THE CANADIAN MUSEUM OF FLIGHT AND TRANSPORTATION 13527 Crescent Road, Surrey, B.C. V4A 2W1 Phone #535-1115 Fax # 535-3292

MINI NEWSLETTER #37.3 December 16, 1990

Best Wishes FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON AND FOR EVERY DAY OF THE COMING YEAR

THANK YOU

Special thanks to all our members, who indicate their support by becoming members and maintaining their dues.

A thank you also, to those who are not members, but who support our work by way of donations of cash, materials, supplies, and of course artifacts and memorabilia. Every cent is used to best advantage, and materials are either used in the course of operations, worked into exhibits or stored against the time that we have display facilities.

VOLUNTEERS

I'd like to say a few things 
To those who give their time 
To make sure that you'll listen 
I'll say it in a rhyme. 

The people that I speak of 
Are not my boss or peers. 
The ones I'll be referring to 
Are all the VOLUNTEERS. 

You're the ones who give so much; 
You do it all for free. 
If there weren't VOLUNTEERS, 
A sad world it would be. 

At meeting and in workshops, 
You help in many ways. 
You give support and happiness, 
You all DESERVE much PRAISE! 

I want to say a great big THANKS 
For all the work you've done, 
And wish you MERRY CHRISTMAS 
And the BEST IN '91! 

(reprinted from “Volunteer Viewpoint” and Family Development Program.

BOB HEAKES NOW A REGULAR

Bob is now volunteering one day 8 week at the museum. He helped index the museum’s book, and now is working with Ingy Wikene on the historic photo collection.

Bob joins Ingy, Colin Hamilton, and Hank Koehler as a regular weekly volunteer. This is the only way that on-going projects can get done, and their help is very much appreciated.

GOOD BYE, DAVE

We mourn the loss of a very special. volunteer and friend. Dave Ruemke passed away suddenly in Victoria at age 55 as a result of a stroke.

Dave was one of the few long time and very loyal supporters of the Vancouver Island branch of the Museum, and over the years spent many hundreds of hours on museum projects, including restoring a Ready Room board, and a Link trainer.

Dave was one of the Victoria crew who spent several days each year helping in the huge job of preparing for our annual Wings and Wheels events. He will be missed.

WORK BEES

Lots of work still to be done over the winter and to make room to shelter some display items, and prepare for opening next spring. These projects all need a group of people working together. Call Mike Gatey at 596-1365 to offer your help.

CASH DONATIONS WELCOMED

Please consider making a small or large donation to the museum. Specify how you want the money to be used, or we will apply it where it is most needed.

Tax Deductible Receipts are issued for all donations of $10 or more, but to get a 1990 Tax Deductible Receipt, the money must be in our bank by December 31.

The most urgent need is for shelter. We need a temporary building large enough to shelter at least four airplanes. A basic no frills shelter can be erected for about $6,000 and can go with us when we move.

The Lodestar is at a standstill for lack of funds, and money is needed to complete the restoration of Waco CF-CCW and Norseman CF-BSC.

We still haven’t enough in the CHEV TRUCK fund to import, license and get it operational. It has been stored in the U.S. since 1981, but is sorely needed here

Another urgent need is to accumulate funds to hire a part time airplane washer /groundskeeper/general maintenance person, since the work is not getting done on 8 volunteer basis.

$600 is needed to enable us to add computer photos of the items and photos in our collection to our data base. A scanner and a program to operate it are needed.

1990 A SUCCESS – SORT OF

We welcomed visitors from all over the world this year, made many new friends, and gained a number of new members. We received some very welcome major donations, and many smaller ones all of which will contribute to future success.

Over the past few years, we have come to rely on summer students provided under the Federal Government Challenge student employment program to help with gift shop operations, tour guiding and data entry. That much appreciated assistance allowed our own tiny staff to get on with the work of running the museum, but this year we did not qualify for that assistance, nor for other short term projects.

Money that would have been used to pay regular staff went instead to hire summer students. As a result one full time clerk had to be laid off, and two others reduced to 20 and 10 hours per week respectively.

Salaries for an accountant and our restorer are still being donated by a member, but the bulk of the time needed to keep the museum operating is donated by full time and part time volunteers. A special thank you to those who set aside a day or more each week to work at the museum. Thanks also to those of you who turn out to help at special events. They could not be carried out without your help.

Attendance was about the same as last year and exhibits looked better than ever, but keeping them clean and the grass cut was a major problem. Too few volunteers are willing to help out where they are really needed doing the nitty-gritty day to day tasks and as a result, a talented restorer was cutting grass, washing airplanes, policing the grounds, carrying out building maintenance and cleaning, so had little time to restore airplanes.

The same problem exists in the office. Time normally devoted to accepting and cataloguing donations, producing the newsletter and other very essential operations had instead to be spent in serving customers in the gift shop, selling admission tickets, guiding tours, answering phones, sweeping floors and washing windows. All of these jobs can and should be done by volunteers, but no one wants to do these very essential jobs.

We have grown, and it now takes a lot of effort and time to operate the museum. Volunteers are still the backbone of the museum, and have provided over 13,000 hours so far this year, but of this total, well over 8,000 hours was provided by just four people! We cannot expect that kind of support forever and must find ways to hire more full or part time staff, or find more regular volunteers.

WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME TO RUN THE MUSEUM, YOU ASK?

Admission fees brought in $13,800, up from last year, $20,000 came from gift shop operations (up 25%). Souvenir sales at the Abbotsford Air Show added another $8,200 (down 50%). Memberships accounted for $8,900, and special events for $5,100 Other income including rentals to the movie industry accounted for $6,600, while another approximately $2,000 was donated in cash. This totals $64,600 Out of this we have to meet all the operating costs of the museum, including wages.

A Casino night brought in $10,400 to be used on the Norseman restoration. A grant from New Horizons helped build a hauling trailer and bought parts for the Stampe, and the salary for one person plus some office supplies costs for two months was provided on the tail end of a 1989 Federal Government job creation grant.

Another $8,000.00 was received in the form of cash donations designated for hauling and other special accounts, while another $41,000 was targeted for aircraft purchases/restoration.

Transportation and hauling costs were $27,400 (part of which were offset by donations), printing of brochures was $10,000, office and bank costs $3,450, telephone and utilities $4,600, insurance $9,600, shop costs $5,600, for a total of $60,650, not counting computer costs, salaries, and other costs. The shortfall wan made up from lant year’s surplus.

Still, we’ve done it virtually on our own, with no operating grants. Few, if any, other museums in Canada can make that claim. It will be a lean winter, but we’ll be ready for opening in May as usual, and ready to welcome more visitors than ever.

ABBOTSFORD AIR SHOW PROGRAM SHORTAGE

Our permanent library is short copies for 1961, 62, 63, 64, 66, and 76. Does anyone out there have any of these to donate?

CONTINUING HOMESITE SAGA

An application to extend our lease on the present site has been made, and we expect to be here at least through 1992. Because of the long delay, we have had lots of time to re-think what comprises an optimum location for the museum. Clearly, access to large numbers of people is possibly the most important factor if we ore to be self-sufficient, and Cloverdale does not rate very high on that score. We are now considering other options, including Tynehead, Langley Airport, and others.

Still no official notification, but word is that an Order-in-Council was passed on November 15 allowing a grassed aircraft landing strip on the Cloverdale property purchased by Surrey for relocation of the Museum. This culminates over 3 years of frustrated efforts to obtain permission. There is no doubt that member’s support in the form of attending hearings and writing letters has had an effect. Thanks to all of you who took the time to write.

But things have changed during this long period in “limbo”. Nothing could be done to raise funds needed to build facilities – asking for money without having a homesite is pointless; and with the worsening economic climate, and government cutbacks, it will likely be years before we can expect to raise the several millions of dollars needed.

The presence of the BC. Transportation Museum in Cloverdale has been extremely damaging to us, for a number of reasons: The general public, and indeed our own members mistake the BCTM for our Museum, and think that our homesite problem has been solved. They think we have joined forces, especially since two of our aircraft are exhibited there as a courtesy.

The BCTM stages very expensive, (and free) special events, which work against us. Why should a family who plan only one nuch outing n your come to the CMF1 and have to pay when they can go the BCTM event and not only get free admission, but also goodies and a lapel pin? Sadly, the practice works against the BCTM for the same reason.

BCTM has the resources to flood the area with signage, ads and billboards, but the only advertising and promotion we can afford is the free kind. As a result, the market is split, and neither of us gets enough to justify the cost.

Ever since our first proposal to the Provincial government in 1977, we have promoted the concept of a single transportation museum, and after more than 13. years, it is still the way to go. Two museums, one for wheeled vehicles and one for aircraft are folly, and a total waste. of taxpayer money, and, individually, cannot attract enough visitors to ensure success and therefore self-sufficiency. We’ve been around for nearly 20 years, and still growing, in spite of almost insurmountable odds is eloquent testimony that we must know what we are doing.

Still, we can’t cope forever with changing goalposts, and we can’t continue to compete with government, as we now must. Logically, the B.C. Transportation Museum’s collection should be turned over to us, and the financial and other hidden support now provided to the BCTM diverted to us for a start-up period. B.C. would then have its long-awaited total facility which would have a good chance of selfsufficiency e “Museum of Success.”

RELOCATION AND REORGANIZATION STUDY

In the course of seeking funding from the Federal government we discovered that the first step is a comprehensive and (expensive) planning study an expensive proposition. Only then can we apply for any available capital cost funding.

With the assistance of the Museums Assistance Program (MAP), and professional volunteer assistance, we have prepared Terms of Reference, and received estimates of its cost. The proposal that seems to address all of our needs came in at $88,000, which, if approved by MAP, is normally funded up to 50% by that body. We won’t have an answer for about 5 or 6 months, which gives us time to raise the other half of the needed cash. We have made application to Surrey for assistance, but must also find other sources, otherwise we will have to borrow the money.

BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS

“PIONEERING AVIATION IN THE WEST” Sorry! The Museum’s book won’t be ready for Christmas. Newest delivery time is mid February. 350 pages, with over 150 photos. It features interviews of a number of local aviation pioneers and mentions many others. A perfect gift.

Price is $14.95, post paid in Canada or US Order your copy now.

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF MOSQUITO

Few airplanes in the history of aviation have captured the hearts and imaginations of people as has the Mosquito.

An event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the maiden flight of the Mosquito from Hatfield, England was held at Salisbury Hall, England, over the 24th and 25th of November.

Featured were the prototype Mosquito held by the deHavilland Aircraft Museum and the roll-out of Mosquito B.35, TA634, restored to static display over the past 11 years by volunteers. Mosquito T 111, KRR299/G-ASKH provided a grand finale flypast.

Of the 29 Mosquitos left in the world, three are in flying condition; 1 in Florida, and 2 in Britain. At least two others will be restored to flying condition; 1 in B.C.

MOSQUITO VIDEOS, MEMORABILIA

A 47 minute video has been made from deHavilland’s promotional black and white Film on the Mosquito, is for sale in the gift shop at only $15.95 plus tax and $2. for postage. We also have deHavilland Mosquito Museum patches, lapel pins, and stickers on hand, and a couple of current production videos the “Wooden Wonder” and “Mosquitos Airborne” which come from England, and so are pretty pricey.

There are also several fine art prints of the Mosquito, plus several posters, lapel pins and pilot’s notes (reproductions of the WWII booklet) on hand.

“SIX PACK” OF BOOKS SPECIAL

Don McVicar’s offer of 5 books for $99 is now a 6-pack, while stock lasts! You get North Atlantic Cat, A Change of wings, Mosquito Racer and More Than a Pilot, plus your choice of any TWO from the following list: I Kept No Diary, by Air Commod. F.R. Banks Alone in the Sky, by Jean Batten Mosquito Survivors by Stuart Howe Wings On My Sleeve, by RN Capt Eric Brown Flying Cothing, Louise Greer & A. Harold Cloud Cuckooland, by Harold Penrose Airmouse, by Harold Penrose From Bleriot to Spitfire, by David Ogilvy Aeromedicine for Aviators, by K.E.E. Read

Purchased individually, the 6 books would cost more than $200.

PRICE…. .$99.00

Don will autograph and/or inscribe. Allow 3 weeks minimum for delivery.