National Air Force Museum of Canada

The National Air Force Museum of Canada is an aviation museum dedicated to preserving the history of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is located on the west side of CFB Trenton in Trenton, Ontario.[1]

National Air Force Museum of Canada
National Air Force Museum of Canada is located in Ontario
National Air Force Museum of Canada
Location within Ontario
Former name
  • RCAF Memorial Library and Museum
  • Air Force National Museum
Established1984 (1984)
LocationCFB Trenton in Trenton, Ontario
Coordinates44°6′56.36″N 77°33′2.37″W / 44.1156556°N 77.5506583°W / 44.1156556; -77.5506583
TypeAviation museum
Websitewww.airforcemuseum.ca

The museum is a permanent archive which collects, preserves and displays Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) memorabilia, photographs, paintings and documents as a lasting tribute and memorial to all the men and women who served in the RCAF and its predecessor organizations.[2]

History

edit

The RCAF Memorial Library and Museum opened on 1 April 1984 – the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Royal Canadian Air Force – in the CFB Trenton Recreation Center. However, the museum quickly outgrew the location and moved to the base's former curling club exactly 10 years later in 1994. With the acquisition of a Handley Page Halifax restoration project in 1995, the museum was again short on space. So from 2004 to 2005 the museum constructed a purpose built Main Exhibition Hall. This was not before the name of the museum was changed to the Air Force National Museum in 1998. Ten years later, it was changed again to the National Air Force Museum of Canada.[3]

Between November 2012 and August 2013, a second phase of construction was completed on the main exhibition hall. This involved adding additional staircases between the two floors of the building and finishing various rooms.[4][5]

The RCAF salvaged avionics from the museum's C-130 to use on an active duty aircraft in 2014.[6]

In 2016, the museum acquired an Avro Lancaster that had been on display in Edmundston, New Brunswick.[7] Chris Colton, the executive director of the museum for 21 years, retired in June 2018.[8] Later that year, the museum acquired a CP-140 Aurora.[9]

Collection

edit

Aircraft on display

edit
 
Canadair CP-107 Argus
 
Handley Page Halifax A.VII

Under restoration

edit

Memorials

edit

There are 29 memorials and cairns dedicated to RCAF squadrons and units:

Affiliations

edit

The museum is affiliated with: CMA, CHIN, OMMC and Virtual Museum of Canada.

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ The National Air Force Museum of Canada (2010). "The National Air Force Museum of Canada — formerly known as the RCAF Memorial Museum". Retrieved 12 October 2010.
  2. ^ A-AD-266-000/AG-001 Canadian Forces Museums –Operations and Administration 2002-04-03
  3. ^ "Information". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  4. ^ "The Logbook" (PDF), National Air Force Museum of Canada, November 2012, retrieved 22 November 2020
  5. ^ "The Logbook" (PDF), National Air Force Museum of Canada, August 2013, retrieved 22 November 2020
  6. ^ Berthiaume, Lee (15 September 2014). "Royal Canadian Air Force raided museum for search-and-rescue airplane parts". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  7. ^ Montgomery, Marc (22 November 2016). "Update- Lancaster KB-882- saved, at last!". Radio Canada International. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  8. ^ Hendry, Luke (17 June 2018). "Chris Colton retiring as air force museum director". The Intelligencer. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  9. ^ "Canadian Forces aircraft taking the long road to new home in Ontario". Global News. 6 September 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  10. ^ "Silver Dart". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  11. ^ "Auster". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  12. ^ "[Untitled]". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  13. ^ "Avro Anson". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  14. ^ "Canuck". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  15. ^ "Musketeer". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  16. ^ "Iroquois". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  17. ^ "Twin Huey". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  18. ^ "Kiowa". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  19. ^ "Chinook". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  20. ^ "Labrador". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  21. ^ "B720". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  22. ^ "Challenger". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  23. ^ "Burgess Dunne". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  24. ^ "Freedom Fighter". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  25. ^ "Starfighter". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  26. ^ "Argus". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  27. ^ "Tutor". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  28. ^ a b "Silver Star". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  29. ^ "Sabre". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  30. ^ "Chipmunk". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  31. ^ "Tracker". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  32. ^ "Dakota". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  33. ^ "Halifax". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  34. ^ "The Story of NA 337". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  35. ^ "Hunter". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  36. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Hawker Hunter F.58, s/n J-4029 SwiAF, c/n 41H-697392". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  37. ^ "Hurricane". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  38. ^ "Hercules". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  39. ^ "Voodoo". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  40. ^ "Hornet". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  41. ^ "MiG". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  42. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-21MF-75, s/n 23+45 Luftwaffe, c/n 96002009". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  43. ^ "Harvard". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  44. ^ "Yale". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  45. ^ "Sperwer". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  46. ^ "Dragonfly". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  47. ^ "Spitfire". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  48. ^ "Lancaster KB 882". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  49. ^ "Lockheed Hudson". National Air Force Museum of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
edit