Author: Vanessa

On recent tours of our restoration facility, some of our Sabre Squadron donors got a behind-the-scenes look at the projects underway.

The big attraction, of course, was our F-86 Sabre.

Built under license from North American, the Canadair Mk. 6 was the only Sabre variant made entirely in Canada.

The Mk. 6 had a two-stage, Canadian-made Orenda 14 engine with a 7,275 lb thrust rating—nearly 40% more than the original GE engine—and its wing leading slats gave it superb combat maneuvering. With this combination of engine and aerodynamics, the Mk. 6 was widely regarded as the best “dog-fighter” of its era.

Sabre aircraft were a mainstay of the RCAF and NATO forces during the early years of the Cold War. During the 50s and early 60s, these aircraft were considered the top fighter jets in the world, flown by air forces around the world.

This aircraft was put into storage when our museum on Ferry Road closed in 2018. Then, last summer, it was towed to our new museum and disassembled in anticipation of its restoration. Since then, volunteers have been hard at work repairing the damage done due to years of neglect by previous owners.

Much of the work already done has involved removing corroded sections and creating new replacement panels.

Many hours have also been spent cleaning debris and sanding in preparation for paint. The restored Sabre will be painted in the livery of 441 Squadron and unveiled in the early fall of 2024.

Another notable project underway is our 5/8 scale replica of a Hawker Hurricane.

This project was started by long-time museum volunteer Gary Boggs over 20 years ago. Before Gary passed away, he handed the project off to another of our restoration volunteers, Shawn Romas.

The Hawker Hurricane was a combat aircraft of the 1930s and 1940s, used by the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Air Force, and Soviet Air Force. The Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire were the main combat fighters of World War II.

The Hurricane was mass-produced in the United Kingdom and Canada, with over 14,000 examples manufactured from 1937 to 1944. Hurricane production in Canada lasted from 1938 to 1943 and was overseen by Elsie MacGill, the first woman in Canada to earn a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering.

There’s still a lot of work to be done on our Hurricane replica, but once completed, it will be on display in the museum. Stay tuned for details!

Support our Sabre restoration

Join the Sabre Squadron and you could be eligible for one of the upcoming tours of our restoration facility!

Don’t miss our new interactive Ace Academy exhibit and our tribute to the centennial of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

100 years of the RCAF

On March 20, 2024, we welcomed veterans, personnel from 17 Wing Winnipeg, cadets, and special guests for the opening of an exhibit commemorating 100 years of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).

Through a series of informational banners, visitors can learn about some of the many trailblazing and heroic achievements of RCAF members.

Also on display is an impressive collection of nearly 100 original aircraft paintings, commissioned by author Larry Milberry for an RCAF 60^th anniversary book. Done by nine different Canadian artists, these paintings highlight RCAF aircraft in use between 1924 and 1984.

This is the first time these paintings have been exhibited publicly.

Ace Academy: Flight Experience

Just in time for spring break at the museum, we’re excited to announce the arrival of Ace Academy: Flight Experience.

On loan from the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, this interactive exhibit allows visitors to pilot a First World War biplane using motion sensing technology.

Move your arms up and down and tilt your body to manoeuver an airplane onscreen while dodging enemy aircraft and aligning yourself to fire.

Ace Academy: Flight Experience is wheelchair accessible.

Both of these exhibits are included with admission.

March 4-10, 2024, is Women of Aviation Week and March 8 is International Women’s Day. What better way to celebrate than by remembering some of the pioneering women in aviation?

The firsts

Frenchwoman Raymonde de Laroche is thought to be the first woman to pilot a plane. She received her pilot’s license on March 8, 1910, the day we now recognize as International Women’s Day.

Bessie Coleman was the first African American to earn a pilot’s license. Coleman had to travel to France to find a flight instructor as none of the American schools would train blacks. She earned her pilot’s license in France in 1921, returned to America and took up stunt flying to earn money. She died while test flying her newly delivered aircraft in 1926, the day prior to a flying event scheduled in Florida.

In 1928, At the young age of 19, Eileen Vollick became the first Canadian woman to receive a pilot’s license, just one year after her first ride in an aircraft.

Women in military service

British pilot Pauline Gower was granted permission in November 1939 to form the Women’s Section of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), which would ferry aircraft from the DeHavilland factory to RAF training bases. She was the first woman to be allowed into, let alone fly, a Royal Air Force plane.

Jacqueline Cochran became the first woman to break the speed of sound. She did so on May 18, 1954 in a F-86 Sabre Mk. 3. At the time of her death, Cochran held more speed, altitude, and distance records than any pilot in history. Cochran was also the founding director of Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). Between 1943 and 1944, the women of WASP flew over 60 million miles ferrying aircraft, personnel, and carrying out other transport duties. The WASP received retroactive military status in 1977. FUN FACT: We’re currently restoring a F-86 Sabre Mk. 6, a later, Canadian-made model of the aircraft Jackie Cochran set her record in.

In 1980, the Canadian Armed Forces opened pilot classification to women. Leah Mosher, Deanna Brasseur, and Nora Bottomley were the first three women picked to train as pilots in the Canadian Forces. Captain Brasseur went on to become one of the first two female CF-18 pilots in the world in 1989. Check out Leah Mosher’s flight suit in front of the Hasting Family Temporary Gallery the next time you visit our museum.

Women in space

Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova of the Soviet Union was the first woman to fly in space. She was selected from a group of more than 400 applicants and underwent months of training. Tereshkova’s flight aboard Vostok 6 launched on June 16, 1963 and lasted about three days.

The first Canadian woman in space was Dr. Roberta Bondar. In January 1992, she joined the crew of NASA’s Space Shuttle Discovery as the first neurologist in space and conducted over forty experiments for fourteen nations. The data collected was used to better understand the mechanisms that allow the human body to recover from exposure to space.

Eileen Collins was the first woman to pilot a space shuttle, Discovery, in February 1995. She was also the first woman to command a space shuttle, Columbia, in July 1999. Collins is a veteran of space flights, having logged over 872 hours in space.

Conquering commercial flight

Canadian Lorna DeBlicquy wrote a guest editorial in 1974 in Canadian Flight protesting the discrimination against women pilots by Crown Corporation Air Transit. Among the first commercial female pilots in Canada, she broke down barriers and served as a tireless advocate for women in aviation. In 1995, she was awarded the Order of Canada.

Rosella Bjornson became the first woman in North America to serve as First Officer on a commercial airliner while working for Transair. She later became a captain with Canadian Airlines and Air Canada. Bjornson retired in 2004 after 31 years as an airline pilot.

Judy Cameron was the first woman pilot hired by Air Canada in 1978, the first Canadian female captain of a Boeing 767 and the first Canadian woman to captain a Boeing 777. FUN FACT: In 2019, Air Canada launched the Captain Judy Cameron scholarship for aspiring commercial pilots or AMEs (aircraft maintenance engineers).

Other notable women in aviation

In 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic solo. Three years later, she became the first person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean. In 1937, Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan attempted an around-the-world flight beginning in Miami. After completing 22,000 miles of their journey, Earhart’s Lockheed Electra disappeared. They were last seen on takeoff from Lae, New Guinea, on July 2, 1937. FUN FACT: Our museum has a Lockheed Electra L-10A on display, very similar to the one Earhart flew which was a model L-10E.

Elizabeth (Elsie) MacGill was the first woman to earn a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering and the first practising Canadian woman engineer. She helped design Canada’s first metal-hulled airplane, the Fairchild Super 71, the one and only prototype of which is on display at our museum.

Our first Open Cockpit Day of the year was a ton of fun!

Visitors had access to our CL-84 Dynavert and our Mini 500 helicopter, recently donated to the museum by Derek Wrigley of Kleefeld, Manitoba.

We were also lucky enough to welcome Canadian aerobatic champion Luke Penner for a presentation on life as an aerobatic pilot.

If you haven’t heard of Luke, check out this story and follow him on Instagram or YouTube for a behind-the-scenes look at how he trains for competitions.

If you missed Open Cockpit Day, don’t worry—we’ve got a lot of other fun events lined up this year.

We’ve already confirmed three visiting aircraft for this summer. Here’s a hint about one of them: it’s coming from our friends at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum.

Click here to see what else we already have planned.

We held our second photo contest last month and received a lot of amazing submissions. It was tough to choose the winners, so we’ve also awarded several Honourable Mentions.

WINNER: Category 1 – A Tribute to the RCAF

WINNER I: Category 2 – General

WINNER II: Category 2 – General

Honourable Mentions

Thank you to everyone who entered our contest! We were blown away by all the wonderful submissions we received. The gallery below shows all entries to this year’s contest.

Category 1: A Tribute to the RCAF

Category 2: General

2024 is a big year for aviation celebrations. Not only is it our museum’s 50th anniversary, but it’s also the centennial of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the 100^th anniversary of the Canadian Vickers Vedette.

The Vedette was the first military aircraft designed and manufactured in Canada. It played an important role for the RCAF and government in the 1920s. These planes were later used for mapping Canada. Most topographical maps used in Canada were created based on photos taken from the cockpit of a Vedette.

Finding a Vedette for the museum collection was high on the wish list for the founders of the museum. Unfortunately, this proved to be a lot more difficult than anticipated.

Only 61 of these “flying boats” were ever manufactured. As the Vedette got replaced by more versatile aircraft such as the Fairchild, Bellanca, and Norseman, the remaining ones were destroyed or converted into boats. Eventually, there were no complete aircraft left.

Complicating things further was the fact that all designs and blueprints were lost to a fire at the Montreal-based Vickers facility in 1932.

In the end, RAMWC’s founders used pieces from three separate aircraft to create the replica on display in our museum today.

The first was G-CASW which had crashed into a mountain on Porcher Island in British Columbia while conducting a forest fire survey. The crew escaped the incident without injury, and their crash report led museum investigators to the site of the dilapidated wreck 70 years later.

What remained of the wooden hull was lifted off the mountain by helicopter, and transported back to Winnipeg for examination and preservation. The hull of G-CASW is on display in our museum next to our replica of CF-MAG.

The second was CF-MAG, which was owned by the Manitoba Government Air Service. In 1937, the Air Service had already begun phasing out the aging Vedettes from the fleet. When the engine failed, forcing the pilot to land in a swamp near Cormorant Lake in northern Manitoba, the Air Service decided to abandon and torch CF-MAG.

This turned out to be a stroke of luck. The museum’s dive team, which found the wreck in 1975 and recovered much of the fuselage in 1977, discovered that charring from the fire had preserved many delicate wooden fragments of the wings and hull.

Preserved pieces of a third Vedette were loaned to the museum by the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa. These fragments would form the groundwork for the creation of blueprints.

Restoration volunteer Doug Newey, who had recently retired from Bristol Aerospace, had worked at the Vickers plant in Montreal, building Vedette wing struts early in his career. By memory and detailed examination of the assembled Vedette remains, Newey reproduced calculations and drawings that were used to create a set of blueprints. These are the only set of blueprints in existence.

With the new blueprints in hand, in 1980 the museum began the painstaking process of resurrecting the Vickers Vedette. The project required volunteers to learn techniques not used in aircraft construction for decades, such as the special stitching used to sew fabric onto the wings and control surfaces.

Constructing this aircraft was a labour of love. Over 22 years, more than 45,000 hours by over 100 volunteers were invested in the project.

Among the many tasks performed by our volunteers was the manufacture of over 200 ribs and more than 3,000 square nails for the fuselage. The completed Vedette replica was finally unveiled to the public on May 24, 2002.

The replica bears the civilian registration CF-MAG, after the most complete wreck used to create the blueprints, but is painted in Royal Canadian Air Force colours to commemorate the military’s role in early aerial mapping operations.

Our Vedette is one of only two in existence today. The other, on display at the Western Development Museum, is also a replica, completed in 2014.

Be sure to check out this fascinating aircraft the next time you visit!

National Aviation Day takes place every year on February 23. Here are five ways you can celebrate!

Visit the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada

This year, we’re celebrating for TWO days. On Friday, February 23, enjoy discounted admission all day! Visit and enjoy 50% off admission and free parking in the museum’s lot. Complimentary guided tours will take place at 11 am and 1:45 pm.

On Saturday, February 24, we’re hosting our first open cockpit day of the year and we’ve invited a very special guest.

Luke Penner will be joining us to do a presentation about life as a top-ranking aerobatic pilot. Visitors will have access to the cockpits of our CL-84 Dynavert and our new Mini 500 helicopter.

February 24 schedule:

10:00 am – 3:00 pm: Open cockpits – Canadair Dynavert and Mini 500 helicopter

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Presentation and Q&A with Luke Penner, Canada’s top-ranked aerobatic pilot

12:30 pm: Complimentary guided tour

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Presentation and Q&A with Luke Penner, Canada’s top-ranked aerobatic pilot

Watch an aviation-themed movie or television show

There are so many to choose from! Here are a few we like:

Twelve O’Clock High (1949) – Gregory Peck stars as a WWII general who takes a struggling B-17 bomber group and turns them into heroes.

Battle of Britain (1969) – The historical Battle of Britain was a turning point in World War II. During this air battle, the British Royal Air Force kept the German Luftwaffe from establishing air superiority over the English Channel.

Airplane! (1980) – We think this is one of the funniest movies ever made—surely you agree.

Top Gun (1986) – This list just wouldn’t be complete without perhaps the most famous aviation movie of all time.

Pearl Harbour (2001) – Since it’s almost Valentine’s Day, we had to include this one. Part romance, part drama, this movie tells the story of two lifelong friends and US Air Force pilots based in Pearl Harbour when the infamous December 7 attack took place. And, of course, they fall in love with the same girl.

The Aviator (2004) – This movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio as film director and pilot Howard Hughes and focuses on Hughes’ role designing new experimental aircraft.

Sully (2016) recounts the “Miracle on the Hudson” when Captain Sullenberger landed a plane on the Hudson River and saved everyone on board.

Masters of the Air – This mini-series focuses on the real-life experiences of the 100th Bomb Group. Currently streaming on AppleTV+.

Check out a flight simulator

If you feel the need for speed after watching one of the movies recommended above, why not visit a flight simulator? Pilots Club in Winnipeg has CF-18 and 737 simulators.

Book your first flying lesson

Have you always dreamed of getting your pilot’s license?

Harv’s Air offers discovery flights for those interested in learning to fly. These flights are designed to show you what flying an airplane is like and meet the staff you’ll be working with. From there, you can decide if obtaining a pilot’s license is the right path for you.

Flying is a costly endeavour, but there are some scholarships available. The Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) has a variety of aviation scholarships for which you may be eligible. There are many others available across Canada as well. Learn more here.  

Build a model airplane

Looking for something to do with your little ones? Our gift shop, the Landing Zone Boutique, has tons of airplane models and toys.

From plastic models to brick-building sets, fighter jets to a WWI Sopwith Camel, we’ve got something for every aviation enthusiast.

Happy National Aviation Day!

Feature image by Handcraft Creative, courtesy of Travel Manitoba

Our Standard Aero Mechanics’ Workshop is about to get a lot more exciting thanks to a new interactive exhibit.

Six students from the University of Manitoba’s Price Faculty of Engineering recently wrapped up the design of a hands-on exhibit representing the stages of a combustion engine cycle using engine cutaways.

Exhibits like these are a great way for visitors to engage with museum content in a more meaningful way. They’re also a great tool for our educators and all the students who join us for STEM programming.

If you’ve been to the museum and stopped by the Mechanics’ Workshop, you’ve seen our four engine cutaways and heard them roar to life at the press of a pedal. We saw potential to do more with these cutaways and engaged the UM Innovative Design for Engineering Applications (UMIDEA) program to repurpose them into an exhibit designed to meet some of the same learning objectives outlined in our Take Flight! educational STEM programs.

UMIDEA Program

The UMIDEA program is an initiative to involve the local engineering industry with the education and training of engineering students. Program participants work collaboratively with local companies to develop capstone design projects for UM engineering students to complete during their final year.

The Capstone design course is a mandatory class in which groups of four to six students collaborate to apply the design process to a real-world engineering problem. Teams spend time understanding and defining the problem, applying various idea-generation techniques and developing a report for an implementable design. Each project is funded by a sponsoring company and progress is supervised by engineering professors and engineers-in-residence.

Meet the team

The design team for our new exhibit consisted of five mechanical engineering students and one architecture student. Although it was a bit unusual to have an architecture student in the group, Caitlin Cho, a fifth-year member of the team says it was quite helpful. “The way he communicated was much different from the way I would communicate, so that was very valuable. He was also able to make a render of the exhibit and set up augmented reality for it.”

The rest of the team was made up of Iryna Moskalenko, Kassem Harb, Amanda Rismani, Kelton Sutherland, and Tom Gharagyozyan.

Before being assigned a capstone project, each student had to rank their top choices and justify why they would be a good fit for each one. In the case of the RAMWC project, everyone on the team was drawn to it because of its outreach component. Iryna says, “Our goal is to inspire the future generation of engineers, so we wanted to make an exhibit that would appeal to young people and be playful.”

The project

The object of the exhibit was to create an engaging and informative experience to align with the Manitoba Grade 6 science curriculum and the RAMWC educational programs.

Caitlin recalls the biggest challenge the team faced was narrowing down the scope of the project. “When you talk about aircraft and propulsion, there’s so many different things you could talk about and so many things you want to teach.” Eventually, the group settled on mechanical energy conversion.

The team embarked on a comprehensive process, beginning with an in-depth analysis of the Grade 6 curriculum and the existing “Take Flight” programs at RAMWC along with the design requirements and specifications. This initial phase aided in identifying key educational concepts relevant to the exhibit.

In the next phase, through a collaborative brainstorming process, the team identified “Energy Conversion” as the central theme for the exhibit. The concept’s selection was further reinforced by client feedback and a weighted decision matrix, ensuring alignment with the project objectives and the client’s needs.

In the final phase, the team designed a final interactive exhibit and provided the museum with preliminary CAD models, preliminary CAD drawings, bill of materials, cost estimates, and a safety review of the exhibit.

The final exhibit design features four interactive stations representing the stages of a combustion engine cycle: intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust. The four interactive stations surround three decommissioned airplane engine cutaways. The cutaways are enhanced with LED lighting that highlights active parts of the engine based on visitor interaction with the four interactive stations. By taking an interactive approach, the exhibit makes mechanical energy conversion concepts engaging and interesting to Grade 6 students and the general public.

Additionally, an animated, two-part movie was designed to augment the exhibit. The movie involves comparing reciprocal and jet engines and features applications of engines in Canadian aircraft.

The big reveal

The project will now enter the construction phase with the completed exhibit scheduled for installation in fall of 2024.

“We’re so excited to see this exhibit have a home in our Mechanics’ Workshop,” says museum president and CEO, Terry Slobodian. “These talented students have exceeded our expectations and it’s been a delight working with them to come up with the final design. We can’t wait to see students and visitors interacting with the exhibit in the coming months.”

Our thanks to Bob Hastings and the team at WestCaRD for sponsoring this exhibit and to the talented students behind its design.

Did you know that 2024 marks the 50^th anniversary of the Royal Aviation Museum? We were officially incorporated on July 8, 1974.

Throughout the year, we’ll be sharing photos from the past 50 years on our social channels to highlight milestones, events, volunteers, and more. Make sure you’re following us on Instagram and Facebook to catch these posts!

Here are 10 more things to look forward to in 2024:

1. Open Cockpit Days

Our first Open Cockpit Day of the year will take place on Saturday, February 24. We’ll also have an exciting guest speaker that day. Luke Penner, the reigning Canadian aerobatic champion, will be here to tell you what aerobatic flying is like and answer all your questions.

Visitors will have access to our CL-84 Dynavert and our new mini helicopter. Don’t miss this!

2. Visiting aircraft

Last year’s visiting aircraft included a Boeing 737-800 cargo plane, a water bomber, a crop duster, and several WWII-era aircraft.

Though none of our visiting aircraft have been confirmed yet, we’re working on a few very special ones this year. Stay tuned…

3. Visiting exhibits

Beginning March 23, come check out the Ace Academy: Flight Experience, an immersive exhibit where visitors can “fly” a realistic rendering of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum’s Sopwith Ship Camel biplane. Moving their arms up and down, and tilting their bodies, players manoeuver an airplane onscreen — dodging enemy aircraft and aligning themselves to fire.

This exhibit will be at the museum until August, 2024.

We’re keeping our second traveling exhibit a secret for now, but trust us, it’s going to be ace.

4. Spring break programming

Our ‘Passport to Fun!’ programming over spring break last year brought thousands of you to the museum, and boy, we sure did have fun.

If you’re looking for educational, family-friendly activities to do during this year’s break, make sure you plan a visit to the Royal Aviation Museum.

5. The Great Easter Egg Hunt

In 2023, we had 1,300 visitors at our Easter egg hunt! Hunts, actually. Families could sign up for one of four different time-slots throughout the day.

This year, we’ll have a similar format. Kids can bring their own basket or decorate one of our pre-made ones, race around collecting paper eggs, and then trade them in for chocolate.

Details and ticket information coming soon!

6. May the fourth

Where are all our science fiction fans at?

If you weren’t at our May the fourth event last year, make sure you don’t miss out this year. We had a special guided, science fiction-themed tour, a light sabre demonstration, a robot, and cosplayers.

Watch for all this and more on May 4, 2024.

7. Wings & Wheels 3.0

Our signature Father’s Day event will be back on June 16 with a car show, food trucks, giveaways, and more.

8. A new aircraft and a big party

Our volunteers are hard at work on the restoration of our F-86 Sabre. The plan is to unveil the newly restored aircraft this July in celebration of our museum’s 50^th anniversary. We think that’s a pretty good reason to throw a big party, don’t you?

We’re working on the details and will put out a save-the-date announcement soon!

9. The Manitoba Airshow

The Manitoba Airshow is coming back, August 3-4, 2024. Along with aerial performances, the event will have ground-level entertainment, beer gardens, concessions, and souvenir kiosks.

Tickets start at just $12.00 are available now. Get yours here.

10. Halloween with Hobbs

Another one of our favourite traditions, Halloween wth Hobbs, is coming back on October 27.

Stop by for trick-or-treating, children’s activities, and a chance to win prizes in our costume parade!

See? We told you there’s a lot to look forward to—and there’s more we didn’t have room to include on this list!

If you don’t already subscribe to our newsletter, be sure to sign up so that you don’t miss out on news related to any of our upcoming events.

As work progresses on the restoration of our F-86 Sabre, we’ve been digging through our archives to learn more about its history. Recently, we came across an article from the old Western Canada Aviation Museum blog about what it was like to fly this aircraft.

We’ve also included some background on the Golden Hawks, an aerobatic squadron made up of Sabres, plus photos of a 2011 museum visit from Hawk One.

Read to the end to discover our plans for the Sabre once we complete the restoration!

FLYING THE F-86 SABRE

As any fighter pilot would anticipate, the Sabre is an absolute joy to fly.

Most pilots expressed surprise at how tight the cockpit is. The adage of strapping a fighter to your back is not far off when it comes to the F-86. 

The Sabre loves to fly fast, and while she is no match for today’s afterburner-equipped fighters, she accelerates to over 450 knots with little effort or sensation in the cockpit. Yet, she is surprisingly easy to fly – a fighter pilot’s fighter as they say.

Even at an all-up weight of 16,233 pounds, nosewheel rotation occurs at 115 knots and she eagerly leaps into the air at 131 knots with only 2,800 feet of runway behind her. As the jet rapidly accelerates through 200 knots, her leading-edge slats automatically slide closed. Once over 300 knots, the aircraft’s roll rate, even at half aileron deflection is very fast, and dizzyingly so at full deflection. Combining pitch, roll and acceleration rates as she races through the sky, it is readily apparent why the Sabre was so successful as a dog fighter and why she was so revered by those fortunate enough to have flown her.

One of the truly amazing technological advances of the Sabre was its leading-edge slats which automatically deploy at slow speeds to improve manoeuvrability.

Mounted on simple rollers, there is no sound or sensation as they extend or retract. This is an invaluable asset in a slow speed dog fight, or while turning base to final. Overhead pitches are nominally flown at typical fighter speeds of 300 knots. After lowering gear and full flap at 185 knots, final turn is flown at a minimum of 150 knots decreasing to 130 on final and 110 over the threshold.

THE GOLDEN HAWKS LEGACY

The manoeuvrability of the Sabre made it ideal for aerobatic demonstrations, and in 1959, the Golden Hawks aerobatic squadron was formed. This team was the RCAF’s contribution to the golden anniversary of flight in Canada.

Under the command of Wing Commander Jake Easton, Squadron Leader Fern Villeneuve and his team flourished. They quickly established themselves as one of the finest aerobatic teams in the world.

Trademarked by their six gold-coloured F-86 Sabre Mk. 5 fighters, the Golden Hawks represented everything glorious about the RCAF and aviation in Canada.

Although originally slated to fly for only one year, the popularity of the Golden Hawks ensured their survival for five full seasons. Budget cuts to national defence sealed their fate on February 7, 1964, as the team practiced for their sixth season.

All told, over 15,000,000 North Americans watched the Golden Hawks weave their aerial magic in 317 shows over five years. They came to symbolize a form of national pride and were a thrilling sight millions of Canadians would cherish and never forget.

RCAF SABRE 23314: ‘HAWK ONE’

Hawk One was created to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of powered flight in Canada. Vintage Wings of Canada purchased Sabre C-GSBR from a civilian owner in the United States. The team then restored and repainted the Sabre in Golden Hawks livery and dubbed it, “Hawk One.”

C-GSBR previously served for 16 years in the RCAF under serial number 23314. It was the 1,104th Sabre to come off the Canadair assembly line in August 1954, bearing the RCAF serial number 23314. Built as a Sabre Mk.5, it was one of 1,183 Canadian-built Sabres that were delivered to the RCAF between 1951 and 1957 to equip 12 squadrons in Europe as Canada’s aerial commitment to the defence of Europe in the early days of the Cold War.

In 2011, Hawk One participated in 28 public events and flew in 18 airshows across Canada.

Hawk One also made a couple stops at our museum, then called the Western Canada Aviation Museum, in 2009 and again in 2011.

Visitors were allowed to get up close and personal with the aircraft to learn about it and the rich aviation heritage that helped build our nation.

RESTORED F-86 SABRE MK. 6 SCHEDULED FOR UNVEILING AT RAMWC IN SUMMER 2024

The museum’s Sabre, the last one ever produced by Canadair, is currently under restoration by a team of expert volunteers.

Work is scheduled to be complete sometime this summer, at which time it will be unveiled at a celebration in honour of the museum’s 50^th anniversary and the 100^th anniversary of the RCAF.

In the meantime, if you’d like to participate in this project, donate today and join our Sabre Squadron! Learn more here.