Greetings!
As the days get shorter and colder, the Canadian Air & Space Museum is stepping up its winter educational programs.
Programs and Upcoming Events
The Museum's Things that Fly! program on December 12 provides three hours of aviation fun for children ages 6 to 9. And over the Christmas holidays teenagers will have an opportunity to participate in our two-day Future Pilots Program on Dec. 29-30 which teaches the fundamentals of flying an aircraft, with an optional introductory flight at a later date.
New exhibits at the Museum include an exhibit produced by Bombardier Aerospace on the history of aircraft manufacturing at Downsview. A DHC-2 Beaver amphibian has arrived for winter display and a DHC-1 Chipmunk trainer is expected soon.
Members are reminded to make their reservations now to attend the Christmas Party on Dec. 8. Seating is 85% sold out and tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be sold at the door.
In November, the Museum recognized some important aviation milestones with a Downsview connection.
1,000th Dash 8/Q-Series & 400th Global Milestone
On November 12, the Museum joined Bombardier Aerospace in celebrations marking a two aviation milestones - the delivery of the 1,000th Dash 8/Q-Series airliner and 400th Global business jet. The Global 5000 and Global XRS jets and Q400 turboprop airliner are currently assembled in Toronto. The museum contributed to celebrations by presenting Bombardier's Toronto Site and its employees the . The 1,000th Dash 8/Q-Series is a Q400 airliner delivered to United Express partner Pinnacle Airlines/Colgan.
D.H. 98 Mosquito - 70th Birthday
On November 25, the museum recognized the 70th anniversary of the first flight of the prototype D.H. 98 Mosquito at Hatfield, England in 1940.
As part of Canada's support of the war effort, production of the Mosquito commenced in Toronto in late 1941 and the prototype Mosquito flew at Downsview on September 23, 1942.
The twin-engine Mosquito and the Dash 8/Q-Series share something in common - more than 1,000 of each took off from the runway at Downsview for distant lands. They join the Tiger Moth and DHC-2 Beaver aircraft in passed the 1,000 aircraft mark, along with the DHC-1 Chipmunk which was built in Toronto (217), the UK (1,000) and Portugal (60).
The historic aircraft factory at Downsview Park where the Mosquito was built is now the home for the Canadian Air & Space Museum. And the modern Bombardier factory has established Toronto as one of the World's top 10 commercial aircraft manufacturing centers the producer of Canada's highest value export.
The two aircraft factories share a common ancestry and a rich heritage that has seen Canadian aviation innovations fly in every country of the world.
E-Newsletter Committee
Canadian Air & Space Museum
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| In This Issue |
| Museum Presents Bombardier with Canadian Air & Space Pioneer Award |
| Christmas Party - Dec. 8 |
| Things that Fly! - Dec. 12 |
| Future Pilot Program - Dec. 29 & 30 |
| The Poppy File: Interactive Map Recognizes Toronto's War Dead |
| Happy 70th Birthday D.H. 98 Mosquito! |
| Volunteers Required Immediately! |
| Just Published! |
Museum Presents Bombardier Aerospace with Canadian Air & Space Pioneer Award in recognition of 1,000th Dash 8/Q-Series Aircraft
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| Speakers from Bombardier, the Federal and Provincial governments, the CAW, and the Museum spoke at the milestone event. Photo: Bombardier/Rick Radell |
The Canadian Air & Space Museum celebrated the delivery of the 1,000th Bombardier Dash 8 / Q-Series airliner by recognizing the Toronto aircraft factory and its thousands of employees with an Award.
At a special celebration of the recent delivery of the 1,000th Dash 8 / Q-Series airliner and 400th Bombardier Global business jet on Friday November 12, Museum Chairman Ian McDougall presented Simon Roberts, Bombardier's Vice President and General Manager, Turboprops and Toronto Operations with the .
The Award is bestowed upon an individual or organization in recognition of their outstanding pioneering achievements and contributions to the Canadian and international air and space industry.
A video tribute to Dash 8 /Q Series and Global aircraft families, as well as photographs and media releases can viewed on the Museum web site.
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| The prototype Q400 has returned to Downsview from Wichita for some local flight test work. Photo: Ken Swartz |
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Museum Presents Award to the Health & Safety Team Supporting Astronaut Dr. Robert Thirsk on his 188-day ISS Mission
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The Museum recently presented the Canadian Air & Space Pioneer Award to members of the Health and Safety team supporting Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Dr. Robert Thirsk on his 188-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in 2009.
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| Award winner Dr. Marvin Lange (centre) is flanked by Kevin Shortt, CSS (L) and Paul Cabot, CASM (R) |
While Dr. Thirsk was circling the earth, behind the scenes on the ground a team of Canadian and American health and safety professionals contributed not only to his safe return to Earth, but also to his mission readiness, and post-mission health.
The health and safety support team members on the ground receiving the Canadian Air & Space Pioneer Award are:
- Dr. Marvin Lange. Psychiatrist
- Dr. Doug Hamilton, Flight Surgeon
- Dr. Gary Gray, Senior Consultant Flight Surgeon
- Ms. Leena Tomi, Project Manager
- Ms. Natalie Hirsch, Project manager
- Mr. Chris Van Velson, Biomedical Engineer
The award recipients were announced on April 13 and a presentation of awards made at the Annual Summit in Ottawa on November 19-21, 2010.
Paul Cabot from the Museum presented the award to Dr. Marvin Lange at the Summit in Ottawa. Also in attendance was Kevin Shortt, President of the Canadian Space Society and a member of the Museum's Award committee.
The Canadian Space Society is based at the Canadian Air & Space Museum in Toronto.
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Museum Members' Christmas Party
Wednesday Dec. 8
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Join us on December 8, 2010 for the annual Canadian Air & Space Museum Members' Christmas Party.
The food is fabulous and the live auction includes very rare and wonderful items! Tickets for the dinner cost $10 per person.Tickets are available from in the Office or from the Gift Shop.
Tickets MUST be purchased prior to the event; no tickets will be on sale at the door. Get your tickets today!! This event is 85% sold out!!
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Things that Fly!
Saturday Dec. 12 - 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
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Things that Fly!
Is a fun program for children ages 6 to 9 and Parent. Kids will be entertained and engaged with fun activities that include:
- Aviation Story-time
- Craft Table
- Games
- Childrens' Aviation Videos
- Paper Airplanes
- Colouring
- Styrofoam Rockets
- Remote Control Helicopters
- Scavenger Hunt
- Glider Simulator
- Sit in a CF-101 Voodoo Jet cockpit
Craft activities: Make take-home airplane models with recyclable materials. Instructor and materials provided.
The fee for Things that Fly! is $25 (Child + 1 Parent)
For reservations and info, contact John Harper, Educational Director for more information. Email: . Tel:
The Canadian Air & Space Museum is a fun place for children and families.
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December 29 & 30, 2010
Upcoming "Future Pilot" Student Programs
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| DA-40 - Photo: Diamond Aircraft |
In addition to hosting school field trips on a weekly basis, the Canadian Air & Space Museum offers regular weekend programs throughout the year for young people interested in aviation and space.
Dec. 29 & 30 - Future Pilots Level I & II
These are full day "ground school" classes in flight controls, engines, navigation, meteorology, radio procedures, runway marking and airport regulations, etc. All classes includes a Museum tour.
After the class, students are encouraged to book a "Flight Day" with licensed flight instructor and fly an plane for a while! (Flight Days are scheduled separately)
Fees
Future Pilots Level I & II - $55 per day (includes pizza and pop lunch each day) Flight Day - $125.
Student Program Dates
Dec. 29 - Future Pilots Level I
Dec. 30 - Future Pilots Level II
** These programs are HST exempt.
Future Pilots Program - Adult Edition
The Education department has received several inquiries regarding holding a Future Pilot's program for older students and adults. We are planning to offer an Adult program soon and are taking bookings
To book a student or adult program, please contact John Harper, Educational Director at or .
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The Poppy File - Remembrance Day 2010
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On November 11, the museum hosted a Remembrance Day ceremony at Downsview Park to recognize Canada's veterans.
 A few days earlier, the names of Toronto's 3,500 Second World War dead listed in the Golden Book of Remembrance at Toronto City Hall were brought out of that hallowed book and into an interactive map for all to see - . The city's losses included 1,584 serving with the Army, 1,483 with the RCAF, 125 with the Navy and 30 with the Merchant Marine.
As you click the red poppies on the map scattered throughout the neighborhoods of the old City of Toronto, you learn the names, age and home address of the fallen and where they died. The map is a cornerstone of the , a special multimedia series created by OpenFile and Patrick Cain. |
D.H.98 Mosquito - Happy 70th Birthday!
Nov. 25, 1940
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DHC flight test team with 1,000th Mosquito, Downsview April 1945.
Photo CASM/DHC |
The First Mosquito
One hundred years ago, Sir Geoffrey de Havilland flew his first aircraft in September 1910 and began a distinguished career as an British aircraft designer and later the head of the company that would carry his name.
The Mosquito was conceived in the late 1930s by Sir Geoffrey as a fast bomber that could out fly enemy fighters. The aircraft was powered by a pair of 12-cylinder Rolls Royce Merlin engines. Built from laminated wood, today the Mosquito would be considered a composite aircraft. Development of the Mosquito took place in secret at Salisbury Hall, a country estate. The prototype was trucked to the nearby de Havilland factory at Hatfield for its first flight by Geoffrey de Havilland Jr. on November 25, 1940.
In his autobiography, Sky Fever, Sir Geoffrey says that working with wood allowed the Mosquito to enter production for the Royal Air Force (RAF) a full year earlier than an equivalent metal aircraft. The Mosquito had a speed of 380-390 mph (610-628 km/h) at 30,000 ft (9,100 m) and demonstrated great single engine performance.
One of the first foreign officials to see the secret Mosquito fly at Hatfield was Canada's Minister of Munitions and Supply, C.D. Howe, on December 15, 1940.
Canadian-Built Mosquitoes
The decision to make the Mosquito in Canada to supplement British production came in mid-1941 while de Havilland Canada was building D.H. 82C Tiger Moths and twin-engine Anson II training aircraft at Downsview.
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| Geoffrey de Havilland Jr. flies the first Canadian Mosquito at Downsview on September 29, 1942. Photo: CASM/DHC |
Working in secret, it took 11 months to build the first Canadian prototype, KB300, which was scheduled to make its first flight at Downsview before VIPs on Sept. 23, 1942. When Geoffrey de Havilland Jr. was delayed in the UK by poor weather, the prototype was flown by DHC's chief test pilot Ralph Spradbrow and F.H. "Peppy" Burrell, a liaison engineer from Hatfield.
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| Actress Joan Fontaine unveiling the Mosquito "Joan" during a visit to Downsview. Joan and her sister Olivia were members of the de Havilland family. Photo: CASM/DHC |
Once Geoffrey de Havilland Jr. arrived in Toronto, he put on a spectacular flying performance that include high speed passes and a climb with one engine feathered.
Since 1940, the Mosquito had been wrapped in secrecy. The Toronto public only learned of the aircraft's existence on Sept. 26 in newspaper stories and on the radio when the Allies revealed that a new high performance aircraft had attacked targets in Oslo, Norway. Then days later, Torontonians saw the impressive aircraft in action roaring over the City and discovered they were making the aircraft in Toronto too!
Among the 4,000 people to witness Geoffrey de Havilland Jr.'s performance at Downsview was John McCurdy, the pilot of the 1909 Silver Dart, Canada's first aircraft.
The first Canadian Mosquito fuselages were made in secret in a vacant building at 888 Dupont Street, near the corner of Osslington. The first English fuselage jig arrived on Dec. 9, 1941 and the first fuselage was competed two and a half months later. Production then shifted to Central Aircraft in London and finally to General Motors in Oshawa. Mosquito wings were built by Massey-Harris at their factory on Weston Road, just south of today's Highway 401. In the early 1990s, the Central Aircraft factory at London Airport was refurbished and became the new home of Diamond Aircraft in North America.
Credit: Many of the above Mosquito highlights come from Fred Hotson's excellent book , published by CANAV Books and available in the Museum gift shop.
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Mosquito FB26, KA114 is being restored in Ardmore, New Zealand.
Photo: Neil Aird, Oct 29, 2010 |
Mosquito Revival
The only surviving Canadian-built Mosquito B. Mark XX fighter-bomber, serial KB336, in the collection of the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum at Rockcliffe Airport in Ottawa.
Another is being slowly being resurrected in New Zealand and is expected to fly by Easter 2011. The aircraft is KA114, a de Havilland Mosquito FB. Mark 26 built at the Downsview factory and delivered directly to reserve RCAF storage in early 1945. In the early 1980s, its remains were salvaged from a prairie farm by aircraft dealer Ed Zalesky of Surrey, BC who later sold KA114 to Jerry Yagen, a vintage aircraft collector in Virginia. The full story of the restoration of KA114 is described in the article on the EAA Museum web site. Most of the original wood has been replaced because of its age.
There are currently no Mosquitoes flying in the world, but in addition to KA114, there are two other sin various stages of being returned to flight. In Canada, the former Spartan Air Services Mk. 35, CF-HML owned by Vancouver FBO owner Bob Jens is being restored at Victoria Airport. Further information on Canada's surviving Mosquitoes can be found on the web site.
The Museum collection includes the wartime de Havilland Canada photo collection and many artifacts from the Mosquito period. In , volunteer Richard Banigan, one of our founding directors, produced an interactive web site with a Community Memories grant from the Virtual Museum of Canada. The features more than 200 pictures and many stories about the Mosquito.
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Canadian Aviator Magazine
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 Are you Plane Crazy?
Need more Canadian aviation news?
As the voice of aviation in Canada, Canadian Aviator magazine for trusted advice on and off the pages of the magazine.
is a sponsor of the Museum's annual Wings & Wheels Heritage Festival held each May at Downsview Park and Airport in Toronto.
For more information, including , visit the their web site.
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| Volunteers Required Immediately! |
The Museum is seeking volunteers who are available on weekdays to help with operations and administration duties. On-site training is provided!
Other volunteer opportunities available include:
- Tour Guide / Museum Docent
- Health & Safety Committee Members
- On-call volunteers - various day time jobs
- Marketing & Communications Task Team (experience required)
- Web Site Development and Management
- Gift Shop Sales
- Library and Archives
If you would like to volunteer at the Museum please contact Natasha at or call .
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The E-News Team welcomes article and news submissions from the membership.
Sincerely,
Natasha Bowes, John Harper & Kenneth Swartz
Museum E-News Team
Canadian Air & Space Museum
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Upcoming Events |
7 p.m.
Museum Christmas Dinner
Dec. 12, 2010
11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Things that Fly!
$25 / child (with parent or grandparent)
1:00 p.m.
CAHS Meeting & Speaker
Buffalo 115461 - Tragedy to Tribute (loss of CAF Buffalo to Syrian missile while on UN duty)
Dec. 29, 2010
Future Pilots Level I
Dec. 30, 2010
Future Pilots Level II
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50th Anniversary Avro Arrow Watches & Models On Sale NOW!
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Watches and Models are on sale now.
ORDER TODAY!!
Models & Watches are selling QUICKLY!!
Click on the photos to order online or call the Gift Shop at
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| Just Published! |
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"There's a beautiful new book from the country's premier author of books related to Canada's aviation history. Aviation in Canada: The Formative Years by Larry Milberry covers the fascinating era of the 1920s and 1930s when things were "really flying high" in our young nation."
Volume 1, 2 and 3 of this outstanding book series are available at the Museum's
Runway 33 Gift Shop
Vol. 1 & 2
$50 each
Vol. 3
$55
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