It is
impossible to compress over 30 years of history into one short story.
Many aircraft have joined the collection, or have been traded or
sold. Tragedy struck in 1977 at the Canadian International Air Show.
Alan Ness lost his life when the Fairey Firefly he was piloting
crashed into Lake Ontario. The aircraft would be replaced by another
and Ness' memory is carried on through the awarding of the "Alan
Ness Memorial Trophy" given annually to a deserving member of the
museum.
The most ambitious restoration undertaking to date has been the Avro Lancaster. This aircraft stood guard over the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 109 in Goderich, Ontario. With the support of the Sulley Foundation, the Lancaster was acquired by Canadian Warplane Heritage in 1977.
There was a tremendous amount of work required to remove the "Lanc" from its concrete pedestal and prepare it for transport to Hamilton. The Canadian Forces accepted the transportation challenge, as a training mission to be performed by 450 Squadron. By moving the Lancaster to Hamilton via a Chinook helicopter airlift, valuable information was obtained by the military on the logistics of transporting large aircraft by helicopter. The aircraft arrived at the museum in 1979 and restoration began. It was not until 1988, that the CWH Lancaster Bomber, dedicated to Andrew Mynarski, VC, flew before 25,000 visitors.
In 1998, the museum celebrated the 10th anniversary of the first flight of this historic aircraft with a Gala Dinner and Dance featuring the Spitfire Band followed by other events throughout the year.
In 1978 the first employee was hired. Although, it is through the world-wide membership of dedicated volunteers, the increasing responsibilities of a year round museum open daily, require full time staff. The staff members work alongside volunteers in every aspect of the museum's day-to-day operations.
