'Come in and explore': BC Aviation Museum holds first open house since pandemic
After being grounded for the past three years due to the pandemic, volunteers at the BC Aviation Museum in North Saanich, B.C., are ready for takeoff with the facility’s first open house since 2019.
On Saturday, Aug. 20, more than 40 tour guides will be on hand to provide visitors with an in-depth look into B.C.’s aviation history.
During the course of its 35-year history, the North Saanich-based museum has collected more than 30 aircraft and thousands of artifacts with each item representing a key moment in the province’s history of flight.
"We want people to come in and explore," said BC Aviation Museum board president Laura Lavin.
"Every year there’s new acquisitions, we get new planes like the [Grumann] Tracker. We’re the past of aviation and the future," she said.
The collection of aircraft on display range from military aircraft made famous in the Second World War, such as a Spitfire and a Bristol Bomber, to a 1950s era Tran-Canada Airlines Vickers 757 Viscount passenger airliner from the early days of commercial air travel.
"You can actually walk through the Viscount and see what public travel was like back then," said Lavin. "You can really see how aviation has changed and grown through our history."
GUEST APPEARANCES
In addition to the museum’s aircraft displays and exhibits, a number of guest fly-overs will take place during the open house.
Harbour Air's Electric Beaver, Canada's first electrically-powered commercial aircraft, will make an appearance during the one-day event.
"That’s going to be exciting for people to see," said Lavin. "It’s a prototype still, but having Harbour Air’s electric plane here is exciting and it's fascinating to see the development of aircraft."
Organizers have arranged for a number of other special guests to appear at the event. The Victoria Airport Authority will have its firetrucks on display and the Royal Canadian Airforce’s 443 Squadron will be on hand with a Cyclone helicopter for visitors to see.
"We’ll have kids’ games, food trucks, ice-cream and everything you’d want for a family fun day," said Lavin.
"We’ve been part of the community for 35 years and we’d like to celebrate that," she said. "We want people to come in and explore and have a good time."
The BC Aviation Museum is located at 1910 Norseman Rd., not far from Victoria International Airport.
The open house runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with admission by donation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.