canada Aviation Museum was incorporated in 1974.[2] In November of that year, it put forward an application to the federal government for a grant to set up a 19-acre (7.7 ha) site at St. Andrews Airport.[3] However, the museum ended up in downtown Winnipeg near the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature.[4] By the next year, the museum had 25 military and civilian aircraft in its collection.[5] In the mid-1980s, the museum moved to a former Trans Canada Air Lines and Transair hangar, T-2, at Winnipeg International Airport.[4][6]

The museum developed a master plan for a new facility in 2013 with the design firm Reich&Petch.[7]

The museum received the Royal designation on December 19, 2014, to become the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada.[8]

The museum closed its Ferry Road site in October 2018 after the lease on the hangar expired. However, following a grant from the federal government in July 2019, construction of a new 8,000-square-metre (86,000 sq ft) museum building began in May 2020.[9][10][11] By November that year, construction was more than half complete,[12] and construction of the facility was completed on August 4, 2021.[13]

Exhibits

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The museum has a large hangar floor, and a mezzanine with a view of the adjacent Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport runways. Aircraft are displayed on the floor and suspended from the ceiling, and include one-of-a-kind aircraft, military jets, bush planes, and commercial aircraft. Exhibits are clustered in zones representing different aspects of aviation history, such as Canadian Innovation, Northern Connections, and Military Skies. Interactive displays such as Experience Flight and the Mechanics Workshop present a hands-on educational experience.

Collection

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The museum's collection includes over 90 historic aircraft, 70,000 artifacts, texts, and photographs.[14]

Avrocar model
Lockheed Electra 10A "CF-TCC" in Trans-Canada Air Lines livery.
A Vickers Vedette replica
Exterior of the Vickers Viscount

Archives and library

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The comprehensive aviation reference library housed at the museum is one of the largest in the country, with holdings of books, magazines, technical manuals, and drawings, as well as some 40,000 photographs, films, and audiotapes, many of which cannot be found anywhere else.[57]

One item in the archives is a rare, five-minute film of Amelia Earhart embarking on her solo trans-Atlantic flight from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, on May 21, 1932.

The library is open to the public on an appointment basis and photos, films, and audiotapes are loaned or copied on request.

Recovery and restoration

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The museum has an active Restoration Department and has returned many damaged aircraft to full display condition. A team of volunteers completed a full-scale replica of a Canadian Vickers Vedette Mark V (CF-MAG) aircraft in May 2002.

The museum has facilitated the recovery of several aircraft, including the "Ghost of Charron Lake" - a Fokker Standard Universal that has taken more than 30 years to locate. It is displayed as it appeared at the bottom of the lake.

Affiliations

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The museum is affiliated with the Canadian Museums Association, Canadian Heritage Information Network, and the Virtual Museum of Canada.

See also

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ Jang, Brent (May 26, 2022). "Here's what the new Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada has in store". Skies. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  2. ^ Ogden 1986, p. 26.
  3. ^ "Canada's First Helicopter". Winnipeg Free Press. November 12, 1974. p. 3.
  4. ^ a b Love, Myron (June 8, 2020). "Winnipeg aviation museum begins construction of new facility amidst COVID-19". Journal of Commerce. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  5. ^ "Western Canada Aviation Museum". Winnipeg Free Press. July 25, 1975. p. 14.
  6. ^ "A fond farewell to Hangar T-2". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. March 25, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  7. ^ "Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada". Reich&Petch. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  8. ^ "A Royal Designation for Aviation Museum". Western Canada Aviation Museum. Archived from the original on December 20, 2014. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  9. ^ "Construction on new Winnipeg aviation museum cleared for takeoff with federal funding". CBC. July 23, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  10. ^ Dawkins, Glen (July 24, 2019). "Western Canada aviation museum ready to take flight". Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  11. ^ "Construction begins on Royal Aviation Museum". Winnipeg Sun. May 2, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  12. ^ "Construction more than half complete for Royal Aviation Museum". Skies. November 26, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  13. ^ "One of Canada's largest collections of aviation history coming to life at YWG". www.waa.ca. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  14. ^ "Our Museum - Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada". royalaviationmuseum.com. February 1, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  15. ^ a b c "Packing up the RAMWC". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. April 3, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  16. ^ "Avro Canuck, CF 100". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. June 20, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  17. ^ "Avro Canada Avrocar". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. June 23, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  18. ^ "Beech Musketeer, CAF 134235". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. June 25, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  19. ^ "Beech Expeditor, RCAF 1477". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. June 25, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g "Winnipeg - Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada". SpottingMode. September 1, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  21. ^ "Bellanca Aircruiser, CF-AWR". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. July 22, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  22. ^ "Bristol Freighter, CF-WAE". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. June 25, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  23. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Bristol Freighter 31, s/n 9699 RCAF, c/n 13219, c/r CF-WAE". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  24. ^ "Sabre F-86 MK6, 1815". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. June 25, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  25. ^ "T-33 Silver Star, RCAF 21075". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. June 25, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  26. ^ "Canadair Tutor". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  27. ^ "Vickers Vedette, CF-MAG". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. June 24, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  28. ^ "Article: Vedette–Return of a Classic". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. December 18, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  29. ^ "Junkers JU-52/1M, CF-ARM". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. June 26, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  30. ^ "Fox Moth, CF-BNP". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. July 6, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  31. ^ "Article: Red and Shiny Wins". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. August 25, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  32. ^ "de Havilland DH-82C Tiger Moth, CF-COU". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. June 25, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  33. ^ "de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, C-FMAA". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. June 25, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  34. ^ Aird, Neil. "1500". DHC-2.com. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  35. ^ "Fairchild 71C, CF-AKT". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. July 22, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  36. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Fairchild F-11, c/n 2, c/r C-GCYV". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  37. ^ "Fairchild Super 71, CF-AUJ". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. June 25, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  38. ^ "Fokker Standard Universal, G-CAJD". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. June 25, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  39. ^ "Fokker Super Universal, CF-AAM". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. June 7, 2013. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  40. ^ Meal, Xavier. "Return Of The Super Universal". Aeroplane, Volume 29, Issue 6, 2001.
  41. ^ "Froebe Helicopter". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. June 25, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  42. ^ "Froebe Ornithopter". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. June 25, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  43. ^ "Heath Parasol". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. July 6, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  44. ^ "Kolb Flyer". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. June 26, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  45. ^ "Lockheed 10A Electra, CF-TCC". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. June 26, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  46. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Lockheed L-10A Electra, s/n 1528 RCAF, c/n 1064, c/r CF-HED". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  47. ^ "Royal Air Canada celebrates 85 years, donates aircraft from original fleet to museum". Pax News. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  48. ^ "Voodoo, CF-101". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. June 21, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  49. ^ "Airframe Dossier - McDonnell CF-101 Voodoo, s/n 101034 CAF, c/n 540". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  50. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Noorduyn Norseman IVW, s/n 2456 RCAF, c/n 029, c/r CF-BTC". Aerial Visuals. Aerial Visuals. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  51. ^ "Harvard". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. July 6, 2011. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  52. ^ "Airframe Dossier - North American NA-64 Yale, s/n 3430 RCAF". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  53. ^ "Stinson SR-8CM Reliant, CF-AZV". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. June 26, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  54. ^ "Vickers Viscount". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. June 26, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  55. ^ Blampied, Geoff. "Viscount c/n 279". Vickers Viscount Network. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  56. ^ "WACO, CF-AYS". Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. July 6, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  57. ^ Ogden 1986, p. 27.

Bibliography

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  • Hunt, Leslie. Veteran and Vintage Aircraft. New York: Taplinger Publishing Co., Inc., 1971. ISBN 0-8008-7948-1.
  • Ogden,Bob. Great Aircraft Collections of the World. New York: Gallery Books, 1986. ISBN 1-85627-012-2.
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