Up In The Air

The Canada Aviation And Space Museum is east of the Rockcliffe Park area, along the shore of the Ottawa River. It is one of the national museums in the Ottawa area, and it also has a small airfield on the extensive property, the Rockcliffe Airport, used by the Rockcliffe Flying Club, single engine planes generally. The museum's origins date to 1964, with an amalgamation of three separate collections- items from the War Museum, the RCAF Museum, and the National Aviation Museum. The collection focuses on military and civilian aircraft, as well as the Canadian space program. Its main exhibition space is in the building to the left, while the building at right is the main storage facility, not always open to museum visitors but containing more of the collection. Both buildings have the deliberate design of hangers, appropriate for the collection.

I was here early this past week, March Break in Ontario, and so there were a good number of kids around. The last time I was here was years ago, before I started the photoblog.

Walking up towards the entrance, you can see the shape of a plane beyond the glass. You also see a police vehicle- two officers had a demonstration area inside (which I didn't photograph) presenting the kind of aerial drones the Ottawa police are using in their work.

Here we have a view inside the entrance, where one of the Snowbirds hangs overhead. These military trainer planes are used through the year for the Snowbirds program, an Air Force demonstration team that participates in fly pasts and air shows around the country and beyond. One of their planes hangs here as if in the midst of flight.

This was actually one of the last photographs I took during my visit, inside the giftshop. Imagine doing thousand piece jigsaw puzzles with space as the subject. 

There is a large circular structure near the entrance. I'll be showing you inside tomorrow, but here we have flags on the outside, with a cabinet and ceremonial sword. The flags are of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

The cabinet is locked up until 2024, housing a time capsule that was placed inside back in 2000 and will be opened for the 100th anniversary of the formal founding of the RCAF.

The crest of the RCAF is overhead.

This sculpture gives an explanation of the interior of what I'll show tomorrow, and a bit of a hint of the design with its glasswork over top of a landscape model. The structure is the RCAF Hall Of Tribute.