Alberta Aviation Museum

Alberta Aviation Museum
Location in Edmonton
Location 11410 Kingsway, Edmonton, Alberta
Coordinates 53°33′57″N 113°31′2″W / 53.56583°N 113.51722°W / 53.56583; -113.51722
Type Aviation museum
Website Alberta Aviation Museum

The Alberta Aviation Museum is a museum in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is located on-site at the former Edmonton City Centre (Blatchford Field) Airport CYXD on the southwest corner of the field (11410 Kingsway Avenue, Edmonton).[1][2]

The museum operates daily except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day.[3]

History

McDonnell CF-101 Voodoo in front of the museum

The Alberta Aviation Museum hangar is the last remaining example of a 'double-double' Second World War British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) hangar. These hangars, built for the BCATP across Canada, were made of pre-cut wooden timbers of British Columbia Fir. They could be built as single units, double units, and the 'double-double' which is 4 units.[4][5]

Built in 1940 after 3 double hangars for RCAF Station Edmonton, it was originally opened 5 October 1940 as No. 2 Air Observers School (AOS) under the command of Wop May. After the USA entered the Second World War the airport was used to service United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) aircraft heading to Alaska until the new USAAF base that was to become CFB Namao (now CFB Edmonton) opened outside of Edmonton and absorbed some of the traffic. Postwar the museum hangar was used by No. 418 (City of Edmonton) Reserve Squadron, Pacific Western Airlines and for Distant Early Warning Line (DEW Line) construction before becoming a car dealership in the late 1960s.[4][5]

Boeing 737-200 of Pacific Western Airlines now at Edmonton/Villeneuve Airport

Known in Edmonton as "The Hangar on Kingsway", it has been designated 'M' Hangar, Hangar #6 and later Building #14 by the Edmonton City Airport. It is now a designated municipal and provincial historic site.[4][5]

Future

With the closure of the City Centre airport the fate of the museum is uncertain. However, on 17 November 2013 it was announced that a new Alberta Flying Heritage Museum would be opening at Edmonton/Villeneuve Airport. The new museum would be hands-on experience and allow aircraft for exhibition to fly in and out. At the same time it would focus on the history of aviation in Alberta while the current museum, which is to remain open, would focus on Edmonton. As part of the new museum the Boeing 737-200 was flown out of the City Centre on 29 November 2013 to its new home at Villeneuve.[6][7][8][9][10]

On March 18, 2015 the Alberta Aviation Museum announced the new acquisition of an Avro Lancaster Bomber KB-882 from Edmundston, New Brunswick.[11][12] In the press conference it was stated that this new acquisition is an indicator that the museum has full intentions of continuing operations for the foreseeable future.

Displays

Mosquito VP189/CF-HMQ
Cranwell CLA.4

Ground equipment:

Restoration projects

Current work in progress includes completing the restoration of a Stinson SR-9,returning to airworthy a Piper Super Cub, ERCO Ercoupe and a series of restorations of ground equipment. Also currently underway are the creation of (3) public access flight simulators to supplement the (2) currently in use. A separate group, the Ventura Memorial Flight Association, is also on the same site restoring a Lockheed Ventura GR.V patrol aircraft (RCAF #2195, CF-FAV) to flying condition.[51][52]

Affiliations

The Museum is affiliated with:Alberta Museums Association, Canadian Aeronautical Preservation Association, Canadian Museums Association, Canadian Heritage Information Network, Edmonton Heritage Council and Virtual Museum of Canada.

References

  1. ↑ Alberta Aviation Museum
  2. ↑ Location
  3. ↑ Admission and Hours
  4. 1 2 3 British Commonwealth Training Air Training Plan Hangar
  5. 1 2 3 Hangar #14
  6. ↑ Future of Alberta Aviation Museum up in the air as City Centre Airport closure date nears
  7. ↑ 737 takes off from City Centre Airport, lands safely at new home
  8. ↑ New aviation museum to be built just outside Edmonton at Villeneuve Airport
  9. ↑ Flying heritage museum planned for Alberta
  10. ↑ New Alberta Flying Heritage Museum
  11. ↑ http://edmundston.ca/en/renseignements/communiques/594-lancaster-kb882-d-edmundston-a-edmonton
  12. ↑ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/rare-lancaster-bomber-returns-home-to-edmonton-1.2999368/ Rare Lancaster Bomber Returns Home to Edmonton]
  13. ↑ Avro Anson II (1937)
  14. ↑ The Anson
  15. ↑ Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck (1952)
  16. ↑ The CF-100
  17. ↑ Barkley-Grow T8P (1937)
  18. ↑ Beech D18S-3NM Expeditor (1952)
  19. ↑ The Beech 18
  20. ↑ Bell 47G (1970)
  21. ↑ Boeing 737-200 now off site (1972)
  22. ↑ Old pictures of the museum's 737.
  23. ↑ Boeing CIM-10B BOMARC (1958)
  24. ↑ Canadair CL-13 Sabre I
  25. ↑ The Sabre
  26. ↑ Canadair CT-133 Silver Star (1952)
  27. ↑ The Silver Star
  28. ↑ Cranwell CLA.4 (1927)
  29. ↑ The museum's Cranwell
  30. ↑ Curtiss Stinson Special (1918)
  31. ↑ De Havilland Cirrus Moth (1926)
  32. ↑ De Havilland Canada Tiger Moth (1938)
  33. ↑ De Havilland Mosquito B.35 (representing FB.VI) (1943)
  34. ↑ The Mosquito
  35. ↑ De Havilland Australia Vampire T.35 (1964)
  36. ↑ Fairchild 71c (1933)
  37. ↑ The Fairchild 71
  38. ↑ Fleet 80 Canuck
  39. ↑ Old pictures of the museum's F-104 in Dutch service.
  40. ↑ McDonnell CF-101 Voodoo (1957)
  41. ↑ The Voodoo on the ground
  42. ↑ The Voodoo on the pedestal
  43. ↑ Noorduyn Norseman (1943)
  44. ↑ The Norseman
  45. ↑ North American Aircraft B-25J Mitchell (1943)
  46. ↑ "B-25 Mitchell/44-30791"
  47. ↑ Stinson SR-9 Reliant (1938)
  48. ↑ Vickers Viking IV (1923)
  49. ↑ Waco UIC (1933)
  50. ↑ The Waco
  51. ↑ Lockheed (Vega) Ventura GR.V (1943)
  52. ↑ The Ventura

External links

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