Tuesday, September 2, 2014

A visit to the Canadian Museum of Flight and the only Hampden in the world.


My friend Jack in Canada went on a bit of a road trip a couple of days ago and shared these insights into a visit to a local museum.

Finally checked out the "Canadian Museum of Flight" at the Langley regional airport. Kind of ambitious calling it that, as it is fairly small, and has the feel of a small, but good collection.

At the same time, really has the atmosphere of a dedicated, but small community, that loves their aircraft, and what they do, but at the same time, barely hanging on. I went there in the peak summertime hours, and only had one other family there, when I was there. Admission was all of $10, and makes you wonder how they survive. Obviously they love what they do, and great to see that enthusiasm and dedication, but somewhat depressing to see that this doesn't get them more traffic and revenue.

They have the only Hampden on display in the world, so that was the main drawing point, but never seen some of the other aircraft that they have including the ugly CF-100 Canuck, and a Lysander.

All in all, a good day out, and saw some pretty special aircraft. Really pretty small area, and the aircraft were pretty crammed in the outdoor display are. They have a hangar that houses biplanes, and other "perishable" display exhibits.

A great little museum, with some great aircraft, but a little depressing that it is obvious that they need more funding, from wherever that comes from. But they are doing what they can with what they have, and obviously a labour of love.

And pretty special to see the only Hampden in the world. :)























No comments:

Post a Comment