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Top 5 photo ops at the Royal Aviation Museum

July 5, 2023

Have you actually been somewhere if you don’t have photo proof? Our museum is full of fun spaces to pose for pics with friends and family. Here are our top five!

1. Inside the Voodoo flight and tactics trainer

Live your fighter pilot fantasies! Take a seat inside our Voodoo trainer and imagine yourself climbing high above the clouds at nearly 50,000 feet per minute.

This simulator allowed Voodoo pilots and navigators to practice flying skills and aircraft intercept procedures. An instructor at a separate console could change the instrument readings to simulate different operational conditions.

The Voodoo trainer is in our Military Skies exhibit, next to our CF-104 Starfighter. Head outside and see a complete CF-101 Voodoo in Aviation Plaza.

A family plays in the Voodoo fighter jet flight and tactics trainer at the Royal Aviation Museum. The trainer is the cockpit of a Voodoo aircraft. The canopy is propped open and a short staircase leads up to a platform where visitors can access the trainer.
Family fun in the Voodoo flight and tactics trainer. Photo by Joan Ballester
A man sits in the Voodoo trainer at the Royal Aviation Museum. He's looking off to the side and smiling.
What does this button do? Photo by Dave Brandt
Two young children play in the Voodoo flight and tactics trainer at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. The canopy is propped open. One child is in the pilot's seat and another behind, in the co-pilot's seat.
We got this. Photo by Vanessa Desorcy
Closeup of a young smiling boy playing in the CF-101 Voodoo flight and tactics trainer at the Royal Aviation Museum. The boy is looking at the camera and his left hand is resting on one of the controls in the cockpit.
We interrupt this pre-flight inspection to bring you a super cute pilot. Photo by Vanessa Desorcy
2. Behind the controls of a Beechcraft Musketeer

The Musketeer was used by the Canadian Armed Forces from 1971 to 1992 to train new pilots. It featured twin seats and controls for a pilot trainee and a flight instructor. After gaining basic flight experience in the Musketeer, trainees would move on to the more advanced single or multi-engine trainers. The bright paint scheme increased the aircraft’s visibility, reducing the risk of collisions.

Find this exhibit in our Science of Flight exhibit on the second floor.

A volunteer leans into the cockpit of the Beechcraft Musketeer at the Royal Aviation Museum. Inside a young boy kneels on the pilot's seat and points at something on the ceiling.
A RAMWC volunteer helps a young visitor complete his pre-flight inspection.
Closeup of the controls inside the Beechcraft Musketeer at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada
Controls of the Beechcraft Musketeer. Photo by @jes.peniche
Two visitors sit in the Beechcraft Musketeer at the Royal Aviation Museum. Close-up of the pilot's seat from outside the aircraft. A young boy is looking out the window giving a thumbs up. Visible next to him is a parent figure smiling at the camera.
Ready for takeoff!
3. With Hobbs the Bear

Our mascot, Hobbs the Bear, is named after a decorated Canadian pilot named Basil Deacon Hobbs who lived from 1894 to 1963 and is a favourite of our CEO, Terry Slobodian.

In 1917, pilot Basil Hobbs became one of the few Canadians to shoot down a German Zeppelin. This earned him the Distinguished Service Order.

Snap a selfie with Hobbs in our lobby and listen to the accompanying story of how young Hobbs (the bear) grew up dreaming about becoming a pilot. You can also read this story in our brand-new, hand-drawn colouring book, available at the Landing Zone Boutique.

Bonus points if you visit during one of our special events and snag a photo with our live-action Hobbs!

A family poses next to the Royal Aviation Museum's mascot at an event. Behind them is the museum's Junkers Ju52 aircrat.
Photo with Hobbs before his next flight. Photo by Vanessa Desorcy
A female visitor at the Royal Aviation Museum stands next to the museum's mascot, Hobbs the Bear. The visitor is wearing a dark denim button up and light denim jeans. Hobbs is lifesize, wearing a leather aviator jacket, aviator goggles, and a white scarf bearing the RAMWC logo.
Photo by Riddhi Jhala
Photo courtesy @liisbethh
4. Inside the Viscount

Stepping inside our Vickers Viscount is like entering a time machine. Suddenly, you’re in the golden age of aviation where every seat is first class and the aisles are wide enough to dance down.

The British-built Viscount was the world’s first turboprop-powered airliner. It offered greater speed, reliability, and passenger comfort than earlier piston-engined aircraft.

Check it out in our Stevenson Field gallery.

A young female visitor sits in one of the seats of the Vickers Viscount aircraft at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. The shot is taken from across the aisle, one of the aircraft's windows is visible behind her.
Dreaming of adventure. Photo by @thisistineke
A female visitor sits in on the sits of the Vickers Viscount aircraft at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. Behind her, the rest of the empty seats are visible.
First-class flight. Photo by @jes.peniche
A female visitor dressed in denim poses in the aisle of the vintage Vickers Viscount passenger aircraft at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada.
Fly back in time in the Vickers Viscount. Photo by Riddhi Jhala
5. Galaxy Exploration Zone

Our space-themed area is designed for our younger visitors, but we’ve seen adults in there on more than one occasion. Who can resist a slide and a photo inside a giant astronaut helmet?

With plenty of areas to learn and explore and a giant mural painted by muralist Estelle Régnier, this play zone can entertain kids for hours.

Exploring the tunnels of the Galaxy Exploration Zone. Photo by Steve Salnikowski
Whee! Photo by Steve Salnikowski
Galaxy Exploration Play Zone
Astronaut for a day. Photo by Joey Senft

What’s your favorite spot in the museum?

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