Frequently Asked Questions
What is the new building and is it accessible to the public?
Opened in 2005, the Museum's new “Reserve Hangar” functions primarily as a storage facility for our collection. Public access is provided only through guided tours at set times. For more information visit our “Tours” section or ask upon arrival at the Museum.
Can I use images from your website?
The use of all images from our website is subject to restrictions. For more information regarding these restrictions, please refer to our “Image Ordering” section.
How does the Museum obtain its artifacts?
The usual method of acquiring artifacts is through donations, with or without the issuance of a tax receipt to the donor. In certain cases, a potential donation may also be certified as a cultural property by Heritage Canada (through the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board), which not only ensures that the artifact remains in Canada but also offers greater tax benefits to the donor. Objects many also be purchased through auction or sale, although this is not the Museum’s preferred option, due to budgetary limitations.
Artifacts are also acquired through transfer from other museums or from government departments or agencies, such as the aircraft of the Canadian Forces that have been made available upon their retirement by the Department of National Defence (DND). Occasionally, the Museum may also exchange artifacts that are surplus to its needs, through trade with other institutions or individuals. For example, a recent international transaction resulted in the acquisition of the Museum’s Messerschmitt Bf 109, one of the first low-winged monoplane fighters developed during the mid-1930s and considered a milestone in the history of aircraft development.
How do aircraft arrive at the Museum?
The arrival of a new acquisition at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum is always an event! The Museum is lucky to have a serviceable runway behind the main museum building. This proves particularly useful when the acquisition is an airplane in flying condition. The Museum’s CF-18, after being retired by DND, made a show-stopping arrival in October of 2001 when it roared onto the runway. It was followed almost a year later by an Air Canada DC-9 - another dramatic arrival! The Museum’s Bellanca Pacemaker, Grumman Goose and de Havilland Canada Beaver are a few of the aircraft that arrived by air and landed on the Ottawa River just North of the Museum. Many of our other acquisitions arrive by flatbed truck if they aren’t in flying condition. Some aircraft, like the Fairey Firefly and the Hawker Hind even made the voyage across the sea in Canadian Forces transport airplanes like the Hercules.
How can I make donations to the Museum?
Guidelines and rules for donation can be found in the “Donations” section.
I’m trying to restore my airplane / build a model / get detailed information about an airplane... Does the library have any material that would help me?
The Canada Aviation and Space Museum’s library is very likely to have material that would help. In most instances, this type of information can be found in one of the approximately 10 000 technical manuals. To find out more about this unique collection, go to our “Holdings” page.
Do you have aircraft plans or blueprints?
No, unfortunately, our collection does not include plans or blueprints although excellent 3, 4 or 5-view can be found in many of our materials.
I’m interested in Canadian Forces squadron histories and badges, do you have information about this?
Yes, the library has a number of books that contain this type of information. Another source that you may find useful is: http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/site/hist/rcafsqns_e.asp
Do you have information in your archives about my relative’s service in the Royal Canadian Air Force?
The best source of information for this question is the Personnel Records Unit of the Library and Archives Canada at: http://www.collectionscanada.ca/
Who is the woman on the homepage? What are those airplanes? Buildings?
The homepage is a montage of images from the Museum’s photo archives meant to show the progression from past to present to future. It also depicts the strong human face of flight - our Museum tells the story of flight from a science and technology perspective while highlighting the people involved in it.
The woman on the far right is Gertrude de la Vergne. She was the first woman in Alberta to get her pilot’s license and the third in Canada. This image is taken from her pilot’s license that was granted in 1928. The aircraft in the air is the Silver Dart - designed by the AEA and the first powered airplane to fly in Canada. The aircraft on the ground is the Avro Arrow - the first fly-by-wire supersonic airplane designed in Canada. The modern building on the right is the present Museum building and the buildings on the left are hangars in Europe that date from one of the first airshows held around 1910. This image is from our Austro-Hungarian Collection.
I’d like to know more about the history of a particular airplane. Where do I go for this information?
The best source of information for this enquiry is the Canadian Civil Aircraft Register. Transport Canada has put the latest version of the register online which is available at “http://www.tc.gc.ca/”. The library at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum does have some of the older registers in its collection which are accessible to the public for viewing.
