Aviation History – Canadian Museum of Flight

History of Flight in BC

The History of Flight in British Columbia Because of the mountainous terrain, BC’s aviation pioneers faced a challenge their counterparts east of the Rockies were spared. Aircraft in the first two decades did not have the power to fly over the mountains, nor the instruments to fly through clouds, consequently there were no scheduled services before…
Historic Avro Photographs

Museums are known for having only a small portion of their collection on display. Some of the displays are tucked away in storage and may become ‘lost in time’ to the present employees. During a recent inventory, a box of old glass negatives was discovered. The images were like a time warp of the early…
The Norseman CF-PAA story

Fish HaulSea-Air-Pac It was truly an idea before its to time—Bob Wingen’s dream to haul seafood by air into the little village of Tofino then on to international markets. While Bob was growing up there had been lots of aircraft activity on the West Coast. The steady flights for the gold rush at Zeballos had…
Lockheed Lodestar 18-08 CF-TCY

An icon of Canadian Aviation History is being preserved by the Canadian Museum of Flight at the Langley Airport, in partnership with the University College of the Fraser Valley at Abbotsford. Together they have undertaken to refurbish and preserve a former Trans-Canada Airlines Lockheed Lodestar aircraft. This aircraft CF-TCY is of significant cultural and historic…
Ed Zalesky

ED ZALESKY 1929 – 2009 written by Jack Meadows Ed Zalesky, who died on Sept. 3 was one of that second generation of true pioneers who contributed so much to the history of flying in British Columbia. Everyone connected with aviation in those days knew him. Museum of Flight members from its Crescent Road days…
Stocky Edwards

Stocky Edwards turns 100! A top-scoring fighter pilot in the Second World War with the RCAF, James Francis ‘Stocky’ Edwards, was born on June 5, 1921, on a farm in Saskatchewan, and has turned 100. Living in Comox, British Columbia, Stocky holds many accolades from a lifetime of flight. Serving nearly 32 years with the…
Skyways of Langley

The Skyway story CANADIAN AVIATION, JULY 1953 By E. F. CLENDENAN With “Operation Budworm’s” fleet of 75 planes this year, Skyway Air Services Ltd has contributed five Stearmans, leaving eight craft at the firm’s home base on the airfield at Langley, B.C., 30 miles from Vancouver, up the Fraser valley. President and General Manager A.…
Margaret Fane Rutledge

Margaret Fane Rutledge and The Flying Seven Story by Tom Hawthorn Originally published in the Globe and Mail, Wednesday, January 5, 2005. Denied a job as a pilot, she still managed to fly bush planes and landed a job as an airline radio operator. She also formed the Flying Seven, an elite group of Canadian…
P/O Lorne Sharp

Lorne Sharp and his Hampden story Lorne Sharp, shown after his promotion from Flight Sergeant, in his Pilot Officer uniform Have you ever wondered about the story behind the aircraft in the Museum’s collection? This summer a group of visitors provided some details of the wartime operations of one of the Museum’s rare aircraft – the…
Len Foggin

by Brenda Ludwig Leonard Foggin was born on February 24, 1905, in Thornaby-on-Tees, England. His parents were Henry (Harry) Bradley Foggin and his wife, Mildred Annie Barker. Harry Foggin was a butcher in the town of Thornaby-on-Tees, and also owned a farm. Foggin’s Field Fifty acres of Harry Foggin’s farm, along with parts of the…
Jack Meadows

Wing Commander Jack Meadows, DFC, AFC, AE The Museum is sad to report the passing of one of its long-term members, Jack Meadows, on July 20, 2010. Jack Meadows was born in India and brought up in the UK. In 1937, as soon as he was old enough (17), he got his Licence (forerunner of…
Jack Logan

Centenarian at the Museum Jack Logan of Tsawwassen, BC turned 100 on the 9th of June 2021! Jack was a long-time TCA/Air Canada pilot who rose to the position of Director of Flight Operations in the company. Jack’s son, Bob Logan, organized a gathering at the Canadian Museum of Flight at the Langley Regional Airport in…