Calgary Mosquito and Hurricane

[vernicator]

Anyone live in or near Calgary that want to help the city decide what to do with the Aero Space Museum's Mossie and Hurri? Meeting to be held tomorow and Wednesday.

http://www.gov.calgary.ab.ca/citybeat/public/2009/01/release.20090105_105116_12435_0

Date: Mon Jan 5 10:51:16 2009
Subject: PUBLIC SESSIONS ON CITY OWNED AIRCRAFT
From: Bonnie Tucker

-----BEGIN MD5 -----------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------
CITYBEAT - CITY OF CALGARY PRESS RELEASE
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Your Opinion Matters

The City of Calgary will host two public sessions to seek
input on what steps to take regarding two antique aircraft
owned by The City.

The City has custody of the aircraft, a de Havilland Mosquito
and a Hawker Hurricane, but neither is in any condition to be
displayed at the Aero Space Museum of Calgary. Restoration
could cost in the millions of dollars.

The de Havilland Mosquito (P.R. Mk. 35 Serial #RS700 CF-HMS)
was built in the UK in 1946. It never saw action in WW II,
but was converted by the Royal Air Force from bomber to photo
-reconnaissance service for 8 years. Along with 9 others, the
Mosquito was sold to Spartan Air Services of Ottawa in 1956
where it saw commercial service as a photo-mapping aircraft
primarily in Canada’s north. Logs for this aircraft show last
active use in 1960.

The Mosquito was donated to The City of Calgary in 1972 and,
except for a failed attempt at restoration between 1989 -
1992, it has been in City storage in pieces for the past 36
years.

The Hawker Hurricane (Mk XII Serial # 5389 FN*M) was built in
Thunder Bay, Ontario in 1942. Initially assigned to No. 4
Training Command at Calgary, Alberta, it was then assigned to
No. 133 (Fighter) Squadron at Lethbridge, Alberta. On October
26, 1942 the aircraft was relocated to RCAF Station Boundary
Bay, British Columbia where it flew Home Defense missions for
Western Air Command. On August 20, 1946 the aircraft was
retired from RCAF service.

Little is known of its subsequent history until it was found
in Saskatchewan and brought to Calgary to be a part of the
“Air Museum of Canada” in the early 1960s. It subsequently
became the property of the City of Calgary in the 1970s and
has been in storage in pieces since then.

The City will host two public information sessions at the
Aero Space Museum of Calgary, 4629 McCall Way NE, on January
6 and January 7, 2009, from 6 PM to 8 PM. Members of the
public will be able to learn about the aircraft and the
options open to The City regarding these aircraft. Citizens
will be asked to express their opinions on the various
options and those opinions will form the basis of a
recommendation to Council later in the year.

-30-


Public Contact Information:

311

Public Email Contact:

3-1-1contactus@calgary.ca

[/quote]

[Warbird Kid]

Donate them to the CWH!!!!!!

[Simcoe Warrior]

Donate them to the CWH!!!!!!

Seconded!

[daveymac82c]

Vintage Wings might also be a good home for them. Anyways, any home where they'll be well looked after (and hopefully restored) is a good one.

One thing that worries me abou these "Town meetings" is that the kinds of people that show up to them are usually the complainers of the community. Like the ones that want all airports shut down because they're noisy, and then the people that don't think the Alberta should give any money to restoring the planes and should spend the money on building low-income housing etc.

I think that people that generally agree with the idea don't show up to town meetings, while the ones that want to stop it are the people that do show up.

It's a tough call though. Deciding what to do with the planes is difficult. My museum had a tough time when we were forced to move from our original homesite in Surrey, BC. We ended up having to sell some very historical and very interesting airplanes in order to survive. We're still alive, which is great news, but we did lose some really nice things.

If selling the Mossie would allow the museum to build a better facility or restore several other airplanes in their collection, it would sound like a great.

BUT, my view, if I were directly involved is that having a Mosquito is a blessing, and if you give it away you can pretty much guarantee you'll never get one again. I'd fight to keep it.

My bias first and foremost is to have it given to me, second, kept in Western Canada, third in any part of Canada, but of course that would all hinge on the facility or organization being able to properly care for and hopefully restore the airframes.

That's my nickel and three quarters (long winded answer).

Cheers,

David

[M MAKI]

I have meetings in Calgary Wednesday afternoon. It might be tight, but I will try to go and check this out. Complainers beware!

[daveymac82c]

Good on ya M Maki,

good luck in getting to the meeting to have the WIX voice heard!

Cheers,

David

[hang the expense]

I think a great place would be Canadian Warplane Heritage.I wonder about the adverse affects "long term storage has caused.

[AIRIC]

I hope HMS finds a good home in Canada.

This is a 1950s photo of Spartans HMQ, VP 189 that is at the Alberta Aviation Museum in Edmonton.

[Bones]

From what I know of it, it's been going on for years.

The main issue is that CAPA (Canadian Aeronautical Preservation Association) is trying to keep it IN CANADA, as opposed to selling it abroad which is what the city/museum tried to do a while back.

I think there's suitable places for them in Canada, there's no need for them to go overseas. They have enough cool stuff in England/Australia. If they go to Ontario, so be it.

[marine air]

I would like to see them listed with Provenance or Courtesy aircraft and sold for the best cash price for the museum. The museum could have full scale replicas of the Hurricane and Mosquito bilt for display and still have a lot of money left over.
Then generations of Canadiens would have something to go look at instead of a pile of parts and rotten wood hidden from public view but worth millions.
Maybe these airframes could fly again, with a new, well funded owner.

[D Fisher]

Heres some pictures I took last year of the Calgary Mossie, you can also see the Hurricane in the foreground in the shot of the wing.

[bdk]

I would like to see them listed with Provenance or Courtesy aircraft and sold for the best cash price for the museum.

Now there's a unique approach! Enough politics, if you don' want 'em, sell 'em.

[peter]

Loan or donate the mosquito to Nanton museum it is after all the only museum in Canada dedicated to Bomber command and the BCATP.

[Mike]

The museum had a signed contract for the sale of the Mosquito, and AFAIK money was paid over at one point (and has since been returned after the sale was blocked).

It would be nice if they honored that contract if the airframe is still to be disposed of. The original buyer is one of few who have the resources and track record to restore the airframe, unlike the Calgary museum.

[peter]

Yes the buyer has a nice collection as well but I would like to see it stay in canada..