Aviation museum to host Family Fun Day on Sunday
The Montreal Aviation Museum is hosting its third annual Family Fun Day on Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue.
Dianea Phillips, who chairs the organizing committee, said the free event is designed to appeal to all ages, with crafts, workshops, photos, a flight simulator, drone and remote control airplane flights, Lego robotics and a barbecue.
“The event is one of a kind. We don’t have anything like this in Montreal,” she said.
Visitors can also learn about the museum’s planes, which include a full-sized replica of a 1930s Curtiss-Reid Rambler biplane and a restored Fairchild FC-2, a bush plane used in Canada during the 1930s and 1940s. Tours of the museum will be offered in French and English.
Phillips, who is an aerospace educator by profession, said the museum aims to raise awareness of the contributions of Canadians in aviation, particularly those with a connection to Quebec. Pilots and other industry professionals will be on hand to encourage youth to explore job opportunities in aviation, something that Phillips said will become increasingly important over the coming years as senior professionals approach retirement.
The museum, located in a former barn, was founded in 1998. It showcases both civil and military aircraft, as well as artifacts and memorabilia.
It includes two workshop areas, where volunteers construct and restore historically significant aircraft, as well as an art gallery, machine shop, library and artifact preservation area. Its collection of airplanes includes both restored vintage aircraft and full-scale reproductions.
“Our founder, Godfrey Pasmore, physically shovelled out the barn to clean out the debris and manure,” said Phillips. “He had an extensive collection of artwork, avionics and model and all of that has been put on display in the museum.”
The Montreal Aviation Museum is located in the historic Old Stone Barn at McGill University’s Macdonald campus in Ste-Anne, between Highway 40 (exit 41, 44) and Highway 20 (exit 39). For more information on the museum or the Family Fun Day event, call (514) 398-7948 or visit the museum’s website at www.cahc-ccpa.com.