Watch Us Grow
November 8 marked an important milestone for the Canada Aviation Museum. For the first time in thirty-nine years, all of its aircraft are now protected from the elements. Pictured are the two last aircraft to have been parked outdoors finally being placed in the new storage hangar. The Canadair Argus was pushed into the back of the hangar and the Canadair North Star, handed over to the Museum in 1966, was the last to be gently manoeuvered through the hangar door.
History
As the Museum’s collection continued to grow over the years, its ability to store and protect Canadian aviation heritage had not. The collection had grown beyond the capacity of the existing Museum building and could no longer be properly conserved or displayed for the many who come to visit each year. The process to address this situation began in 2001 when funding was granted to build a new storage facility. Since then, the Canada Aviation Museum has developed a long-term architectural plan to ensure a unified design for all phases of the Museum complex. This plan will increase the visibility of the Museum to local and national audiences, and enhance the international reputation of this pre-eminent aeronautical collection. The new complex will provide a highly visible addition to the existing Museum building by creating a physical symbol representing the power and grace of flight. The multi-phase approach will allow the Museum to move forward in all aspects of its important work including collection conservation, storage, library and archives services, and equally important, the visitor experience. The bold new design of the building will include a reflective metal shell and a glazed facade revealing the collection. This will unify the new construction with the existing building and complement the multipurpose functions of the spaces within, and at the same time orient the visitor to the Museum entrance and bring to mind the experience of a working airport.
Phase 1 of the plans including the new collection storage wing and the library, archives and administration wing saw completion of construction in early 2005. With the new overall plan in place, this dynamic institution continues to move forward as the 100th anniversary of Canadian powered flight in 2009 rapidly approaches. The Museum is now focusing on its next major priorityto develop a large restoration facility, in order to continue the important work of preserving Canada’ proud aerospace heritage.
Phases:
- Phase 1:
- Construction complete, occupancy ongoing, inauguration planned spring 2005
- Next phase:
- Large restoration and conservation facility
A complete plan is available in pdf format (1 page, 48KB). Viewing and printing this plan requires the Adobe Reader, available for download free from the Adobe web site.