Thursday 26 May: When the Canada Aviation Museum first opened at Uplands airport in Ottawa, it was one of three major collections owned by the Canadian government.

At that time, its focus was on bush flying and early aircraft manufacturers in Canada. A second collection, held by the Canadian War Museum, concentrated on military aircraft from World War I to the 1950’s, while the Royal Canadian Air Force collection emphasized military aircraft related to RCAF history.

Beginning in 1964, the three collections were combined for public display under a new name, the “National Aeronautical Collection”, in new buildings at Ottawa’s historic Rockcliffe Airport. The National Aeronautical Collection continued to acquire both military and civil aircraft important to Canadian and world aviation history. It has since grown to include more than 130 aircraft and other artifacts. In 2000, the National Aviation Museum was officially renamed the Canada Aviation Museum.

There are two buildings holding the collection, although only one has been opened to date.