Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum

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CWH is located at 9280 Airport Road, Mount, just south of Hamilton. https://www.warplane.com/

The collection is outstanding, with three naval aircraft and others with naval connections well worth seeing.


Fairey Firefly

The RCN had sixty-four of these aircraft which were flown by 825 & 826 Squadrons off the WARRIOR & MAGNIFICENT between 1946 and 1952. This aircraft is the only flyable Firefly in the world. https://www.warplane.com/aircraft/collection/details.aspx?aircraftId=39

Grumman Avenger

VS 880 & VS 881 Squadrons flew these between 1950 and 1956. They were equipped with a Magnetic Anomaly Detector boom, radar and wing mounted rockets to fit them for the ASW role. It is currently being restored to flyable condition. https://www.warplane.com/aircraft/collection/details.aspx?aircraftId=39

CWH’s Avenger, Bu. 53858 being restored. It is believed to have belonged to US Navy Attack Squadron VA-55, the “Topcats”, which operated off the Essex Class carrier, USS FRANKLIN from June 1945, shortly after she was heavily damaged by a Japanese attack which destroyed all the aircraft on board and killed over 700 crew members.
Grumman Tracker

The RCN had 41 CS2F-1 and 57 CS2F-2, all built at DeHaviland Canada at Downsview. They were operated by VS-880 off the BONAVENTURE from 1956 till 1970 and land-based from Shearwater till 1990. It is currently being restored to flyable condition. https://www.warplane.com/aircraft/collection/details.aspx?aircraftId=23

A large model of HMCS BONAVENTURE with Trackers and a Sea King ranged on the deck.

Consolidated Canso

While flown by the RCAF, the Canso has definite naval connections. Many were built in Canada either at Canadian Vickers in Montreal and Boeing Canada in Vancouver. Flight Lieutenant David Hornell was flying a Canso of 162 Squadron when it sank the German submarine U-1225 on 24 June 1944 near the Faroes. The plane was shot down and Hornell died shortly after rescue, and was subsequently awarded the Victoria Cross. It was in a Canso of 413 Squadron that Squadron Leader Leonard Birchall spotted a Japanese fleet including five aircraft carriers east of Ceylon and was able to sound the alarm, thus earning himself the title “Saviour of Ceylon” before being shot down and spending more than three years as a prisoner-of-war. https://www.warplane.com/aircraft/collection/details.aspx?aircraftId=11