Rebuild it and they will come

By: Photos by Mikaela MacKenzie Posted: 3:00 AM CST Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021

The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada will open its new $45-million, 86,000 square-foot facility in early 2022.

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This article was published 12/02/2021 (1413 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada will open its new $45-million, 86,000 square-foot facility in early 2022.

While construction of the football field-sized building, located on the terminal loop at the Winnipeg James Armstrong International Airport, is more than 50 per cent complete, volunteers are busy behind the scenes preparing exhibits.

That exhibition development work is taking place at a warehouse that enables the museum to house eight aircraft and hundreds of artifacts for restoration and research.

The first helicopter to fly in Canada at the warehouse where exhibits are being conserved, restored, and prepared for the Western Canadian Aviation Museum slated to open at the old airport in 2022.

The museum, which was founded in 1974, will house a world-case collection of bush planes and modern aircraft, including four models that can’t be seen anywhere else in the world.

The warehouse where exhibits are being conserved, restored and prepared for the Western Canadian Aviation Museum.

Married couple Lorraine Iverach and Bill Brereton look through the archives for photos to use in displays.

The warehouse where exhibits are being conserved, restored and prepared for the Western Canadian Aviation Museum slated to open in 2022.

Long-time volunteer Gordon Stewart cleans pieces for an interactive children's display.

Matt Halpin works on restoring a propeller.

The first airplane ever collected and restored by the museum, a Fairchild 24.

Children's program co-ordinator Chris Parsons cleans a radio for a future interactive children's display.

Frank Roberts, consulting engineer, measures out a Schweizer Glider, one of the seven aircraft that will hang from the roof in the new facility.

Matt Halpin (left) and Marsh Pettitt work on restoring a propeller.

Mikaela MacKenzie
Photojournalist

Mikaela MacKenzie loves meeting people, experiencing new things, and learning something every day. That's what drove her to pursue a career as a visual journalist — photographers get a hands-on, boots-on-the-ground look at the world.

Read full biography

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Mikaela MacKenzie
Photojournalist

Read full biography

Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.

Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.