The Canadian Museum of Flight has changed its availability
We are open Wednesday to Sunday, by pre-booked time slots.
Phone 604-532-0035 to book your visit.
The Museum is now open on Sundays. The revised hours are:
- Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Sunday from noon to 5:00 p.m.
Our facility is ideal for family outings during these challenging times, as we have ample space and large outdoor areas.
Elsie MacGill
Who is the person shown on this Canada postage stamp?
She is Elsie MacGill, a World War 2 legend in the aviation field. She was known as the
‘Queen of the Hurricanes.’ What actions gave her this dramatic title?
‘Queen of the Hurricanes.’ What actions gave her this dramatic title?
Read more in our Aviation History section;
Carla Deminchuk
It is with great sadness we advise of the passing of our long-time enthusiastic volunteer, Carla Deminchuk.
We all knew Carla as a lovely woman, deeply caring in all things, and a huge supporter and booster of our museum. She brought incredible energy and enthusiasm, and wonderful (sometimes zany) ideas to her work.
Carla contributed in so many ways. She was a professional event planner who assisted the Museum in organizing and running many events. Her brainstorming for events to promote the Museum was well known, and her cheerful and efficient manner of getting an event under way was an inspiration to all the volunteers. Her skills in the kitchen were legendary, with creations such as the special airplane-shaped treats for the children on Family Day. At an event in the hangar, she would be busy in the background ensuring the catering was kept in good order.
She was well known to all Museum members as the editor of the Glidepath newsletter. In this capacity she helped us share all the stories of Museum life and local events. When Facebook became mainstream, she embraced the task of updating the news with gusto, adding to the Museum’s profile significantly. For newsworthy events she often wrote the news release for the Museum, giving it a professional touch.
Filling so many huge holes in our organization will be a major challenge, a challenge that will again and again remind us how fortunate we were to have Carla working with us.
We all knew Carla as a lovely woman, deeply caring in all things, and a huge supporter and booster of our museum. She brought incredible energy and enthusiasm, and wonderful (sometimes zany) ideas to her work.
Carla contributed in so many ways. She was a professional event planner who assisted the Museum in organizing and running many events. Her brainstorming for events to promote the Museum was well known, and her cheerful and efficient manner of getting an event under way was an inspiration to all the volunteers. Her skills in the kitchen were legendary, with creations such as the special airplane-shaped treats for the children on Family Day. At an event in the hangar, she would be busy in the background ensuring the catering was kept in good order.
She was well known to all Museum members as the editor of the Glidepath newsletter. In this capacity she helped us share all the stories of Museum life and local events. When Facebook became mainstream, she embraced the task of updating the news with gusto, adding to the Museum’s profile significantly. For newsworthy events she often wrote the news release for the Museum, giving it a professional touch.
Filling so many huge holes in our organization will be a major challenge, a challenge that will again and again remind us how fortunate we were to have Carla working with us.
The SE5a is in the air again.
The SE5a has passed its annual maintenance inspection and is in the air again. It flew on November 11 in commemoration of those brave fliers of World War 1.
The SE5a revving up during a maintenance check before completing its inspection.
Buzz number?
So, what is a 'buzz number'?
The Stearman is now on display
After an extensive rebuild, the Museum's Stearman A75 is now on display in the hangar.
Read more in our Press section;
Anniversary of first Trans-Canada flight
October 17 marked one hundred years to the day that the first trans-Canada flight took place. In a letter to the Victoria Times-Colonist, Colonel John L. Orr (Ret’d) points out that a British-built Airco DH.9A biplane took off from Shearwater, Nova Scotia (Newfoundland was not yet part of Canada) and touched down in Richmond, British Columbia’s Minoru Park at 11:25 on October 17, 1920.
Read more in our Press section;
Retirements and Restorations
What happens to airliners that reach the end of their useful career? Why, they get retired just like the flight crews and the mechanics who looked after them for many years. Sometimes they get taken up by other companies and keep flying, with either passengers or freight. Read what happenend to part of Air Canada's fleet recently.
Read more in our Press section;
And what happens to much older aircraft that have finished their working career but have a great deal of historical and emotional life left?
Read more in our Press section;
New display at the Museum
There is a tail to be told in the hangar. How many aircraft tails can you spot?
A new aircraft is now on display - a model of an RCMP de Havilland Beaver aircraft just as it flew the coast in the 1970s.
Read more in our Press section:
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP)
During World War 2, Canada was a major contributor in training aircrew for the battles around the world. The plan was known as the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). This year, 2020, is the 80th anniversary of the Plan being put into action.
To remember and honour this massive war effort, the Canadian Museum of Flight has a special display in the hangar. Come and visit the Museum.
One of the aircraft used to train fighter pilots was the Hawker Hurricane, shown in this RCAF photo;
The Museum closure is a thing of the past!
To assist in an orderly flow of visitors, appropriate aviation directional signage has been installed;
Watch out for the 'Hold Short' signs. No, you won't conflict with an aircraft taking off, but you may come in closer-than-desired distance of our other visitors. Thanks for your cooperation!
The hangar has been re-organized. Our visitors will be able to get a better view of all the aircraft when the one-way circle tour is in place. As part of this process, several volunteers moved the aircraft in the hangar to give better access to the collection. This is a time-consuming process with the length and wingspan of each type taken into consideration. Will the upper wing of the SE5a conflict with the aileron of the Waco AQC? Will the propeller of the Waco INF protrude into the walkway? Will the engineers be able to take the Sopwith Pup out for engine runs when maintenance is finished? So many questions!
The Waco AQC cabin biplane looks out longingly and wonders when it will be up in the blue again.
The SE5a tries on roller skates so that it can be moved with precision within the hangar.
Looking to the future -
Prior to 2019BC (of course, this means Before Covid :) the term 'distancing' was almost unheard of. However, formation-qualified pilots have been practicing this for 100 years. Flying in tight formation means extensive training and frequent practice. Can you imagine what it would take to have sufficient confidence to allow another pilot to snuggle up to your aircraft at 200 km/h?
Here are some examples of distancing:
Troop-carrying Douglas C-47s in WW2 colors.
(Phot credit: www.warhistoryonline.com)
The Museum's Harvard II in formation with the Waco AQC.
The Historic Flight Foundation DC-3 in formation with a Langley-based Harvard 4.
A current RCAF trainer, the Harvard 2, in formation with a vintage Harvard II and a Harvard 4.
So the next time someone mentions 'physical distancing' then remember that this term for formation flying has been in use for a long time. Canada's own RCAF Snowbirds are the highly regarded professional formation flyers!
The RCAF Snowbirds in action at Abbotsford, 2019.
Camel on location
No, it's not the dromedary style - and definitely not the 1950s cigarette brand - but the Museum's replica of a WW1 Sopwith Camel that travelled to Abbotsford Airport recently. As part of a BCIT (British Columbia Institute of Technology) event the Camel was needed as a backdrop. Our volunteers took the Camel to the airport in its trailer, assembled it in a hangar then went for refreshments. After the event, the Camel was packed safely in its trailer to await its next outing.
The Museum's Sopwith Camel during its Abbotsford outing.
Does your organization need a unique centrepiece for an event? Call the Museum.
For more on the Camel, see:
Family Day 2020
The Museum has been active in promoting Family Day at the Museum since 2015. This year, the combination of good publicity and good weather made it a special event for many youngsters and their parents, grandparents and other family members. Attendance was over the 1,000 mark again this year. There was a courtyard full of real planes to look at and climb in. Inside the hangar were a selection of classic planes in ready-to-fly condition and an opportunity to try skills at paper airplane flying. On the hangar apron was a viewing platform to observe airport activity. This included seeing the startup of some of the Museum aircraft - within the safety of a security fence - with the usual roar and smoke.
(Photo credit: All from Langley Advance Times)
The Province of British Columbia has provided the Canadian Museum of Flight a grant in
support of our free, community Family Day event. To learn more visit:
support of our free, community Family Day event. To learn more visit:
Coming to visit us? Here's some suggestions;