Several one-of-a-kind aircraft – retrieved across Canada from mountainsides to the bottom of lakes – have been restored and curated to showcase the story of Canada’s rich and unique aviation heritage. More
Where else can you fly a plane, spot a flying saucer, conquer the wind and still be back in time for lunch? Skyways! Our children's gallery features interactive scanners, demonstrations, cockpits, wind tunnels, instrumentation and more. More
Kindergarten to Grade Six teachers! Our Take Flight program has ten modules to complement curriculum units of science, social studies, history, art and language arts. Our interpreters use the airplanes, artifacts and exhibits as teaching tools. More
We are proud to say that each year we raise or earn 90% of our operating expenses through our business and fundraising activities. Only 10% of our funding comes from public sources. We have ambitious plans for growth and your support counts.More
From its early beginnings at the turn of the 20th century, the development of aviation in Manitoba has had a significant impact on Winnipeg, its surrounding communities as well as Manitoba’s north. In 1909, Manitoba ushered in the age of flight with the creation of the first aviation association primarily devoted to the development of aeronautics [...]
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During the 1920s, many Canadian airmen who served in the Great War found work back home in Canada with the Civil Operations branch of the Air Force, which conducted forestry patrols and aerial survey. One such pilot was Flight Lieutenant Jim Uhlman, a Nova Scotian who, in 1929, was put in command of an experimental [...]
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In 1946, the Canadian aviation industry, which had been bolstered by the war effort, suddenly went into decline. The loss of large air force overhaul contracts threatened to close the doors of many large companies such as Winnipeg-based Bristol Aerospace. Bristol President, Murray Auld, sought to use Manitoba’s unique “… geographic location as an advantage [...]
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The world first witnessed the power and speed of the jet engine in the midst of World War II when the Messerschmitt 262 was test flown by the German Luftwaffe in 1942. As Allied engineers raced to build a jet of their own, the Royal Canadian Air Force saw an opportunity to strengthen Canadian military [...]
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In 1956, Canadair’s chief designer, Frederick Phillips, proposed a radically new airplane design. With the help of Latvian-born designer, Karlis Irbitis, the world’s first successful tilt-wing aircraft was created. It was called the CL-84. It was capable of taking off and landing like a helicopter and, by changing the position of its wings and engines [...]
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