The British Columbia Aviation Museum
The BC Aviation Museum's mandate is to preserve the history of Western Canadian aviation, particularly the West Coast. It has become an important educational resource as a historical repository of aircraft, aviation-related objects, and recorded history. Their exhibits celebrate the contributions made by civil aviation to build Western Canada, in particular, British Columbia, and to protect Canada. The exhibits also honor those who fought and those who stood on guard to preserve Canada and the Commonwealth.
Victoria International Airport - formerly Patricia Bay Air Station
The Royal Canadian Air Force ensign was raised above the new Patricia Bay Air Station on October 22, 1939. It was one of 92 RCAF training stations built across Canada under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. And it was home to the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and trained over 10,000 aircrew and maintenance technicians from many allied countries during WW II.
In addition to being an Operational Training Unit (OTU), it was headquarters for RCAF Western Command, defending Canada and the USA following the attack on Hawaii. Over 100 Pat Bay aircrew were killed in training and operations during WW II.
The Museum began in the mid-1980s made up of four groups of aviation enthusiasts. In 1988 the “British Columbia Aviation Museum” was registered as a non-profit Society.
DISPLAYS - COLLECTIONS
Propeller Collection
Wooden and metal propellers, both fixed and adjustable/variable pitch. “Fixed Pitch” propellers are a compromise between power and range (fuel consumption). Ground-adjustable pitch propellers, such as that on the Eastman Sea Rover, allow the blade angle (pitch) to be manually changed by loosening bolts on the blade hub, twisting the blades, and then tightening the bolts to hold the blades at the desired angle to optimize power, speed or fuel economy.
Early Variable Pitch propellers
Constant-speed propellers have a device built into the hub that changes blade pitch automatically similarly to a vehicle's automatic transmission. It enables the pilot to select the optimal engine speed for flight conditions while flying.
Model Aircraft Collection
Over 1100 WWII, 1/72 scale model aircraft display all combatant’s military and experimental aircraft.
Water Bombers & Air Tankers are Aviation’s contribution to the security of Canada’s forests. See also the “MODELS” section for information about these “water bombers”: Martin Mars, Canadair CL-215, and PPBY-05A Canso.
The museum presently has three full-sized firefighting aircraft namely: a Douglas A-26, a Convair 580, both of which are “air tankers”, and a Canso water bomber that can pick up water while flying. The museum received also a Martin Mars water bomber.
Art Gallery – Norseman Room
Paintings & significant prints. The collection is too large for the available display space so it is rotated periodically. Here you will also find Squadron plaques in which Canadians served both: in the RAF and RCAF.
BC Aviation Hall of Fame - Norseman Room
BCAM is home to this display recognizing outstanding achievements in BC aviation and aerospace. The “BC Aviation Hall of Fame” is a registered charity (separate from the BCAM) dedicated to maintaining the exhibit. Nominations to the BC Aviation Hall of Fame may be made annually in 3 categories: Individuals, Aircraft, and Organizations. You will also find a mural showing aircraft and many dozens of pilots and support staff, that came from the Port Hardy Air Terminal at the North end of Vancouver Island. More information is available at: www.bcam.net
FU-GO Balloon Bomb
During WWII, Japan attacked North America with 9,300 large mulberry paper balloons filled with hydrogen. They carried bombs & incendiaries and were launched into the Polar Jet Stream to be carried across the Pacific Ocean to ignite forest fires. A news blackout was imposed so the public was unaware of the risk they posed. An expectant mother and her five children in Oregon were killed because it is thought one of them unknowingly triggered the bomb.
Link Trainer
A trainee pilot sat in a replica airplane that behaved like a real one with no visual outside reference. An operator- controlled flight conditions and gave instructions by radio as to where to fly (altitude, speed, heading etc.). The trainee, using only aircraft instruments, attempted to fly as directed by the operator. A mechanical “crab” traced the “flight” on a map overlay at the control desk to record how well the trainee flew the course.
Missing Anson
A diorama of material recovered from the crash site and documents relating to the flight of an Avro Anson aircraft stationed at Pat Bay during WWII. Over 100 personnel stationed at Pat Bay were killed during training or on operations. Many missing aircraft were never found.
Anson L7056 departed Pat Bay October 30, 1942, on a navigation exercise that would take them out over the Pacific Ocean West approaches to Vancouver Island. On board were three crew members from England and one from Alberta. The aircraft disappeared without a trace.
Seventy-one years later engineers working near Port San Juan, South Vancouver Island happened to come upon the crash site in heavy timber. Parts of the aircraft, some personal belongings, and the remains of the crew were recovered. The crew was buried in Victoria.
ASG-1 Radar - Airborne 1943 version
In 1934-35 Robert Watson Watt successfully applied the use of short wave radio signals to detect aircraft. It became known as “RAdio Direction And Ranging”“radar” and led to the invention of the “cavity magnetron” in 1940 which generated a 1/10 meter radio wavelength.
It was a major factor in winning the Battle of Britain (and was the progenitor of the microwave oven). In late 1940 the “Tizard Mission” turned over to the USA all British Commonwealth military scientific secrets, including microwave radar, as security for a “Lend Lease” loan agreement.
Canadian research secrets revealed to the US included IFF (Identification Friend or Foe), gyroscopic gun sights, gun laying radar, proximity fuse, torpedo and mine defense, and atomic research.
Aeradio Station - MH N Alcove
Before advanced electronics, a network of over 100 Aeradio Stations across North America served as “checkpoints” for scheduled flights. They tracked progress as aircraft flew the “Highways in the Sky” and advised pilots about weather conditions they would encounter ahead. Next to the Aeradio station is a typical Weather Station. Some of the instruments used to forecast weather date back over 100 years.
MEMORIAL ROOM DISPLAYS
Patricia Bay Air Station Model.
The Tower, first hangar & Aircraft types that were stationed here.
Instruments, Communications, Bomb sights, Armament
Gun Cameras (Canadian invention) and other aviation-related items.
Aircraft Nose art, paintings, and mounted photographs
RCAF Women’s Division “Nursing Sisters of Canada”
The backbone of the RCAF Medical Branch.
Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA)
Tribute to the women who ferried aircraft (and passengers) from factories and repair depots to flying fields and back. ATA pilots delivered over 309,000 aircraft of 147 types. All ATA pilots (women and men), received equal pay. 174 of them were killed in service.
Wellington Bomber NA-E Tribute
This tribute to NA-E of 428 Squadron (Canadian night bombing squadron) has, at its top, the tire of NA-E’s tail wheel. The bomber was shot down during a night raid on Germany. The crew were taken prisoner and spent the rest of the war as POWs. In 1992 surviving crew members returned in the company of a German Air Force Officer to look for the crash site.
A farmer, seeing them driving around, asked if they were lost. They told him about the crash and their search for the site. The farmer was sixteen years old at the time of the crash but he remembered being the first person at the crash site. He found the tail wheel and hid it from everyone, never even telling his father. Asking his visitors to wait, he brought the tire and presented it to F/Lt. Jake Ferguson, DFC, CD, Captain of the aircraft, who then built the memorial for the museum.
Hawker Hurricane & Elsie MacGill
A model of the Hawker Hurricane and Commemorative Sword engraved with all theatres in which the aircraft served. The Hawker Hurricane of 1935 was not as famous as the Spitfire but was considered by pilots to be a better “gunner’s platform”. Hurricanes and Spitfires used the RR Merlin Engine but Hurricanes, an older design, could be built and repaired much more quickly than could Spitfires. They outnumbered Spitfires and inflicted 60% of the Luftwaffe losses in the Battle of Britain. They were extremely versatile being used as a bomber-interceptor, fighter-bomber, and for ground support. They were in service here at Patricia Bay throughout WWII.
Elsie MacGill, OC -
The Queen of the Hurricanes is thought to be the first woman in the world to become a Professional Aeronautical Engineer. Elsie was born in Vancouver in 1905, studied at UBC, and became the Chief Aeronautical Engineer of Canadian Car & Foundry (CCF). She was famous for her work re-tooling CCF to mass-produce Hurricanes in Canada.
Elsie designed features to enable Hurricanes to operate in winter conditions including wing de-icing and a method of fitting retractable skis to the aircraft. She was the heroine of a US comic strip of the day entitled “Queen of the Hurricanes”. In 2023 Elsie was honoured by having her image with a Hurricane on a new Canadian $1.00 coin.
George "Buzz" Beurling
Canada’s most successful fighter pilot of WWII, (he introduced himself as “Screwball”) was credited with 31+ confirmed enemy aircraft shot down. However, estimates were that his actual, but unconfirmed, score exceeded 70. He had phenomenal eyesight and was a master at deflection shooting but, being a loner, many of his “kills” were not confirmed. Some were made from seemingly impossible distances.
Gun-sight cameras and Canadian invention recorded numerous apparent kills but because a crash was not witnessed, they were not confirmed. Most pilots close to less than 300 meters before shooting. Buzz had a confirmed kill over Malta at 800 meters. He was shot down four times over Malta and survived nine of a total of ten crashes.
After the war, Beurling, a warrior probably suffering from PTSD, had difficulty adjusting to civilian life. In 1948, he and a friend were recruited to fly P-51 Mustangs for the Israeli Air Force. They departed for Israel flying a Noorduyn Norseman like that here at the BCAM. Following a stop in Rome, upon takeoff, the aircraft exploded and burned killing both occupants. Sabotage was suspected but the ensuing fire destroyed any evidence. His remains were buried in Israel.
Lt. (Navy) Hampton Gray, VC, DSC
His aircraft carried two 500 lb. bombs. One was shot off and his aircraft caught fire but he continued his attack, scored a direct hit with the remaining bomb, and sank the destroyer. His aircraft crashed, his remains were never found. Lt. Gray was awarded the Victoria Cross, one of only two V.C.s awarded to Navy pilots in WWII. The Victoria Cross is the most prestigious award of all British honours dating back to 1856 and is rarely awarded.
A monument overlooking Onagawa Bay, Japan, was built after the war to honor Lt. Gray’s heroism. It is the only known memorial in Japan honoring a foreign warrior. Why was he so honored? Lt. Gray exemplified the code of “Bushido”. He was a Samurai! The BCAM is honored to have a new Canadian Memorial to Lt. Gray, a native son of Nelson, BC. Ironically Hampton Gray was the last son of Nelson, BC, killed in WWII. His brother Jack Gray was the first. Japan’s Consul and his wife attended the dedication of the memorial.
LIBRARY
Extensive curated aviation-related material
- Aviation books – over 8,000 titles – non-fiction & historical narratives.
- Collections of technical manuals and historical archives.
- Videos – 850+ titles - including presentations by museum guest speakers;
- Photographs – approximately 30,000 digital images plus untold paper prints;
Dakota in CP Air Livery
(R4D-8 43307) This exhibit is the forward section of a “Super DC-3” fuselage that is being used as a theatre show movies of Canada’s WW II Aircraft carrier post-war operations. Two of the aircraft shown in the movies are now exhibits at the BCAM.
The airframe section is from an aircraft registered in Canada as C-GJGQ. It was used in BC as a freighter until withdrawn from service in 2008. BC Airlines and Canadian Pacific Airlines used the Dakota aircraft for passenger service in British Columbia.
RESTORATION Hangar
Most of the museum's aircraft have been restored, some built from scratch in the restoration hangar.
AIRCRAFT & REPRODUCTIONS
Ornithopter-Leonardo da Vinci 1485
(Ornithopter means “Flapping Wing”)
This interpretation of da Vinci’s sketch was built by Robert Byers at the Royal BC Museum as a contribution to the da Vinci exhibition world tour of 1998 and had been returned to the Royal BC Museum after the tour. Following display in Vancouver and Victoria air terminals, it was brought to the BCAM.
Several interpretations of da Vinci’s sketches have been built. In 2010 a team from Toronto flew a human powered Ornithopter a record distance of 145 m (475 ft). The record for human pedal-powered flight (not ornithopter) is 115 km.
Chanute Glider 1896
Octave Chanute was hailed as “the father of the heavier-than-air flying machine”. His glider was airworthy but lacked control surfaces. About 100 letters exist between Chanute and the Wright brothers in which he encouraged them and advised on the design of a wing that would create lift. The replica, built in Victoria by Russ Carrington, was donated to the Museum in 1989.
Gibson Twin Plane
William Wallace Gibson immigrated from Scotland. Living in Victoria in 1905 he designed and built Canada’s first successful aircraft engine (variously reported to be 40 or 60 hp), then designed and built Canada’s first complete aeroplane. A short flight was made on September 12, 1910, at Dean’s Farm near Mount Tolmie, now the site of Lansdowne School. Ten days later, a longer flight ended when crosswinds blew the aircraft toward some Oak trees. Gibson landed, but not having brakes, the aircraft rolled into the trees and was demolished.
Gibson salvaged the engine and other parts, then moved to Ladner, BC where he built a second, very different aircraft, the “Multi-Plane”. It had two sets of tri-plane wings, a steering wheel to control dual front- mounted elevators, and ailerons. After a test flight in June 1911, it was taken to Kamloops, then to Calgary Alberta for demonstration flights. According to the Calgary Herald newspaper, Gibson’s assistant, Alex Japp, flew it at an altitude of 100ft. for over a mile on August 12, 1911. On landing it crashed into a coulee and was wrecked.
Gibson abandoned aircraft development and moved to San Francisco where he died in 1965. Gibson’s Twin Plane was the first airplane completely designed, built, and flown in Canada. The engine is on display at the National Aeronautical Collection in Ottawa as being Canada’s first domestic aero-engine. This replica Twin Plane was built by the BCAM, 1987-1996, supported by a Heritage Trust Fund grant.
Historical Note: The first powered flight by a Canadian took place in 1909 when John A.D. McCurdy flew the “Silver Dart” at Baddeck, Nova Scotia. However, the Silver Dart was an American aircraft owned by Alexander Graham Bell (a dual Canada/US citizen) & his American associates.
Nieuport 17
This widely acclaimed early French fighter plane of the “Great War”, was described as “the best pursuit plane of the day”. Hundreds served with the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. Its engine was a LeRhone “rotary”. A “rotary” engine is circular shaped and its crankshaft is bolted to the aircraft’s firewall. The engine, with the rigidly attached propeller, spins around the crankshaft. Rotary engines had a high
power-to-weight ratio and were resistant to battle damage but the gyroscopic effect made the aircraft challenging to fly.
To change the gun’s 97-round magazine in flight, the pilot stood up with the control column between his knees, while he reached over the upper wing towards the gun. Parachutes were not used in the Great War. A number of pilots were killed changing magazines by being thrown out of a suddenly inverted aircraft caused by a “gyroscopic effect”.
This replica is painted in the livery of Duncan Bell-Irving of Vancouver, Canada’s first “Royal Flying Corps Ace” in the Great War. A later Canadian ace, Billy Bishop, made 47 of 72 “kills” flying a Nieuport 17 and received the Victoria Cross.
Jack Blair of Maple Ridge, BC built our 7/8 scale replica, donated to the Museum in 1993 by his widow. The original engine was replaced by an exact 7/8th scale, replica LeRhone Rotary built by Jeff Phillips. Allan Catteral carved the propeller, Mac Duffield machined the hub.
Hoffar H-1 Seaplane
Vancouver boat-builders, Henry & Jimmie Hoffar, built and flew a two-seat bi-plane of their own design in 1917. It was the first Canadian aircraft with a single float and the first floatplane designed, built, and flown in Western Canada.
The Hoffars built over 2,000 civilian and military vessels, one of which was a yacht, the “Taconite”, for William Boeing of Seattle (still sailing). During WW I, the Province of BC considered using aircraft to locate forest fires. The Hoffars reasoned that if they could build an aircraft, the province might purchase it. They designed and built the seaplane using a magazine article about an Avro 500 for reference.
Boeing, impressed by the Hoffars, followed the progress of their venture. The H-I proved difficult at take-off so they designed an improved “flying boat” type aircraft. The H-II crashed due to engine trouble and their H-III struck a “deadhead” (partially sunken log) on takeoff and was demolished.
Boeing was impressed by the brothers’ determination so, after the third crash, he offered to build an aircraft factory in Vancouver if the Hoffars would manage it. A deal was struck and an aviation industry was created in BC. Henry Hoffar was President of Boeing Canada until retiring to Vancouver Island in 1944.
The museum’s full-scale replica of the Hoffar H-I was planned & constructed over eight years by 30+ volunteers to honor the contribution made to the development of the aviation industry in British Columbia by the Hoffar brothers. It was “rolled out” on July 27, 2019. Allan Catteral carved the propeller and Mac Duffield machined the propeller hub.
SE-5A 1917
Built by the Royal Aircraft Factory, it was one of the Allies’ finest fighting scouts of the Great War. It had a service ceiling of 5,180 m (17,000 ft). and a speed of 222 kph (138 mph), making it one of the fastest aircraft of the war. The machine gun is cowl-mounted on the port side of this aircraft. By the time the SE-5A was built, Britain had developed a machine gun interrupter so the aircraft had a Vickers cowl-mounted, belt-fed machine gun.
Why does it still have a wing-mounted Lewis gun?
Pilots could request that one be installed because it provided a second gun should the belt-fed gun “jam” and the “Foster Mount” had been developed. A Foster Mount was a curved rail that permitted the gun to be pulled back and down into the cockpit to make changing magazines faster and safer. Albert Ball, an RAF pilot, realized that the gun in the loading position pointing straight up could still be fired. The pilot could fly under an enemy aircraft and shoot without fear of return fire. The idea was adopted in WWII by the Germans and Japanese.
The first SE-5As were powered by Hispano-Suiza 8A 140 hp water-cooled V-8 engines but were soon replaced by the 200 hp British Wolseley Viper derivatives of the HS-8A, turning a four-bladed propeller.
The 7/8th scale replica was built by Dennis Mitchell of Williams Lake, BC. After the donation to the Museum in 1995, volunteer Jeff Phillip, working from pictures, built a complete-scale replica of the H-S 8A.
Allan Catteral carved the propeller of it and the Hoffar H-1. Mac Duffield machined the propeller hub.
Lincoln Sport 1923
Many aircraft kits for home builders were produced in the 1920s. This one, designed by Swen Swanson for Lincoln Aircraft Co. of Nebraska, was offered as a kit or fully assembled. With its tiny 35 hp Anzani engine, the Sport achieved a speed of 100 mph.
Victor Roos, owner of Lincoln Aircraft, was associated with Clyde Cessna and Mario Bellanca, both of whom went on to become famous. However, Lincoln Aircraft failed in the Great Depression of 1929. The few aircraft that exist are in great demand by collectors. It was flown but was parked outside and, left unprotected, it deteriorated badly.
Rebuilding was done by the late Vern Turley of the BCAM. Vern, an accountant, wanted to build an airplane and seized this project. He read books about aircraft construction and taught himself ultimately creating a superb restoration. Jeff Phillips fabricated many of the parts for the Anzani engine restoration.
Pietenpol Air Campter 1928
Among many aircraft kits produced, the Pietenpol was designed to be simply built of spruce and plywood. It was affordable, easy to construct, and popular with home builders. A Ford Model “A” engine, as on this one, was the recommended power in the early years but later engines included: Continental, Lycoming, and Franklin, and by the 1960s, Chevrolet Corvair “boxer” engines. It was built between 1978 and 1984 by Bob McDonell. It was never flown and was donated to the Museum in 1990.
Eastman Sea Rover Flying Boat 1920’s
Eighteen Sea Rovers were designed & built by Tom Towle & Jim Eastman in Detroit in the 1920s before the company failed in the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Eastman and 35 friends brought five Sea Rovers to Canada to prospect for precious minerals. Failing to strike it rich, they disbanded. Eastman kept three of his aircraft, settled in Atlin, BC, and eventually owned interests in mines at several locations. He used the aircraft to fly between Atlin and Telegraph Creek, BC, and Carcross, Whitehorse in the Yukon. Jim died in 1945 and his aircraft were abandoned.
Roy Fedderly of Fort St. John purchased the derelict fuselage in Atlin. Norm Dressler and Peter L'Hirondelle, arranged the donation to the Museum. Other pieces were found at Duncan (wingtip floats), Fort St. John, BC, and Carcross, Yukon. Bert Clark supervised four years of restoration completed in the summer of 1995. It took the volunteers four years and 18,000 hours to restore the airplane.
Construction is wood & canvas, with aluminum alloy cladding. To make repairs easier, the cladding was fastened with bolts rather than rivets. It was powered by an unusual engine developed in the 1920s. The Curtis “Challenger R-600” is a six-cylinder radial engine rated at 180 hp @ 2,000 rpm.
Radial engines must have an odd number of cylinders or they self-destruct. The R-600 is two, three-cylinder engines joined to make a “two-row” engine with an even number of cylinders. That became standard practice to build large radial aircraft engines.
Fleet Model 2 1930
Fleet Aircraft was set up in Canada in 1930 by Reuben Fleet of Consolidated Aircraft Corporation to circumvent import regulations. The Model 2 was a low-powered trainer for the civilian and recreational market. Twelve were manufactured before being succeeded by the Model 7. Six hundred of them were built as military trainers. Total production in North America was 1,250.
This aircraft, delivered in 1930 was the fourth of the initial production run and spent most of its career at Williams Lake, BC. When retired in 1971 (then owned by Mel Price at Elk Lake) it was the oldest registered commercial aircraft in Canada. It was displayed at the Royal BC Museum in the late 1970s until it was permanently loaned to the BCAM.
Noorduyn Norseman 1935
A “bush plane” designed by Robert Noorduyn as the ideal aircraft for difficult Canadian backcountry flying. The prototype flew in November 1935 and they were produced for almost 25 years. Over nine hundred were built by the end of the Second World War.
It was the first Canadian designed & built aircraft sold internationally. The US Army purchased them during WWII and they eventually served the military of eight countries. It was key in establishing a reputation for excellence of Canadian aircraft. In 2019 a visitor from “down under” told us that the Australian Flying Doctor Service is still using three Norseman aircraft to supply outback logistical services, claiming that nothing is better suited for that role.
BCAM’s Norseman started life as a USAAF UC-64A built in 1944. It returned to Canada in 1956 and later lost a wheel landing at a mining site near Bronson Creek, BC. The crash and a curious bear damaged the aircraft beyond economical repair.
BCAM bought the salvage and acquired another fuselage from Gimli, Manitoba. With assistance from the Millennium Fund, a lengthy restoration returned the aircraft to airworthy condition in August 2003. Chic Henderson and Peter Saunders led the rebuilding with Grant Hopkins doing the painting. It is featured on the logo of the BCAM. Norsemen were the planes in which Buzz Beurling, and Glenn Miller, a famous US orchestra leader, were travelling when they were killed in crashes... causes unknown.
Spitfire 1936
Possibly the best-known combat aircraft of all time, this British classic first flew in March 1936. It evolved from the design of the Supermarine S6B (see Index) racing seaplane of 1931, a world speed record holder. Over 22,000 “Spitfires” and Naval equivalent “Seafires” were built. The iconic Spitfire oval wing originated in work done by German designer Alexander Martin Lippisch.
In 1929 Beverly Shenstone a Canadian aerodynamicist worked with Lippisch in Germany. In 1931 he moved to England to work with Supermarine where he designed the Spitfire. It continued to be developed throughout the War with 47 variants being produced. The 3/4 scale Spitfire replica was being constructed by Bob Noren when he passed away at age 41.
It was completed by members of the Maintenance Group of 443 Squadron, stationed at Patricia Bay. During the War 443 Squadron flew Spitfires throughout Europe and this replica was completed to commemorate 443’s 50th Anniversary in May 1993. It is painted in squadron colors and sports “Invasion Stripes” painted on allied aircraft for the invasion of Europe. It was presented to the Museum in Bob’s memory.
Avro Anson 1936
Created in 1935 as a prototype British Airliner designed by Roy Chadwick, who also designed the Lancaster Bomber. Ansons served 25 nations over 18 years but was out-classed in combat and became a multi-engine trainer and communications aircraft for the BCATP (British Commonwealth Air Training Plan). The planes were withdrawn from service with the RCAF in 1954 but continued to serve for more than another decade in civilian and military use.
About 11,000 Ansons were built in 9 variants, 2,900 of them in Canada. The RCAF used 4,413 between 1940 and 1954, the largest number of a single type in RCAF history. In the museum stands a Mk II obtained from the Fort St. John, BC Legion, restored with a paint scheme and markings of the BCATP. About 20 volunteers worked on the restoration. Material costs were funded by BC Heritage Trust.
Stinson Reliant SR9-E 1937
This rare 1930s classic aircraft is one of only 43 “SR9-E”s built. It is an elegant aircraft with built-in boarding steps, a curved windshield, “bubble” engine cowling, and “gull wing”. The gull or taper-wing has its broadest chord and thickness at mid-span. The outer wing trailing edge is noticeably angled forward with a rounded cutout on the leading edge wing root. A single strut supports the wing and there are prominent steps below the doors. The change in wing thickness and chord length gives it a unique “seagull” appearance when viewed from the front or rear. It is powered by a 320-horsepower Wright R-760-E2 radial engine.
Harvard 1937
An advanced trainer designed by North American Aviation. They served decades as the mainstay of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, a familiar sight and sound in Canadian skies. Noorduyn Aviation built 2,800 Harvards for the RAF and the RCAF during WWII. Canadian Car & Foundry built a further 550 post war for Canada and the US. The parent company built 13,685 T-6 and SNJs. They were used throughout the world, some in combat, until the 1990s.
The museum's rebuilt wreck was donated by Victoria Air Maintenance. Rebuilding was completed on August 5, 2012. The fuselage was salvaged from remote Roderick Island, BC. Two Yukon residents, Ed Hadgkiss, and Kathy Rheaume, crashed in bad weather Nov 10, 1969. They initially survived the crash, but the aircraft was not found until two months after the search was called off. Their survival was documented by a recovered Polaroid Camera and a journey log book, the last note in which said they were going to attempt to hike down cliffs to the water in hopes of rescue by a passing boat. No trace of them was ever found...
In the 1960’s Harvards were used for hail suppression studies of “cloud seeding” in Central Alberta. Silver Iodide flares were attached to the aircraft which were then flown into cumulonimbus clouds. The flares were ignited; updrafts carried the crystals up in the cloud causing water vapor to coalesce and hopefully fall as rain or slush rather than hail.
Luscombe Silvaire 1938
Luscombe Engineering started building all-metal light aircraft in 1933. The “Silvaire” Model 8 was introduced in 1938, but production was interrupted by the Second World War. It was one of the first light aircraft to be built entirely of aluminum. The Silvaire is a 2-person, side-by-side seating Model 8A, built in 1946 with an 85-hp Continental engine. It was donated to the Museum in 1988 by Victoria Air Maintenance when they found it in a crate of parts salvaged in South America. Restoration work was done by students at Camosun College under the direction of Bill Lawrie. The aircraft is finished in the livery of Bill Sylvester's pioneer BC Airlines Ltd.
Bristol Bolingbroke 1939
The UK’s Bristol Blenheim light bomber was a redesign of a 1935 civilian aircraft.
It was one of the first British aircraft constructed with an all-metal stressed skin, retractable landing gear, flaps, a powered gun turret, and variable-pitch propellers.
The Blenheim was produced in several Commonwealth countries in several types, and large numbers. 676 were built by Fairchild at Longueuil, Quebec. The name “Bolingbroke” subsequently designated all Canadian-built aircraft of this type. They saw widespread use on the East and West coasts of Canada during the first part of WWII and were awarded submarine kills on both coasts.
Blenheim derivatives served as light bombers, long-range fighters, night fighters, ground attack aircraft, bomb aimer/gunnery trainers, maritime patrol, and torpedo bombers. The Bristol Bolingbroke was restored from two pieces of one were found on a farm on Salt Spring Island, a fuselage was found in Manitoba. Restoration was completed in 1996. It is painted in the colors of 13 OTU, stationed at Patricia Bay (now Victoria airport) with 115 Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron and 122 Squadron during the War. The restoration was done in cooperation with Camosun College and partly funded by a “Go-BC Grant”.
Avro Lancaster 1942 - Under Restoration
FM-104, a Lancaster bomber was built at Victory Aircraft, Malton, Ontario as a Mk X. Flown to England in January 1945, it was held in reserve and did not fly combat operations. It returned to Canada in June 1945 and was stored at Claresholm, Alberta. In 1951 it was converted to a Maritime Reconnaissance role and was assigned to Maritime Air Command No 103 Rescue Unit headquartered in Greenwood NS. In 1954 it was assigned to 107 Rescue Unit, Torbay (St. John’s NL). It contributed to Canada’s role in the “Cuban Missile Crisis” of 1962 and was retired in November 1964. Canada was the last country in the world to operate Lancasters, and of the last 17 that survived, 10 were built in Canada.
Upon retirement, the FM-104 was put on a pylon in Toronto’s Coronation Park for about 34 years before being given to the BCAM by the City of Toronto in 2018. It will be restored to “Taxi” condition. The project will take a decade, if not longer, to complete and cost millions of dollars. It will be one of very few such iconic aircraft to be restored. This will be done by volunteers, assisted by students of Camosun School of Engineering, supervised by aircraft engineers. FM-104 will be displayed in the post-war livery of 407 “Demon” Squadron based at Comox, BC 1952-1958.
Lancasters carried the largest internal bomb load of any aircraft built by any nation in WWII. They carried the 22,000 lb (10,000 kg) “Grand Slam” bomb and were also famous as the aircraft used by the “Dam Busters” to drop their “bouncing mine” bombs. Several Lancaster models, including a Dam Buster diorama, are on display in the Memorial Room. Stan “Chick” Henderson was a crew member on a 32 Lancaster mission that sank the German Battleship Tirpitz, the heaviest battleship ever built by a European navy, Nov 12, 1944, at Tromsø Norway.
Lancasters dropped thousands of tons of food to 4.5 million starving people in the Netherlands during the winter famine of 1944-45. A temporary truce was made with Germany to permit Allied aircraft to drop emergency supplies into Holland. The first “test” flight, a Lancaster was piloted by a Canadian. Five of its seven crew members were Canadians.
Douglas A26 Invader
A late WWII combat aircraft having two 2,000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800s that provided outstanding performance. A versatile aircraft, it served in the later part of WWII, then the Korean War, and finally in Vietnam.
The museum’s Douglas A-26 Invader was purchased by ConAir of Abbotsford, BC, a world leader in aerial fire-fighting. It became one of ten A-26 fire-fighting air tankers put into service in 1970. The aircraft completed over 2,000 hours of duty as a firefighter up to its last operational flight in 1984. ConAir donated the aircraft to the Museum in 1989.
Lockheed CT-33 Silver Star
The US's first turbojet-powered combat aircraft, Lockheed’s P-80 “Shooting Star” entered service in 1945, just before the end of WWII, but it did not see combat in that war. Known as the “F-80”, it was used in combat in the early stages of the Korean War. As the “T-33” it became a two-seat trainer aircraft and 6,686 of them were built.
The RCAF used CT-33s aka “T-Bird” from 1952 - 2002 mainly for advanced pilot and weapons training, with a few modified as ECM (Electronic Counter Measures) target aircraft. Canadair built 656 under license as the Silver Star, powered by the Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet. The Museum’s CT-33 was purchased in Stony Plain, Alberta by BCAM member Palmer Dahl and donated to the Museum. Extensive restoration was completed in 2010.
Auster AOP 6
Auster, a British company, set up as Taylorcraft UK to licence-build a US design. The post-war AOP 6 (Air Observation Post) was Auster’s own design based on its US predecessors but with trailing flaps added. Its engine was an in-line 4-cylinder de Havilland engine rather than the American flat four. Thirty-six AOP 6s were bought by the RCAF and the Army Air Corps. They were retired in 1958 after service in the Korean War.
The museum’s Auster was built in 1947 and served with 444 Squadron and the Joint Training School. Put into storage, it was sold in 1969, flew for twelve years, then was stored again. Acquired by the Museum in May 2000, it was completely overhauled and repainted in Joint Training School livery. Morris Sweet led the work. The propeller on the starboard (right) wing drives an alternator to power avionics and lights.
Republic RC-3 Seabee
The first amphibious, all-metal light aircraft intended for private ownership flew in November 1944. Near the end of World War II, Republic Aircraft Corporation hoped returning pilots would want to purchase a rugged, inexpensive fishing/camping aircraft. To keep the price low, Seabee wings were covered with corrugated aluminum to eliminate every 2nd wing rib. It was low-powered, slow, and noisy, but it was a fun fishing & camping aircraft.
Seabee was the nickname of the US Navy Construction Battalion. The Navy held copyright to that name. In 1945 Republic was granted the right to use it for their aircraft. Priced in 1946 at US $6,000, costs rose and it was rumoured that Seabees were being sold for less than cost. Only 1,060 were built; the last one was sold in 1948. This Seabee, serial 710, was owned by the manager of Alaska Coast Airlines before it was purchased by Norie Brothers Logging of Vancouver Island. Henry & Frank Norie donated it to the Museum in 1991.
Bell 47D-1
The Bell 47, was the first helicopter certified for civilian use in March 1946. Over 6,200 of several configurations were built during the next thirty years. Modern light helicopters are remarkably similar in layout. The museum’s Bell 47D is from 1947 and was the first commercial helicopter to operate in BC. Originally it had an open cockpit, enclosed tail boom, and wheel undercarriage.
Upgrading to 47D-1 standards added a “soap bubble” canopy, uncovered the tail boom, added a tail rotor guard ("harp") and a skid undercarriage. The movie & TV Series “Mash” made the Bell 47D-1 famous where it appears in the opening credits. This helicopter from Okanagan Helicopters is on permanent loan to the BC Aviation Museum.
Vickers Viscount 757
The British Brabazon Committee, in 1943 recommended types of civilian aircraft that would be needed post-war. Vickers responded with the medium-range “Viscount” which proved to be the most successful British commercial airliner of all time. It was the world’s first pressurized, turboprop powered, civilian airliner. First flown in 1948, it entered service in 1953, and was produced until 1963. Top speed: 342 mph (566 km/h) The Cost in 1953 was £235,000, CAD 412,000.
On April 1, 1955, a Trans Canada Airlines Viscount made the first revenue flight of a turbo-powered airliner in North America from Montreal to Winnipeg. Its Captain, Dave Tribe, retired to Sidney, BC. Captain Tribe’s logbook and memorabilia from that historic flight are also on display at the Museum.
Grumman Tracker CS2F/CP-121
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) selected the Grumman Tracker for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) operations. One hundred were built under license from de Havilland Canada and fitted with Wright Cyclone engines built by Canadian Pratt and Whitney.
ASW gear included: retractable Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD), retractable radome; 70 million candlepower searchlight and sixteen sonobuoys. Homing torpedoes or depth charges could be carried in the weapons bay and under each wing.
The first aircraft flew in May 1956 and they entered service in 1957. Operations off Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Bonaventure began in January 1959. Major updates were made to the aircraft during its life to improve ASW detection ion equipment. The first of those entered service in 1960. Further improvements to the ASW systems were made in 1966 and 1968.
The BC Aviation Museum’s Tracker was donated by the Military Education Centre in Chilliwack in 2021. It is similar to those used by the Royal Canadian Navy/Canadian Armed Forces based at Patricia Bay/Victoria International Airport with VU-33 Utility Squadron from 1962 to 1974. In 1974 under Canadian Armed Forces Unification VU-33 was was renamed 414 Squadron and transferred to CFB Comox, Vancouver Island.
Piasecki H-21 Workhorse
Commonly called “the flying banana”, it was a single-engine, tandem-rotor helicopter. The H-21’s two sets of rotor blades overlapped necessitating the rear set to be raised above the front set which created a banana shape. Winterization features permitted operation at temperatures as low as -65 F (-54 C) so they could be routinely maintained in severe cold weather environments.
Touted to be the first heavy lift helicopter in RCAF service, the H-21 was better suited to the search and rescue role. A few H-21s were based at RCAF Station Sea Island (Vancouver Airport) and then at CFB Comox on Vancouver Island. The museum’s H-21 was intended to be used for Heli-logging in the area around Golden BC.
Aerospatiale Alouette III
The helicopter Alouette III, was manufactured in France by Sud-Aviation. Delivered to the Canadian Coast Guard in 1967, it served 20 years in Victoria, BC. Small sliding panels in the rear doors are to permit stretcher handles to protrude. The French Navy retired the last Alouette III aircraft in 2018, 58 years after entering service.
In 1987 the helicopter was donated to the BC Institute of Technology for student training. It was subsequently donated to the Steveston-London Secondary School and in May 2016 to the BC Aviation Museum.
Sailplane Schreder Airmate HP 11-A
Richard Schreder of Ohio designed this single-seat, high-performance sailplane in 1960. The prototype competed in the 1962 US Nationals in which Schreder made the longest flight. A total of 42 were built in many variations. This one built by Horst Dahlem and friends in Saskatoon, has a 15.9m (52 ft). wingspan. It was completed in 1969, and was flown competitively by Dahlem who donated it to the Museum in 2008.
Maximum speed in smooth air was 298 kph (185 mph). His best flight over a triangular course was 240 km (141 miles) in 4hr 30min. The maximum height it reached was 7,468 m, (24,500 ft). Mr Dahlem visited the BC Aviation Museum often. Upon his retirement from flying, he asked the Museum to preserve this beautiful example of an early Canadian home-built, all-metal competition sailplane.
Maranda, Falconar AMF-S14
A Canadian high wing 2-seat (side by side) kit plane designed for rough field operations by Falconar Avia of Edmonton. Engines up to 150 hp could be installed giving it a cruise speed of 193 kph (120 mph). Ruggedly built of wood covered with fabric, it had a spacious cabin, with folding wings and was easy to handle. It could be constructed for $2,850 in 1985. This 1966 version, donated by the local 676 Kittyhawk Air Cadet Squadron, has been cut away to show structure & control functions.
Canadair CF-104 Starfighter
In the late 1950s, Canada redefined its role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with a commitment to a nuclear strike mission which meant replacing its F-86 Sabrejets being used a NATO day fighters. Canadair was chosen to build a highly modified, Canadian Version of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter.
The RCAF (later CAF) designated it as the CF-104 and put it into service in 1962 optimized for a nuclear strike/reconnaissance role. When stationed in Europe it was armed with US nuclear weapons but not in Canada. It was used primarily as a ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft, dedicated to the air-to-ground mode. In 1987 it was replaced by the CF-18 Hornet.
Low-level flight is dangerous, particularly in poor weather conditions. Early crashes caused the press to label the CF-104 the "Widow-maker". Pilots and crews strongly disagreed, calling it the “zipper” and “lawn-dart”. However, the loss rate was similar to its predecessor F-86 Sabre jet which flew higher and slower.
Canadair CT-114 Tutor (model CL-41)
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), later Canadian Forces, standard jet trainers between the early 1960s and 2000. It was designed and produced by Canadian aircraft manufacturer Canadair. Development commenced as a private venture by Canadair. On 13 January 1960, the prototype performed its maiden flight. In mid-1962 Canada placed a major order for them.
The Tutor served as the Canadian Air Forces primary jet trainer until 2000, when it was retired, and replaced by the newer British-built CT-155 Hawk and the American-built CT-156 Harvard II. A small number of Tutors are currently being used by RCAF 431 Squadron known as the Snowbirds Precision flying team.
Westwind IV. RCAF Expeditor
This Westwind IV began as an Expeditor built in 1943 and served the RCAF as a trainer and transport until the 1950s. Used as a transport by the BC Government, it was modified in the mid-1960s by Government Air Services to create an executive aircraft for use by the Minister of Highways, “Flying” Phil Gaglardi. “Flying” was added to his name because he was infamous for high-speed driving between his home in Kamloops and Victoria.
The Expeditor’s twin rudders were replaced by a conventional central, vertical swept fin and rudder, and a tricycle undercarriage was installed. Pratt & Whitney PT-6 turboprops replaced the original radial engines. The resulting aircraft was faster and more comfortable but at great cost. After only a few years of service, the airplane was sold to Keewatin Air of Manitoba who donated it to the BC Aviation Museum in 1990.
Scorpion II, by RotorWay Helicopter
RotorWay built its first helicopter in 1961. It was offered in 1967 as the first low-cost workable kit helicopter intended for sport flying. Its 140 hp OMC Evinrude two-stroke outboard engine provided enough power to lift an adult and child. An improved version was offered in 1971 as the Scorpion II.
However, the OMC engine was inefficient. Excessive vibration caused cracks in the airframe and rapid wear to the drive system. In 1976 RotorWay began using its own 4-cycle engine for added power and less vibration. The model RW-133 could carry a useful load of 190 kg (420 lbs) at 129 kph (80 mph), with a range of 193 km (120 miles). The museum’s RotorWay heli was built in 1973 and flew until 1978. In 1981 it was purchased by Ted Fisher, who began to restore it, but he died in an airplane accident in 2006. His family donated this aircraft to the Museum.
Trident Tri-Gull Seaplane
In 1970 Trident Aircraft of Burnaby, later Sidney, BC, designed a much improved, quite beautiful version of the Republic Seabee. The new design incorporated several important improvements such as Wing tip floats to reduce drag, and additional wing area and lift.
The first aircraft flew in 1973 and was certified in Canada and the USA in 1976. A financial recession in 1980 caused the company to close. Two flying prototypes were built. Viking Air holds the type certificate and provided the display aircraft to the Museum.
Rutan Quickie
Burt Rutan designed many strange composite aircraft but they all flew. The Quickie was designed in 1977 by Rutan, T. Jewett and G. Sheehan. Constructed of foam covered in glass fibre, it weighs only 113 kg, (250 lbs.) The innovative “canard” layout (elevator and horizontal stabilizer placed ahead of the main wing) makes it stall-proof. It is powered by a 25 hp Onan lawn tractor engine.
This aircraft was built in Victoria in 1978 by Fran Benton and was donated to the Museum in 1995.
It is the only light aircraft the museum has that was built by a BC woman.
In 1986 Rutan’s Model 76 “Voyager” was the first aircraft to fly around the world non-stop, without refuelling. The pilots, Burt’s wife, and his brother, flew 4-hour shifts for 9 1/2 days.
AIRCRAFT MODELS - Large Scale
Bellanca Air Cruiser (Airbus) model
( 1/6 scale model) This utility plane was designed to use wheels, floats or skis. Powered by a Wright Cyclone supercharged radial engine they could carry 1,800 kg (4,000 lb) payloads and served as both commercial and military transports capable of carrying up to 15 passengers. Air Cruisers were popular Canadian bush planes supplying mining activity where they were known as “Flying Ws” because of the shape of the lower wings.
Supermarine S.6B model
This famous British racing seaplane was developed by R.J. Mitchell. The S.6B with a Rolls-Royce R Merlin engine won the Schneider trophy in 1931 and later set a world speed record of 655.57 kph, (407.5 mph). The S.6B was the forerunner of the Supermarine Spitfire of WWII fame.
Tiger Moth DH.82 model
This 1930s de Havilland primary RAF trainer was also used for maritime surveillance. Some were outfitted as light bombers. De Havilland Canada manufactured over 1,500 of them in all versions. Early Moth engines were only 120 hp(89 kW) but RCAF trainers were upgraded to 130 hp (97 KW) de Havilland Gipsy Major engines. The Moth was replaced in the 1950s as Canada’s basic trainer by the de Havilland “Chipmunk”.
Supermarine Walrus model
An amphibious reconnaissance and rescue aircraft originally named the “Seagull”. Its origin was an Australian Royal Air Force requirement for an aircraft to support Navy cruisers. Walruses served with the Royal Air Force at Patricia Bay Air Station during WWII. The Walrus Mk I was the first British squadron aircraft with an all-metal fuselage, retracting main undercarriage, and totally enclosed crew quarters, including the cockpit. It carried a crew of 3 or 4 and was powered by a single Bristol Pegasus V1 9-cylinder radial engine. The Mk I had an all-metal hull while the later Mk II had a wooden hull.
Vickers Wellington model
A long-range medium bomber, anti-submarine, and mining aircraft. It was known as the “Wimpy” after the Popeye cartoon character “J. Wellington Wimpy”.
Its “geodetic” airframe was immensely strong. Wellingtons were built in larger numbers than any other British-built bomber and were the only British bomber produced for the full duration of the war.
Supermarine Stranraer model
A 1930s-era RAF flying boat used for anti-submarine and convoy escort patrol. Canadian Vickers built 40 in Canada for the RCAF. They were used for coastal defense/search and rescue here in BC. They remained in service until 1946. After being taken out of military service, some were sold to regional airlines and continued to serve into the 1950s. In 1946 Jim Spilsbury (in Hall of Fame), acquired a Stranraer and built Queen Charlotte Airlines from a bush flying operation.
QCA was sold to Pacific Western Airlines in 1955 which became the third largest airline in Canada. One of the original BC Stranraers, CF-BXO, is now on display in the Royal Air Force Museum in London, England. The model’s hull, built and donated by Jim Barry of Nanaimo, is painted in the livery of Queen Charlotte Airlines. Wings and final fitting were completed by volunteer Rob Atton.
Martin Mars model
Entered service in 1944 as the world’s largest production flying boat. In 1959 Forest Industries Flying Tankers purchased the four survivors of seven built. Converted into water bombers, they were capable of scooping up 30 tons of water in 22 seconds on the fly.
One crashed on a Vancouver Island mountain in 1961. A second had its back broken here at Pat Bay by Typhoon Freda in 1962. In 2007 the two remaining Mars were purchased by Coulson Forest Products but are no longer in service. They played an important role in protecting BC timber resources for 30 years. They were the genesis of British Columbia becoming a world leader in the use of aircraft to combat forest fires.
de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito model
The “wooden wonder” was a mostly wooden aircraft and was one of the fastest operational aircraft in the world. It was designed as an unarmed bomber so fast that no enemy fighter could catch it. Later it evolved into a night bomber, pathfinder, day/night fighter and several other roles. Powered by RR Merlin engines, it was used by the RAF, RCAF, Royal Australian AF, and US Army AF. Various versions could reach speeds exceeding 657 kph (400 mph) and carry a 1,810 kg (4,000 lb) bomb load. After WWII Canada’s Spartan Air Services had Mosquitos in their fleet used to aerial survey much of Canada and at least 24 other countries.
North American Aviation P-51 Mustang RAF model
Flown 1944-1956 by 443 Squadron RCAF (New Westminster BC). The 443 is now stationed here at Pat Bay and is now known as the Maritime Helicopter Squadron.
The Mustang was built for the British Purchasing Commission by North American Aviation in the USA. It was originally equipped with the Allison V-1710 engine but that was soon replaced by the Rolls-Royce Merlin which greatly improved the aircraft’s high-altitude performance. The Mustang served with the RAF, RCAF, Royal New Zealand Air Force, and the US Army Air Force.
de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver model
De Havilland Aircraft Canada designed the Beaver as a STOL (short takeoff and landing) with the capability to fly from land, snow or water. It was the first all-metal “bush plane” to be designed and built in Canada. Its engine oiling system could be serviced while flying. A refuelling port under the wing sheltered refuelling in inclement weather. Capacity was 2 crew + 6 passengers or over 680 kg (1,500 lb) cargo. Almost 1,700 were built and quickly became known as a worldwide icon, serving in as many as 60 countries. Over 800 are still in service.
de Havilland DHC-3 Single Otter model
A larger, more powerful version of the Beaver using the 600 hp P&W R-1340 engine. Seating increased to 2 crew + 11 passengers or 1,100 kg (2,400 lbs) cargo. Like the Beaver, it could be flown from wheels, floats or skis.
The newest DHC-6 “Twin Otter” is powered by two PT6A-27 turboprop engines and can carry 22 passengers.
Avro CF-105 Arrow model
This 2-seater, delta wing interceptor was years ahead of its time. The Arrow was designed for speeds exceeding Mach 2, at altitudes over 50,000 ft, and was considered at the time to be the best aircraft of its type in the world. Unfortunately the Arrow was rolled out the same day that Russia launched Sputnik 1, the world’s first artificial satellite. The successful launch of Sputnik threatened future attacks by Intercontinental Ballistic missiles rather than bombers. Military analysts proclaimed that ICBMs made expensive interceptor aircraft obsolete, and declared that future wars would be fought with missiles.
Arrow development costs were claimed to be out of control. Three countries that had expressed interest in purchasing it had second thoughts. Canada could not afford to build it without assured sales. The Arrow was terminated abruptly, dismissing 13,000 skilled workers. Bomarc missiles and CF-101 Voodoo aircraft were thought to be a less costly way for Canada to meet its North American defense commitment.
With the cancellation of the Arrow, the “Iroquois engine developed for it - by far the most powerful jet engine in the world - was also terminated.
As sad a day as it was for the Canadian aerospace industry, thousands of suddenly unemployed, highly skilled engineers and technicians were offered jobs by US companies and by NASA. It could be argued that Canadians built the initial US space program and it shows largely in books and movie credits. In 1962 Avro Canada became part of Hawker Siddeley Canada.
Major General George R. Pearkes VC, of Vancouver Island was Minister of Defence during the Arrow controversy and was later Lieutenant-Governor of BC. Born in 1885 and died in 1984, he is buried in the cemetery at Holy Trinity Anglican Church located next to “Hospital Hill” at the North-West corner of Victoria International Airport.
Canadair CL-215 Water Bomber model
The world’s first “purpose-built” water bomber was a versatile aircraft that could also be used for passenger, freight and air-sea search & rescue. Originally equipped with radial engines, in 1994 it was replaced by a turbine-powered version, the CL-415.
Canadair was acquired by Bombardier Aerospace in 1986. In 1993 Viking Aviation of Sidney acquired the rights to manufacture parts, modify and overhaul CL 215s. Soon after, the CL-415, a turboprop version with many improvements, began production. In 2016 Viking Aviation purchased the production rights to that aircraft as well as the CL-215 and CL-215T. In 2019 Longview Aviation, (owner of Viking Aviation) acquired the manufacturing rights to the Dash 8 program from Bombardier. Included in the transaction was a transfer of rights to the de Havilland name and trademarks.
AIRCRAFT ENGINES & POWER UNITS
Most radial engines are affixed directly to the airframe and the propeller is attached to the engine crankshaft. A cut-away display built by Jeff Phillips shows how all pistons of a single-row radial engine connect to one crankshaft throw.
However, radial engines have a second sub-class known as “Rotary Engine”. The majority of BCAM’s radial engines are conventional types on which the propeller is attached to the crankshaft. The BCAM has a replica of the “Rotary” engine mounted on a Nieuport 17. An explanation of the “Rotary” engine may be found at the end of this list of engines.
Anzani 1910
Alessandro Anzani was a French motorcycle engine builder who developed a three cylinder radial “Y” engine around 1909. The Lincoln “Sport Plane” has the simplest version of this engine type: a 35 hp three-cylinder Anzani built in the USA under license from Anzani.
Hall Scott L-4 1910
Hall Scott adapted a 4-cylinder, in-line marine engine as an aircraft engine. It weighed 186 kg (410 lbs) and produced 90 to 100 hp., and powered many early Boeing aircraft, including those that flew the first international airmail service between Canada and Seattle WA. USA in 1919.
de Havilland Gipsy 1
A relatively simple engine, the de Havilland Gipsy 1, was the forerunner of a series of successes. The British four cylinder in-line air-cooled engine was produced from 1928 to 1934. It produced 90 hp, weighed 129 kg (285 lbs) and was used on the de Havilland “Gypsy Moth”, Avro “Avian” and the Curtiss-Reid “Rambler”. See also deHavilland “Gypsy Major” next page.
LeBlond Model 5D
During the 1930s there were a variety of small radials available to aircraft manufacturers. The LeBlond 60-5D from 1928, was a five cylinder, 234 cu. in. (3.8 L) that produced 60 hp @ 1,800 rpm.
Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Jr.
This “exploded” engine was important in the history of bush planes and trainers. A family of Wasp engines developed from it delivered up to 425 hp for a weight of just under 295 kg (650 lbs). The museum’s Noorduyn Norseman and North American Harvard have Wasp engines.
Allison V-1710
This liquid cooled V-12 of the 1930s, built by the Allison division of General Motors, became a major US WWII combat engine. Although similar to the Merlin, the Allison was a simpler engine and less costly to build, but its high altitude performance suffered for the lack of a good 2 stage super-charger and it was not as reliable as the Merlin. With a typical rating of 1,475 hp and weight of 723 kg (1,595 lbs), it was fitted to ground support aircraft such as the Lockheed P-38 “Lightning”, the Bell P-39 Airacobra, and the Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk, all of which served with the RCAF at Patricia Bay.
Wright Cyclone 9 R-1820
Classic US nine-cylinder radial produced from 1931 until the 1950s. Originally rated at 575 hp, its power rating climbed to 1,525 hp by the end of production. The best-known applications were the B-17 Flying Fortress, the DC-3/C-47 Dakota, the North American T-28B, and the Grumman Tracker. We have two of these engines, one restored by Jeff Phillips, the other in a “power egg” from a Tracker.
Power-egg
A "unitized" or modular engine installation used in German WWII aircraft, primarily multi-engine air-frame designs. It consisted of an engine with all ancillary equipment, quick-change attach points, and connectors. The ‘egg” could be rapidly swapped between similar aircraft.
de Havilland Gipsy Major
The “Gipsy 1” had a low thrust line which posed a propeller clearance problem for airframe designers. The “Gipsy Major” was inverted to offer more propeller clearance. The basic layout was unchanged – four-cylinder, in-line, but its power rating was raised to 130 - 145 hp with a weight of 138 kg (305 lbs). Its most important application was in the classic “Tiger Moth”.
Jacobs L4 MB 1934 “Shakin’ Jake”
A US seven-cylinder radial produced for 40 years with power output from 200 to 350 hp, at a typical weight of 211 kg (465 lbs). A rugged, reliable engine for trainers and light transports, including Avro “Ansons” and Cessna “Cranes” of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.
Ranger L-440-3
This US-built, Ranger Aviation six-cylinder, in-line, air-cooled 200 hp engine powered the Fairchild PT19 Cornell and PT 26 trainers used at Patricia Bay during WWII. It was also used on Grumman Widgeon amphibians stationed at Pat Bay.
Wright Duplex-Cyclone R-3350-24WA
The “Cyclone 18” is a (usually) supercharged two-row, 18-cylinder development of the “Cyclone 9”. It was first run in 1937 and was produced into the 1950s. Power ranged from 2,200 to over 3,700 hp. (1,640 to 2,760 kW). Applications included the “Boeing B-29 Super Fortress”, “Fairchild C-119 Packet”, “Lockheed C-121 Super Constellation” and “Douglas A-1 Skyraider”. The museum has a time-expired from a “Martin Mars” flying boat, donated by Forest Industries FlyingTankers.
Bristol Type 734 Hercules
Bristol Aeroplane Company in the UK introduced the “Hercules”, two-row sleeve valve engine in 1939 as part of a long series of radial engines. Its initial rating was 1,250 hp, but it remained in production until the 1950s by which time power had increased to over 2,000 hp.
This 14 cylinder, two-row, sleeve-valve radial was one of the most significant British military engines of WWII, produced in large numbers for “Beaufighter”, “Halifax”, “Stirling”, “Wellington” and some “Lancasters”. Considered one of the most reliable aircraft engines of WWII, it continued to be used post-war on civilian aircraft. Our 2,020 hp was used on a Wardair Bristol Freighter.
R-R Packard Merlin Mk 29 V-1650 1941
Perhaps the best-known, most respected, aircraft engine of all time, the “Merlin” is a V-12 liquid-cooled classic that originated in the early 1930s. Despite early problems with the carburetor, it became a winner, powering Allied combat aircraft, including the “Spitfire”, “Hurricane”, “Lancaster” and “Mosquito” among others. Development ranged from Mk 1 to Mk 71, and over 155,000 were built.
In 1941 license was granted to Packard, USA to build a version of the North American P-51 Mustang. This one is a Mk 29, built by Packard, for a Canadian-built Hawker Hurricane. It was donated by Bill Simpson. Early Merlin aircraft engines would cut out (stall) when encountering negative G such as a sudden dive. A surge of fuel would flood the carburetor and drown the supercharger, killing the engine.
Beatrice “Tilly” Shilling, (MSc, PhD) was employed by the Royal Aircraft Establishment as an engineer. She drove racing motorcycles and automobiles as a hobby. Shilling designed a restriction ring for the Merlin carburetor inlet that allowed enough fuel for the engine to develop full power, but not enough to flood it. It did not solve the problem of fuel starvation during inverted flight, but enormously improved fighter performance and pilot safety. The ring was affectionately referred to as “Miss Shilling’s Orifice”. Inverted flight fuel starvation was fixed when Rolls-Royce developed a pressure carburetor in 1943. Merlins also powered torpedo boats and, cut down to 8 cylinders, allied tanks.
Rolls-Royce Nene Mark 1
The “Nene” was a complete redesign of the RR “Derwent”, an improved version of the RR “Welland”, itself a renamed version of Frank Whittle’s original “Power Jets W.2B” turbojet.
When first run in late 1944, it showed a dramatic thrust improvement over the Derwent. The “Nene Mk 1” thrust output was 2,268 kg (5,000 lbs), briefly the most powerful engine in the world. The most significant Canadian application powered the Canadair-built version of the Lockheed’s T-33 (CT-33), also on display at the Museum. A derivative, the Klimov VK-1, powered Soviet MIG-15s during the Korean War.
Franklin Model 4AC
Aircooled Motors created a series of air-cooled “flat fours” aka “boxer engines” which, in the late 1930s were sold under the “Franklin” name. This 90 hp engine was used on the Stinson “Voyager”. Franklins were also used in early Bell 47 light helicopters. Republic Seabees, used six-cylinder, 500 cubic inch, 215 horsepower Franklin engines.
Aircooled Motors was purchased in 1947 by Tucker Car Corp. to build only water-cooled engines for their cars. Tucker Car failed and in 1961 Aircooled Motors was sold to Aero Industries which restored the Franklin name.
Avro Orenda
Avro Canada was established in 1946, and its Engine Division soon began developing gas-turbine aircraft engines. The first small axial turbojet was named “Orenda” in 1949. Numerous Orenda versions were developed through to the Mk 14 that powered the CF-100 all-weather interceptor, and Canadair, license-built, F-86 Sabre 5 & Sabre 6. The 3,311 kg, (7,300 lbs.) static thrust “Orenda 11” proved to be a very successful engine at a time when other axial flow turbojets were considered troublesome.
Avro Canada pioneered the use of titanium and designed a more powerful turbojet engine than the Orenda, named “PS-13”. In 1956. the Avro’s Engine Division was renamed “Orenda Engines” and the PS-13 was renamed “Iroquois”. An extremely powerful engine intended for the Avro Arrow, it produced 11,793 kg (26,000 lbs) thrust with an afterburner at sea level.
B-47 with Iroquois engine on Starboard rear
Mike Cooper-Slipper was the Test Pilot for the full 150 hours of Iroquois engine testing on the B-47. Mike had been a WWII Hurricane pilot in the “Battle of Britain” and became a member of the Museum.
Sadly, the demise of the Arrow also killed the Iroquois, the most powerful turbojet engine in the world.
The Concorde, a British-French supersonic airliner with a maximum speed of Mach 2.04, first flew in 1969. It was powered by Rolls-Royce Olympus engines that incorporated engineering developed by Orenda for the Iroquois engine.
ENGINES
Lycoming IO 360 A 1B
After WWII the engines of choice for light aircraft were four-cylinder (flat fours or “Boxer” engines) made by Continental and Lycoming. The Museum’s 200 hp Lycoming IO 360 is typical. Over 160 variants of this engine were produced and powered about 136 types of fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. The Museum’s display engine powered a Lake “Buccaneer” amphibian owned by renowned BC artist Toni Onley. Toni lost his life in a crash into the Fraser River in 2004. The engine, propeller, and pylon were salvaged as a tribute to Toni.
Pratt & Whitney (Canada) PT-6A-20
A major Canadian success story! During the 1950s and early 60s, Pratt & Whitney (Canada) experimented with small gas turbine engines. The simple and highly reliable PT-6 was certified in December 1963 at 500 shp (shaft horsepower). They were built as “turboprops” for aircraft, and “turboshafts” for stationary engine applications, and are still in production. It is the world’s most popular engine in its class. Since 1963 over 52,000 have been built for over 130 applications. The Museum’s is an early A-20 of 500 shp, but modern ones are rated up to 1,900 shp. The Museum’s Westwind IV was equipped with this engine as are 36 other aircraft types (2019).
Evinrude outboard engine
These engines were modified to power home-built aircraft such as in the Scorpion II kit helicopter built in the early '70s. This 140 hp motor claimed a 197 kg (435 lb) load capacity and a 121 kph (75 mph) cruising speed but excessive vibration caused early failure of air-frame and final drives. Later, RotorWay replaced it with their own 4 cycle engine, a big improvement.
BRP Rotax 447
BRP Rotax, an Austrian company that made engines for snowmobiles and jet skis, is now part of the Canadian Bombardier group. Their naturally aspirated and turbocharged engines became popular with ultralight aircraft builders. Rotax is currently the world’s largest manufacturer of gasoline aircraft engines. The Museum’s two-cylinder, air-cooled, 2-cycle engine produced about 40 hp.
APU (Auxiliary Power Unit)
APUs are installed on medium to large aircraft to provide electrical power when engines are not running and to supplement engine generators. An example is maintaining air conditioning when an aircraft is awaiting taxi clearance. This one uses a turbine engine to power the generator. It was given by Camosun College in exchange for a radial engine.
Rotary Engines
A rotary engine is essentially a standard (“Otto”) four-cycle engine, with cylinders arranged radially (in a circle) around a central crankshaft like a conventional radial engine. Rotary engines were used in some early motor cars and at least one motorcycle manufacturer installed rotary engines in a wheel of the cycle.
Unlike the common radial engine which has a fixed cylinder block with a rotating crankshaft, on a rotary engine, the crankshaft remains stationary, fixed solidly to the airframe and the cylinders rotate around it, with the propeller bolted to the crankcase.
The Museum’s Future:
The museum has grown to the point where the lack of room to display all of the exhibits comprising thousands of artifacts. More aircraft are coming. Additional hangar space, reception area, classrooms, and improved pubic facilities including washrooms and a kitchen are urgently needed.
Large exhibits are seldom received in display condition. Many have been rebuilt, some built from scratch. The Museum provides educational activities for schools and their volunteer program offers mentoring for people who would like to try new challenges. Currently, the Camosun College is helping to restore a Canadian-built WWII Avro Lancaster, donated by the City of Toronto. The completion will require a decade, perhaps longer, and will cost millions.
The museum’s library is literally full to the rafters and the lecture/meeting room is inadequate for present levels of attendance. A fourth hangar needs to be added! It will meet current public museum standards of conservation to safeguard the collection.
If you enjoyed the Museum and would like to support it, consider becoming a member. If you would like to attend as often as you like without the obligation of membership, annual passes are available. See the cashiers for a complete list of benefits. If you wish to support a specific project or exhibit, a donation may be made directly to project/exhibit of your choice at the front desk.
Museum Guide Contributors:
Writer/coordinator: Mac Duffield. Librarians: Doug Rollins, Gord Bell, Geoff Hallet.
Guides and others: Connie Barr, Lyle Coulter, Larry Dibnah, Norm Dressler, Bill Fisher, Russ Hudson,
Peter Keith-Murray, Alex Kerr, Steve Nichol, Pat Phillips, Jeff Phillips, Graham Stallard.
Editors: Peter Callegari, Wendy Duffield, Jeanette Maher.
British Columbia Aviation Museum
1910 Norseman Road, Sidney,
British Columbia, Canada, V8L 5V5
48°38′25.8'' N 123°25′13.2'' W
Telephone – 250-655-3300
Website: https://bcam.net/ - Email: info@bcam.net
No comments:
Post a Comment