Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, Hamilton

The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, based at the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport, began in 1972 when Dennis Bradley, Alan Ness, Peter Matthews, and John Weir bought one aircraft, a Fairey Firefly. That first purchase led to the opening of Hangar 4 and marked the beginning of what would grow into one of Canada’s largest flying aviation collections. The Firefly in the museum today is not the original 1972 aircraft, which was lost in the 1977 crash that took Alan Ness’s life.

Over time, the collection grew to 47 military jets and propeller aircraft from the Second World War and the Cold War, with several still under restoration. Its best-known aircraft is the Avro Lancaster, the Mynarski Memorial Lancaster, one of only two airworthy examples in the world. The museum also offers booked flights on selected vintage bombers and transport planes.

The museum faced major setbacks, including the 1977 crash and a 1993 fire that destroyed Hangar 3 along with several historic planes. A purpose-built hangar opened in 1996. Nearly half of the aircraft can still fly, maintained through about 4,000 volunteer hours each year, and the hangars also host public programs and private events.