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Photo Gallery: The RCAF Museum

By Jim Bates

In the early 1980s, a few members of the Canadian Armed Forces began to realize that much of the Forces's aviation history was slowly slipping away. In order to preserve some of that history, the RCAF Memorial Museum was founded on April 1, 1984, the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The Museum was located on the grounds of Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Ontario, which in and of itself is a very historic airfield. Since 1984, the Museum has grown to become one of Canada's premiere aviation museums, with an interesting collection of recent RCAF/CAF aircraft, as well as, a very rare and ambitious restoration project.

One of the most impressive aspects of the Museum is the actual museum itself. Many aviation museums are little more than a collection of aircraft with little or no attempt to tell any story or place the aircraft in context. The RCAF Museum has done an excellent job in telling the story of the RCAF using many artifacts, memorabilia, unit displays, and model aircraft. One of the most interesting indoor displays is a 1/2 size all metal Spitfire model which has been mounted such that it can become a travelling display to promote the Museum. Once you tour the Museum, you come to the outside air park that includes the Museum collection of aircraft in a nicely landscaped grassy area.The first three aircraft that were acquired by the Museum included a Canadair built F-86 Sabre Mk. 5 s/n 23257, a Canadair built CT-133 Silver Star s/n 21435, and a Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck s/n 18774. The Canadair built Sabre Mk. 5 was an upgraded F-86 that was built specifically for the RCAF. During the 1950s and 1960s, the Sabre was Canada's front line fighter both at home and in Europe. The RCAF Sabres differed from the standard North American built F-86s by the installation of the Canadian designed and built Orenda engine. The RCAF Museum's example is a Sabre Mk. 5 which had the 6-3 hard wing and is painted in the markings of the RCAF's Golden Hawks aerobatic team.

The Silver Star may go down in history as the longest serving aircraft in the RCAF/CAF. The T- 33 was purchased by the Canadians as a advanced trainer, and entered service in 1953. As with the Sabre, the CT-133s were licensed built by Canadair for the RCAF. The Silver Star still serves with the CAF today, and there are no plans to retire the aircraft anytime in the near future. The CT-133 on display at the RCAF Museum has been restored in the markings of the "Red Knight." The "Red Knight" was a solo T-33 aerobatic demonstration that thrilled audiences across Canada during the 1960s.

Only one Canadian designed fighter has ever gone into service with the RCAF. That aircraft was none other the Avro Canada designed CF-100 Canuck, known in Canadian service as the Clunk. Six hundred ninety-two examples of this all weather fighter served with the RCAF until the last example was retired in 1981. The Museum's example has been painted in the markings of the all black prototype CF-100.

In addition to the above aircraft the Museum has been able to acquire a reasonable collection of aircraft operated by the RCAF/CAF in the post war years. One of the newest displays at the Museum is a former RAF deHavilland Chipmunk. The DHC-1 Chipmunk was the first Canadian designed aircraft to be put into production by deHavilland Canada. The Chipmunk was used extensively by the RCAF as a primary trainer; however, the vast majority of Chipmunks were used by the RAF. The Museum aircraft was donated to the Museum by the RAF after the type was retired from service. The aircraft has remained in its RAF markings.

To replace the Chipmunk the CAF purchased an off the shelf Beechcraft trainer, the Beech CT- 134 Musketeer. The Musketeer proved to be a successful primary trainer for the CAF, but they were withdrawn from service in the early 1990s when Canada privatized its primary training program.

Another trainer type that is on display at the Museum is the Canadian built Canadair CT-114 Tutor. The Tutor was designed by Canadair as a replacement for the CT-133 Silver Star. Over 190 Tutors have served with the RCAF/CAF and they have trained many Canadian pilots. The Tutor has also become famous to the airshow crowds as the mount of the Red Knight, the Golden Centennaires, and the Snowbirds. The Museum aircraft is a former Snowbirds aircraft that had been returned to use as a standard trainer.

During the late 1960s and 1970s the RCAF upgraded from their Sabres, and CF-100s with three types. They were the CF-104 Starfighter, CF-101B Voodoo, and the CF-5 Freedom Fighter. The Museum has been able to acquire one of each of these types for the Museum. During the 1960s the RCAF purchased its first batch of McDonnell Douglas Voodoos to replace the CF-100s serving in Canada. The Museum Voodoo, s/n 101040, is one of the second batch of Voodoos that Canada acquired from the U.S. in 1970 as part of project Peace Wings. It last served with 409 Squadron at CFB Comox, B.C., and it remains in that squadron's markings at the Museum.

Like many NATO nations, the Royal Canadian Air Force purchased the CF-104 Starfighter in the 1960s. As with many aircraft the CAF purchased from the U.S., the CF-104s were built by Canadair of Montreal and featured licensed built J-79 engines. Canada originally used the CF- 104 as a nuclear bomber in Europe. In the early 1970s the CAF decided to change the CF-104 role to that of conventional ground attack. With this change, the CF-104 adopted camouflage and lo-vis markings, which the RCAF Museum example now wears.

In 1966 the Canadian Air Force purchased a licensed built version, again by Canadair, of the Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter. When the purchased was first announced the CAF was not happy with the Canadian government's decision to purchase the cheaper aircraft, as the CAF really wanted a fleet of F-4 Phantoms. However, the aircraft was successfully used as a close air support aircraft for many years, and was only recently retired from service. The RCAF Museum has two CF-5s in its collection. The first is mounted close to 401 Highway to entice visitors to the Museum. In the air park there is a specially marked 419 Squadron CF-5 that looks quite attractive in its brilliant red and white paint scheme.

One of the most interesting projects that was undertaken by the RCAF Museum was the restoration and recovery of a Canadair CP-107 Argus. The Argus was a Canadian built derivative of the Bristol Britannia and was used by the RCAF for many years as a maritime patrol aircraft. The last Argus were retired from service in 1982, but one airframe was pressed into service as a battle damage repair and hostage rescue training aircraft at CFB Mountainview. By mid 1990s the aircraft was looking a lot worse for wear, when the RCAF Museum stepped in to recover and restore Argus s/n 107732. The Museum has done a great job restoring this large aircraft, and the finished product looks impressive in its CAF maritime patrol markings.

The other large aircraft currently on display at the Museum is a Douglas C-47 Dakota. The Dakota was operated by the RCAF from 1943 till 1989. The aircraft on display at the Museum was one of the last CC-129 Dakotas that was operated by the CAF and was repainted in the "Canucks Unlimited" markings of an aircraft in service with 435 and 436 Squadrons in Burma during World War Two.

Only one helicopter is on display at the RCAF Museum. This Bell CH-136 Kiowa is a reminder of the many rotor wing aircraft that have served with the RCAF/CAF. As with many of the aircraft at the Museum, it is preserved in its striking "special" scheme it wore upon retirement from service.

Although the Museum is dedicated to the RCAF there are a few foreign aircraft on the display at the Museum. A Hawker Hunter, J-4029, that served with the Patrouille Suiss aerobatic team was donated to the Museum by the Swiss Air Force when the type was retired from service.

The other foreign aircraft on display at the Museum is a MiG-21 that was donated to Museum by the German Air Force. The MiG-21 represents the many MiGs that the RCAF/CAF countered in Europe during the Cold War years.

No article on the Museum can be complete without talking about one of the most interesting restoration projects that is now underway in Canada. On April 23, 1945, Halifax B. VII s/n NA337 X for Xray was shot down over Norway after resupplying the Norwegian Resistance. The plane crash landed in Lake Mjosa where it lay for 50 years. In 1995 the aircraft was recovered from the Lake and returned to Canada for restoration and display at the RCAF Museum. The Museum is greatly honored to house and restore this aircraft as Canadians flew more sorties during WWII in Halifax bombers than in the even more famous Lancaster bomber. At this time the Museum has completed the restoration of the rear fuselage section of the Halifax. Work is also progressing on the fuselage center section of the plane, along with the wing center section. Three out of the four engines that were recovered with the plane have been restored to operable condition. Much work remains on the aircraft, especially on the nose and outer wing sections, but the Museum hopes to put the plane on display in 2000.

As I hope I have been able to illustrate above, the RCAF Museum does a great job of telling the story of military aviation in Canada, and is well worth a visit. The Museum is open seven days a week, and admission is free, so next time you are visiting Southern Ontario stop by for a visit.