December 5, 2022
This review was graciously submitted to us by Ed Unrau, former editor of the Royal Aviation Museum’s Altitude magazine.
The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada is easily one of the best museums in Manitoba, if not in Canada. It is impressively successful in the way that it makes aviation history a story of continuing relevance.
I have visited almost every aviation museum in Canada and many other museums as well. I think that our aviation museum in Winnipeg is easily among the top five museums of any type in Canada.
When our museum closed in October of 2018, it left behind a hangar on Ferry Road that itself was old enough to be a historic artefact in its own right. That old building closed with the promise that it would re-open as a locally-inspired but nationally connected museum dedicated to preserving and presenting the history of Canadian Aviation.
The aircraft and aviation stories have been selected to support themes such as the contributions of individuals such as James A. Richardson to Canadian aviation, Canadian aviation inventions and Canadian contributions to aviation technology, and the impact of aviation on remote communities.
There is also a consistent effort to provide human context to the items on display by, for example, linking airplanes and artefacts to the experiences or contributions of real people. While some of these stories relate to people in the past, other stories relate to people still alive. One example of the latter pays tribute to two young indigenous women who qualified as pilots in the past decade and who are now flying in Manitoba’s north.
Indigenous connections are part of stories within the “bush flying” theme. But not all of these connections are positive – to its credit, the museum includes a display that shows that airplanes were a key component in support of the residential school system.
Visitors who remember the Ferry Road museum will see many familiar aircraft, including the Vickers Vedette, the Vickers Viscount, the Fairchild Super 71, the Fokker Super Universal, and the Junkers JU 52.
But there is also a lot that is new. Here are five highlights that have made their debut in the new museum:
First, are the viewing kiosks that, at the touch of an on-screen button, activate a video/audio presentation. Topics include: the Hudson Strait Expedition, the Churchill airlift, Aerial Mapping of Canada, the first Trans-Canada flight, the MacDonald Brothers aircraft manufacturing firm, and the Prairie air mail service.
Second, the Ghost of Charron Lake becomes less mysterious in an exhibit where a feature video describes the years of effort that went into its recovery from the bottom of this northern Manitoba lake. Video viewers are surrounded by the metal skeleton of the recovered Fokker Universal and photos and related artefacts.
Third, the Bellanca Aircruiser makes its debut on the museum floor. This huge fabric-covered airplane with its distinctive “W” shaped lifting struts was in the last stages of restoration when the old museum closed and had to wait until now to go on display.
Fourth, the Canadair CL-84 Dynavert, which was pushed against a wall, mostly disassembled, in the old museum is now on the museum floor, fully assembled as an example of Canadian innovation.
Fifth, visitors also need to look up to the ceiling where aircraft fly in suspended animation. Some of these airplanes are a Canadair Tutor, the aircraft type that continues to fly as part of the RCAF Snowbird demonstration team, a de Havilland Beaver that saw service in the Manitoba government air service, and a Schweizer glider.
Background to foreground and L to R: Tiger Moth, Stinson Reliant, Schweizer Glider, N.A. Yale, Canadair Tutor
The windows in the building are designed to bring the outside in and the inside out. They admit an abundance of natural light throughout the building and provide passers-by with a fleeting glimpse of what is inside, especially at night.
On the main floor, and out of sight from visitors are the museum library and a work area for restoration and display development. Another main floor feature is a children’s play area for energetic youngsters. Also on the main floor is the gift shop with a wide selection of aviation-themed merchandise.
On the second floor, visitors will find a hands-on display that illustrates the principles of flight at one end, and a lounge at the other end that overlooks Winnipeg airport operations as well as the museum’s outside display plaza.
Also on this upper level are meeting rooms of various sizes, making the museum a destination place for organizations who want to combine the museum experience with their business agenda. A kitchen area supports catering services.
Your museum experience will require a visit of at least 90 minutes – it will be time well spent.
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