The Canadian Museum of Flight has an incredible collection of airplanes, but very few were in display condition when they were donated to our museum. Many of the airplanes you see on display today began as badly damaged wreckage or a basket case of parts. Some aircraft were in flying condition when we received them, others required a complete ground-up rebuild before being put on display. If not for the dedication and countless thousands of hours that our volunteers put into the restorations of these magnificent aircraft, they would certainly not be the show pieces that they are today.

This page is designed to give a glimpse into the numerous aircraft the Canadian Museum of Flight volunteer team has restored in the past, the restoration projects that are currently underway, and a look at the various future restoration projects we have waiting to return to their former glory.

Restoring an old airplane is a major undertaking. Depending on the rarity of the airplane, replacement parts may be incredibly difficult to find or may be non-existent altogether, necessitating fabricating parts from scratch. With every restoration our museum undertakes, our team scours the country and the world for parts to make the restoration possible. Once enough parts and materials have been procured the work of rebuilding is almost ready to begin. Another important part of each restoration is the acquisition of blueprints and technical drawings to make sure every aspect of the restoration brings the airplane back to its originally manufactured condition. In many cases these blueprints are acquired for prestigious organizations like the Smithsonian Institution, the Imperial War Museum, and the de Havilland Moth Club of North America.

Feel free to explore the various restoration projects the Canadian Museum of Flight has undertaken and see the incredible work our volunteer team has done over the year: ______________________________________________________________

CURRENT RESTORATION PROJECTS:

de Havilland DH82C Tiger Moth
Jurca P-51B Mustang


FUTURE RESTORATION PROJECTS:

Fairchild Cornell
Noorduyn Norseman Mk IV
de Havilland DH60 Gipsy Moth
Bell 47J Ranger
Bristol Bolingbroke
Dagling Primary Glider
Lockheed Lodestar
Pietenpol Air Camper


PAST RESTORATION PROJECTS:

Avro CF-100 Canuck Mk 3
Beechcraft Expeditor
Bristol Bolingbroke
de Havilland DH82C Tiger Moth
de Havilland DH100 Vampire
Fleet Canuck
Handley Page Hampden
Lockheed Lodestar
Noorduyn Norseman Mk V
Waco ACQ-6
Waco INF
Westland Lysander


The Museum is always interested in hearing from people with an interest in restoration projects. Work that is carried out on aircraft being restored to airworthy condition is overseen by a licensed aircraft engineer. Many of the Museum projects are restored to display quality and generally are externally complete. These projects may be of interest to the amateur restorer.

Do you have skills in woodworking, machining, welding, signage, or a host of other talents? If so, email us at info@canadianflight.org or call our General Manager at 604 532-0035 for more information.