The Alberta Aviation Museum is an

aviation museum An aviation museum, air museum, or air and space museum is a museum exhibiting the history and artifacts of aviation. In addition to actual, replica or accurate reproduction aircraft, exhibits can include photographs, maps, models, dioramas ...

located in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city an ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...

, Canada. The museum is located on-site at the former Edmonton City Centre (Blatchford Field) Airport on the southwest corner of the field (11410 Kingsway Avenue). The museum operates daily except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day.

History

The Alberta Aviation Museum is housed in the historic Hangar 14, the last remaining example of a 'double-double'

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

British Commonwealth Air Training Plan The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), or Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) often referred to as simply "The Plan", was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New ...

(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 four units. Hangars were built on the site from 1939 to 1942, including 3 double hangars for RCAF Station Edmonton, with one of the hangars originally opened 5 October 1940 as No. 2 Air Observers School (AOS) under the command of Wop May. Hangar 14 was completed in 1942 on a rectangular plan with an area of with a clear span of , and subdivided evenly by a firewall which acts as a support truss. After the United States entered the Second World War the airport was used to service

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

(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. Following the war in 1946, Hangar 14 was used by No. 418 (City of Edmonton) Reserve Squadron, Pacific Western Airlines and for

Distant Early Warning Line The Distant Early Warning Line, also known as the DEW Line or Early Warning Line, was a system of radar stations in the northern Arctic region of Canada, with additional stations along the north coast and Aleutian Islands of Alaska (see Proj ...

(DEW Line) construction before becoming a car dealership in the late 1960s. 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. Hangar 14 was designated a Provincial Historic Resource under the ''Historical Resources Act'' on July 4, 2000, and a Municipal Historic Resource by the City of Edmonton on August 31, 2004.

Current

The building has been designated as a municipal and provincial historic resource. Despite its historic resource status, a recent motion put forward by City administration has revealed that the hangar is in need of structural upgrades, and requires a minimum of forty-one million dollars for repairs by 2027. It was initially motioned by administration that the building be de-accessioned from the city's heritage properties, which could result in the museum having to move (despite renewing a 25-year lease in 2018). Councilor Anne Stevenson countered this with a motion to propose a two-year timeline to determine creative solutions for the building with the end goal of the museum remaining where it is. The Alberta Aviation Museum is currently working with the City to determine a plan forward. A grassroots Facebook Group titled "Save Edmonton's Hangar 14" has been started for anyone interested in supporting the campaign and keeping the city accountable to their word to find solutions to have the museum remain at the site. The museum hosts several groups including the 504 Blatchford Field Squadron,

Royal Canadian Air Cadets The Royal Canadian Air Cadets (french: Cadets de l'Aviation royale du Canada) is a Canadian national youth program for young individuals aged 12 to 18. Under the authority of the National Defence Act, the program is administered by the Canadian F ...

, the 180 ( 20th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA)

Royal Canadian Army Cadets The Royal Canadian Army Cadets (RCAC; french: Cadets royaux de l’Armée canadienne) is a national Canadian youth program sponsored by the Canadian Armed Forces and the civilian Army Cadet League of Canada. Under the authority of the National ...

, 700 (City of Edmonton) Wing, Royal Canadian Air Force Association, and 418 (City of Edmonton) Squadron Association, 418 Squadron Association
/ref> and CASARA.

Collection

Aircraft

Helicopters

Gallery

File:Alberta Aviation Museum.jpg File:De Havilland Mosquito B.35 at the Alberta Aviation Museum 02.JPG File:C-FAAW Waco UIC at the Alberta Aviation Museum.JPG File:Avro Anson Mk 2 at the Alberta Aviation Museum.JPG File:De Havilland Vampire cropped at the Alberta Aviation Museum.jpg File:C-FATZ Fairchild 71C at the Alberta Aviation Museum.JPG File:Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck at the Alberta Aviation Museum.JPG File:Pacific Western B737 at the Alberta Aviation Museum.JPG File:C-GDWI DH 82-C Tiger Moth at the Alberta Aviation Museum 01.JPG File:McDonnell CF-101 Voodoo CF101-B at the Alberta Aviation Museum.JPG File:CF-RSX Beech 18 Lethbridge Air Service (7643714026).jpg File:Cranwell CLA.4A AB Avn Msm EDM 16.04.08R edited-2.jpg File:Canadair CT-133 Silver Star, older RCAF colour at the Alberta Aviation Museum.JPG File:Canadair Sabre Mk. 1 at the Alberta Aviation Museum.JPG

Affiliations

The museum is affiliated with:Alberta Museums Association, Canadian Aeronautical Preservation Association,

Canadian Museums Association The Canadian Museums Association (CMA; french: Association des musées canadiens, ''ACM''), is a national non-profit organization for the promotion of museums in Canada. It represents Canadian museum professionals both within Canada and internat ...

Canadian Heritage Information Network , nativename_a = , nativename_r = , logo = Logo of Canadian Heritage Information Network.png , logo_caption = , seal = , seal_width = , seal_caption = , picture = , picture_width = , picture_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = ...

, Edmonton Heritage Council and

Virtual Museum of Canada The Digital Museums Canada (DMC; , ''MNC'') is a funding program in Canada "dedicated to online projects by the museum and heritage community," helping organizations to build digital capacity. Administered by the Canadian Museum of History (CMH) ...

References

External links

Alberta Aviation Museum
{{Edmonton landmarks Aviation history of Canada Aerospace museums in Alberta Museums in Edmonton Aviation in Edmonton