Warplane museum makes case to restore bomber

The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is offering to restore the Lancaster Bomber that once sat on the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition.

Built by Victory Aircraft in Malton during the Second World War, the heavy bomber known as FM104 is owned by the City of Toronto and the city is contemplating shipping the aircraft to the British Columbia Aviation Museum after a local bid to keep the bomber in Toronto appears to have been discarded.

Enter the Hamilton warplane museum, which has offered to acquire and restore the warplane and make it part of its collection.

The CWH has expertise in Lancaster restoration, having restored their own Avro Lancaster to flying condition in 1988 after nine years of work.

“Our proposal will be that we will commit to a 10-year plan to totally restore the airplane to static condition with engines operating,” said David Rohrer, president and CEO of the museum that is located at the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport. “If it’s feasible operationally and economically, we’ll restore it to flying condition.”

Toronto City Council is slated to consider the Lanc issue at its meeting that starts July 23 and could run four days.

While it’s not known if Toronto councillors will discuss the Hamilton offer, Rohrer did email copies of the CWH proposal, along with background information about the museum and a completed questionnaire about their plan to Toronto Mayor John Tory and Coun. Michael Thompson, along with Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger and Coun. Brenda Johnson last Friday afternoon.

Rohrer figures it will cost as much as $2 million to restore the FM104 to static display condition.

“We’re pretty confident we can handle the funding of that project in-house over that period of time,” said Rohrer, who added there would likely be some fundraising work to help pay for the restoration.

Rohrer said the bomber has been taken apart and the parts are sitting in hangars in Edenvale, northwest of Barrie.