Mini Newsletter Number 37.1 July 5, 1990
THE CANADIAN MUSEUM OF FLIGHT AND TRANSPORTATION 13527 Crescent Road, Surrey, B.C. V4A 2W1 Phone #535-1115 Fax # 535-3292
IS YOU MEMBERSHIP VALID?
Check the Expiry Date listed on the top right hand corner of your address label. If its due, or overdue, please renew.
If you find that the cost of maintaining a regular membership is too high for your budget, why not consider the $10 “Friend” category? This will bring you all the mailings, to allow you to keep in touch with the progress of the Museum, and you will still get free admission to the Museum, a vote at the general meetings, but no discount at the gift shop.
WINGS & WHEELS JULY 14 AND 15
Too few volunteers are trying to cope with the huge amount of work involved in getting ready for Wings & Wheels. The phone committee has been working long hours calling for volunteers, but if you’ve been missed, please call and offer your help during the week prior. Lots of yard work, gardening and grass cutting to do in advance, as well as to help out on the two days of the event itself, and to help clean up afterwards.
If you can’t help out, come on out as a visitor. Members get in free, but you must have your card ready to show the ticket seller, as they are too busy to wait while you fumble out your wallet and search for it.
If you can’t help and you can’t come, pass the word to your friends and relatives to come on out. It’s a great family fun day.
NEW HOMESITE AT CLOVERDALE
Still no word from Victoria. It’s time that members became much more vocal. Please, send your MLA a letter and ask him to help expedite the relocation of the Canadian Museum of Flight and Transportation. A letter from a CMFT member carries a lot of weight, and enough of them will make a difference, but they must get in the mail – they do no good at all as good intentions.
We now have a professionally constructed three dimension model of the site, thanks to members Barry Jackson, and which we will be exhibiting wherever we get the opportunity.
SPECIAL EVENTS SCHEDULE
- JULY 14,15 (SAT & SUN) WINGS & WHEELS
- JULY 19 (THURS) OUTDOOR BARBECUE, GENERAL MEETING
- JULY 29 (SUN) THUNDERBIRD CAR MEET
- AUG 13, 14, 15 (MON, TUES, WED) NASA AEROVAN EXHIBIT
- SEPT 9 (SUN) BRITISH & EUROPEAN CAR MEET
- SEPT 20 (THURS) WINGS & WHEELS WRAPUP PARTY
- OCT 18 (THURS) GENERAL MEETING
OUTDOOR BARBECUE, GENERAL MEETING JULY 19
Set aside Thursday, July 19 for this gettogether. Time is 6:00 p.m. for bar, and 7:00 p.m. for dinner, with the general meeting scheduled for about 8:00 p.m. Cost is $10 for barbecued hamburger steak, fries, salad, roll and coffee. Or, bring and barbecue your own steak and pay only $4 for the veggies and coffee.
Dinner is not mandatory, so if you want to attend the meeting only, arrive at 8:00 p.m.
THUNDERBIRD CAR MEET JULY 29
This is the first of what is expected to be an annual event. It will be run the same as the British Car Meet-Thunderbird car owners will bring their cars and be on hand to talk to visitors about them. There will be a small air display (subject to availability), and door prizes. There will be a children’s program, and tour guides will be on hand to give tours.
It takes about 20 to 25 volunteers to run this event-selling tickets, helping in the food booth, the information booth, acting as tour guides, and the usual pre-event preparations. Please phone in your offer to help.
SCHOOL TOURS
There were a number of school tours this year, including a few from the Chilliwack school district. Some of them have upwards of 60 students in attendance. The 15-minute “Show and Tell” portion of the tour is still a popular feature with the students.
The tour program could be developed to be a very powerful educational and promotional feature of the Museum. Sadly, there was no one to do it this year, and the tours we did get were repeat visits or came as a result of word of mouth advertising. Any one out there willing to take on tour development?
WALKMAN TOURS OF THE MUSEUM
The Museum has been extremely fortunate to be able to work with Insight Tours who have developed a very professional taped guided tour of the Museum’s exhibits. Walkmans will be rented to visitors at a very low fee. The approximately 1 hr tape will guide the visitor through the major exhibits, and will include general interest information additional to the data on the signage.
The Museum is very grateful to Insight Tours, who found ways to make what would otherwise be a very expensive undertaking affordable.
BITS GETTING SPIFFIER
The grounds have never looked better, park benches and tables, and well thought out exhibit arrangement all add up to a very pleasant visitor experience. Professional looking signage is slowly replacing hand-lettered boards. All in all, members should be very proud of the general impression that visitors to the Museum get. A check of the guest register lists addresses from all over the world, and most like what they see.
But, it could be better. The effort to maintain the grounds and exhibits takes up all the mechanic’s time, and while Phil Humphrey and Mike Gatey turn out and help with some of the grass cutting, and Ken Danyluk and Hank Koehler struggle with the rest of it, we still have to put out hard earned cash to hire people just to keep up.
The flower beds are barely holding their own, and because there is no one to keep them trimmed and weeded, get smaller every year, yet they are part of the charm of the place, and deserve better. If you know of someone who loves gardening but has been forced to move into an apartment or for some other reason cannot indulge his or her passion, and might be interested in helping out, please tell them about the Museum.
AIRPLANE WASHERS WANTED
The exhibit airplanes are in desperate need of regular washing, and they are not getting it. We do not have any paid staff to do it as in years past so its up to the members. Please phone in your offer of help.
HAMPDEN RESTORATION
Walter Schafer is building a permanent information sign for the Hampden exhibit. It will incorporate a flower planter and a shingled roof, and of course signage and photos of the Hampden project.
Fred Gardham took a month off from the Hampden project for a vacation, but will be back soon. There is lots of work helping Fred restore and re-create the airplane, for those of you who would like to work on restorations. The tail is now in the (Vancouver) shop, with the wings and wing centre section still to do. Experience not necessary. Phone Rose at 535-1115 or Fred at 681-6886
BOOK PROJECT
Most of the typesetting for the book is done. Photos have been chosen and darkroom work has started. Thanks to all of you who have sent in suggestions for a title. As yet the Tee shirt hasn’t been awarded but a short list has been made, with “Oh, How We Flew!”, “The Way We Flew”, and “British Columbia’s Aviation Pioneers” near the top. Please keep sending in the suggestions as the choice must be made soon if we are to meet the December deadline we are aiming for.
The pre-publication price offer of $11.50 post paid is still open, but will close soon. $5.00 of the amount is considered a donation for which you will receive a tax deductible receipt. This means that you are actually getting the book for $5.00! On top of that, your name will be inscribed in the book in the “Donor’s Index”. Post publication price has not yet been set, but it will probably be about $14.95.
ABBOTSFORD AIR SHOW BOOTH
The Museum will be selling Abbotsford Air, Show souvenirs again this year. Permanent wooden booths have been built, and the one assigned to the Museum is now at the Museum. John de Visser and Mark Zalesky have sprayed many gallons of paint, but the final coats (paint roller) still need applying. Phone in your offer to Rose at 535-1115.
We’ll need several more salespeople for the booth. If you’ve got concession selling experience please offer your help. Be prepared to work very hard, and for at least one full day. although we’ll happily accept your offer to work all three days. Call Rose at 535-1115.
NEW VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
Brian Stacey has taken on the onerous task of helping to co-ordinate volunteer activities at the Museum. If you want to help, but don’t know how to get started or what needs to be done, call Brian at 531-2972 evenings or weekends (he works at a full time job week- days). If there is no answer he may be at the Museum, so try him at 535-1115.
NEXT NEWSLETTER
The next major newsletter is due about mid- September or October. The Museum newsletters are becoming collector’s pieces and enjoyed by all, but are a tremendous amount of work. Offers of assistance or someone to take over all or part of the production are welcome.
GIFT SHOP OPERATOR
If you know of someone who would like to operate the Museum’s gift shop, please have them get in touch with Rose at 535-1115, or send in their proposal to the Museum. It can be part time or full time, but the applicant must have the ability to dramatically increase sales and therefore the proceeds to the Museum. Terms of employment negotiable.
FAIRCHILD CORNELL DONATED
A very special thank you to Barry Jackson, who purchased Fairchild Cornell CF-FLY (RCAF 10640) and donated it to the Museum.
‘FLY was a familiar figure in the skies around Vancouver and Delta Airpark from the early 50’s until taken out of service for engine overhaul several years ago.
It’s now in the shop undergoing C. of A. renewal, some recover work, and repaint to its original yellow and black RCAF British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (B.C.A.T.P.) colours and markings. It’s expected to be flying again this fall, depending on when the engine overhaul will be finished. We’re looking for another engine with time left, or someone to help overhaul this one. All offers considered.
We are proud to include it with our growing collection of B.C.A.T.P. trainers; the Fleet Finch and the Tiger Moth being the other two. Better still, all are or will be flying examples. Next, we’ve somehow got to acquire a Cessna Crane, and find the money to restore our Anson MKV and our Bolingbroke for a very good representation of that important phase of Canada’s aviation history.
MUSEUM AIRPLANE FLYING TO AIRSHOWS
The Fleet Finch will be representing the Museum at the PENTICTON AIR SHOW on JULY 28, the KAMLOOPS AIR SHOW on AUGUST 8, the ABBOTSFORD AIR SHOW on AUGUST 10, 11, 12, and probably the COMOX AIR SHOW on AUGUST 5.
AIRSHOW SOUVENIR SALES
The Museum will again be selling Abbotsford Air Show souvenirs at the Abbotsford Air Show. We’ll also be taking our “portable gift shop” trailer to the Kamloops Airshow and the Penticton Airshow. If you can help at any of these events, please fill in and return the slip below.