Warbird Information Exchange

I have been near the Markham airport quite a few years ago. Not to offend anyone that owns the "Museum" but it does give me great concern that those aircraft are just sitting there to rot away. Does anyone know how one would go about acquiring a few examples that are there? I have previously spoke to a guy there ... His name I think was Al or Alan, anyway he was kind of a cagey fellow, yet easy to talk to. One minute the museum is for sale the next it is not, and then in the next breath he can’t sell them? To me, I would think if a museum wants to sell "as a museum" It could. I don’t have any photos to show the storage of the aircraft and a loot of engines but I assure you I would not call it a museum but rather a bone yard. I would hope that this "museum" would let someone come in and establish a true preservation museum for such historical aircraft.

V

I agree it would be nice to see the aircraft better preserved, but then if it wasn't for Al Rubin buying up these hulks, they likely would have been scrapped. Somtimes this is how warbirds are preserved.

In case you are interested you can find photos from the "museum" via...
http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/Features.html#C

Mike

_________________
Mike R. Henniger
Aviation Enthusiast & Photographer
http://www.AerialVisuals.ca
http://www.facebook.com/AerialVisuals

Do you want to find locations of displayed, stored or active aircraft? Then start with the The Locator.
Do you want to find or contribute to the documented history of an aircraft? If so then start with the Airframes Database.

to me preserved is:


I guess what I am trying to ask is ... Why would these Hulks not be house wrapped and or removed from the grass? Would there be an opportunity to combine assets with something like the Toronto Museum/SCI-Center etc...????

BTW mrhenniger ... TY for the nice photos.

V

Yet I agree again, but I'll repeat the statement, it was entirely possible these pieces would be beer cans now if it was Mr. Rubin and people like him. Often other museums don't have the budget when the many unpredicted opportunities come by and it is the person with the cash that can take advantage. Perhaps Mr. Rubin anticipates an opporunity for profit and the "museum" is just a cover. I don't know. Why doesn't he wrap them? First thing that comes to mind is expense, but that is just me. At least they are not near an ocean or a major highway that gets coated with salt in the winter.

As much as I would like to see these as flying restorations, or preserved artifacts, I am happy with the way they are when the very real alternative is grim.

Mike

_________________
Mike R. Henniger
Aviation Enthusiast & Photographer
http://www.AerialVisuals.ca
http://www.facebook.com/AerialVisuals

Do you want to find locations of displayed, stored or active aircraft? Then start with the The Locator.
Do you want to find or contribute to the documented history of an aircraft? If so then start with the Airframes Database.

Hello

The Air Land and Sea Museum started out at Hamilton Ontario Canada as International Vintage Aircraft back in about 1987.
A close personal friend of mine , Ken Elliot was the Manager
I was contracted to c/out restorations on the a/c that were aquired.
Any payment I rec'd was not from Mr Rubin but from the Thompson Corp.. a well known family in Canada that owned the HBC CO. etc.
Curiously, we were never allowed to follow any restoration to completion and or sell any items.
IVA existed for about 5 yrs , then everything was shipped over to Markham Airport were it remains to this day.
It appears that the entire operation may be a tax investment deal.
When I first met Mr Rubin, he ran a property management business.
The airport itself appears to be a future land investment.
In the last 20yrs no attempt has been made to actually set up a museum for the public to view etc.
It's too bad as there are some good aircraft and parts stored there.
Perhaps someday these a/c will be sold but at present they are quite untouchable.

_________________
...it was a plane adrift beneath the moon moving serenely thru beams like an angel of the night .....fair as a song ........aloof from mortal dreams

Does anyone know the story behind the CF-104D (pictures 24 - 30) that is in Turkish AF markings? It appears to be one of the more complete airframes out there.

_________________
"So there I was, knee deep in a river I couldn't pronounce..."

Does anyone have the owners contact information?

-Thomas Reilly

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Warb ... 3861560352
http://warbirdwatcher.blog.com/

_________________
-Thomas Reilly

The Warbird Watcher
http://warbirdwatcher.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Warb ... 3861560352

The "Museum" is not one actually . There are no display buildings and the public is not encouraged to come and view what is there.
The airport and everything on it is owned by the Thompson Corporation, a rather large and wealthy family
owned corporation here in Canada.
There is an individual that manages the aircraft wrecks and the airport property.
Over the years many people have been led to believe that the manager is also
the owner but this is incorrect.

_________________
...it was a plane adrift beneath the moon moving serenely thru beams like an angel of the night .....fair as a song ........aloof from mortal dreams