Western Canada Aviation Museum
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| Established | 1974 |
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| Location | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Type | Aviation Museum |
| Website | [2] |
The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada (formerly the Western Canada Aviation Museum) is a museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is the second largest aviation museum in Canada. The collection is housed in an original Trans-Canada Air Lines (today operating as Air Canada) hangar dating from the 1930s.
The Western Canada Aviation Museum was incorporated in 1974 for the preservation and promotion of Canada's aviation history.
The aircraft on display reflect the history of aviation development in Canada, and more specifically in Winnipeg, Manitoba, a major hub for aviation development in Canada, and includes examples of aircraft and artifacts ranging from bush planes to transport, military, private, and commercial aircraft.
The museum received the Royal designation on 19 December 2014 to become The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada.
A fully enclosed flight deck to watch the landings and takeoffs at Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport is one of the other attractions. The collection is housed in an original Trans-Canada Air Lines aircraft hangar and includes a recreated terminal departure centre and several one-of-a-kind aircraft such as Canada's first helicopter, the CL-84 "Tilt-wing", Avrocar "flying saucer" (full-scale movie model), historic military jets, bush planes, and commercial aircraft.
The Museum also houses an exhibit on Canadian Women in Aviation, flight simulators, a Black Brant Rocket (built in Manitoba by Bristol Aerospace), and other aviation memorabilia, such as a collection of first airmail covers (i.e. envelopes, including one signed by Charles Lindbergh and Orville Wright). In 2012, an exhibit displaying Canada's role in coastal patrol was opened.
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.
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