Programs & Events

Don’t miss Lancaster Days, July 16 – 17, 2024

It’s been 10 years since the Lancaster visited the Royal Aviation Museum and we’re beyond excited for its return.

This is one of only two airworthy Lancasters in the world—you won’t want to miss it!

Our thanks to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum for including us on their 2024 Lancaster tour.

Please note: Advance tickets for one of our timed entry slots are required for this event. If you show up without a pre-purchased ticket, you will not be guaranteed entry.

SCHEDULE:

July 16: Museum open to the public from 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm | VIP reception (museum CLOSED to the public during this time)
The museum will also host a VIP reception on July 16 to welcome the Lancaster. Attendees will be among the first to tour it.
Learn more and purchase VIP tickets

4:00 pm – 8:00 pm | Lancaster on static display (not open for tours)
Advance tickets required (last entry at 7:00 pm)

6:30 pm | Documentary screening, Reunion of Giants
A separate ticket is required for the documentary screening. It is not included with your museum ticket. Learn more and purchase documentary tickets

July 17: Museum open to the public from 1:30 pm – 8:00 pm

1:30 pm – 7:00 pm | Lancaster open for tours (tour line closes at 6:00 pm)
Advance tickets required
NOTE: The Lancaster is not wheelchair accessible. Visitors need to climb a ladder to get inside.

7:00 – 8:00 pm | Lancaster on static display (not open for tours)
Advance tickets required (last entry at 7:00 pm)

Aircraft arrival and departure days and times are subject to weather and mechanical delays and are at the pilot’s discretion. Please monitor our social feeds in advance of your visit.

STANDARD ADMISSION RATES APPLY.
Pass holders/members: Tickets to see the Lancaster are included with your pass/membership. Log in to reserve your tickets.

About Lancaster C-GVRA

The Mynarski Memorial Lancaster, also nicknamed VeRA, is owned and operated by the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, a non-profit charitable museum in Hamilton, Ontario.

The museum’s restoration crew, consisting mostly of World War II veterans, painstakingly restored the aircraft over eleven years. On September 11, 1988, the restored Lancaster flew again and has flown consistently since then. It has gone on several coast-to-coast tours of Canada and, in 2014, the Lancaster was flown to England to tour the UK with the other flying Lancaster.

This Lancaster is dedicated to the memory of Andrew Mynarski of Winnipeg. It is painted in the colours of his aircraft KB726 – VR-A – that flew with RCAF No. 419 “Moose” Squadron. Andrew Mynarski was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, the Commonwealth’s highest award for gallantry, when his Lancaster was shot down in flames by a German night fighter on June 13, 1944. As the bomber fell, he attempted to free the tail gunner trapped in the rear turret of the blazing and out-of-control aircraft. The tail gunner miraculously survived the crash and lived to tell the story, but Andrew Mynarski sadly died from his severe burns.

On Tuesday, July 16, we’ll be screening Reunion of Giants. This film documents the Lancaster’s flight from Hamilton to the UK. Here, it met up with the other only airworthy Lancaster in the world operated by the Royal Air Force. Tickets for this documentary screening will be on sale soon.

The Lancaster’s visit is generously supported by the Paterson Family Foundation.