Canada Aviation and Space Museum

The Canada Air and Space Museum (CASM) focuses on aviation in Canada and has more than 130 aircraft and artifacts (propellers, engines, etc.) from aviation's beginning in 1909 to the present day. The collection focuses on, but not exclusively, Canadian achievements and is the most extensive aviation collection in Canada.

The Canada Aviation and Space Museum first opened in 1960, at Uplands Airport in Ottawa, as the National Aviation Museum. In 1964, it combined with the Canadian War Museum’s collection and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) collection. In 1988, the current Museum display building opened. In 2005, the Reserve Hangar was added. In 2010, when the Museum’s mandate grew to include aerospace technology, its name was officially changed to the Canada Aviation and Space Museum.

Museum tours include self-guided tours for individuals or groups, guided tours, and a Reserve Hangar guided tour.

The Reserve Hangar houses many items not currently on display on the Museum floor. Tours are offered daily at 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. The group size is limited to 15, but, when I was there, I was the only person on the tour. You are crazy if you don't go on the Reserve Hanger tour because there are some real gems hidden in the hanger. 

Photos in this section were taken on 21 October 2015. Much of the individual aircraft descriptions were taken from the Canada Air and Space Museum's narratives, as the aircraft histories are focused on the Canadian point of view.