About

July 30, 2024

---

This month, we welcomed two World War II aircraft as part of our RCAF 100 celebrations: the PBY-5A Canso and the Avro Lancaster. We also welcomed nearly 9,000 visitors throughout the month! Kudos to our Visitor Experience team and volunteers for all their hard work in making each visitor’s experience special.

PBY-5A Canso: July 8 – 9, 2024

The Canso is a rare and remarkable plane that played a vital role in Canada’s history. It was used as a submarine hunter, and for search and rescue during the war. After the War, it was converted for civilian use, mostly as a water bomber to help fight forest fires first in Newfoundland and later in western Canada. 

In 2001, while fighting fires in the Inuvik, NWT area, FNJE started taking on water while loading and sank in about 100 feet of water.  It was floated to the surface and pulled to the northeast shore of Sitidgi Lake where the engines were removed and salvaged.

This Canso is one of the few remaining airworthy examples in the world. Thanks to the efforts of wonderful volunteers at the Fairview Aircraft Restoration Society (FARS), it now has a distinctive orange and green paint scheme that represents the provincial colours of the Province of Newfoundland. It was repainted during the conversion to become part of their air tanker fleet.

Avro Lancaster: July 16 – 17, 2024

Recognized as the most famous Allied bomber of World War II, the Avro Lancaster is a lasting symbol of our freedom. The Mynarski Memorial Lancaster, also nicknamed VeRA, is owned and operated by the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, a non-profit charitable museum located 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 and is one of only two airworthy Lancasters in the world. 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.

July also saw the launch of our Summer Fun Days programming which has been a big hit with participants. We plan to bring back these programs next year and make them bigger and better.

Coming up in August

If you missed either of these visiting aircraft, we have one more coming up! Hannu Halminen’s P-51D Mustang will visit the museum August 9 – 11, 2024.

Learn more about this and other events taking place in August on our Events page.

FEATURE IMAGE BY JOEY SENFT. RANDY STRAUGHAN, FLIGHT ENGINEER FOR THE LANCASTER.