On a lazy Sunday, after a hearty breakfast, I drove to the Canadian Museum of Flight Museum in Langley, BC to check out the airplanes there. Its situated just beside the Langley Airport. At the reception a friendly lady greeted me and gave me an overview of the Museum layout. She also gave me a map and informed me that there are 3 exhibits which can be climbed in, which was awesome!
The Museum is divided into 2 sections. One half is outdoors with a few exhibits sitting in the open sun. The other half is indoors. I started off with the outdoor section first. Avoiding the few people wandering here I strolled around the different exhibits. First was the C-45 transport Beechcraft Expeditor. This was one of the airplanes which could be climbed in. The C45 was the military version of Model 18. Built by Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas, from the 1930s to 1960s, Model 18 was one of the World’s most widely used light aircraft. Its a 6 to 11 seat , twin-engined light aircraft. I made my way inside the plane which reminded me of action movies where the characters jump off from planes like these. The cockpit is also visible through a glass window. I tried to identify any gauges and indicators and understood a few them but was largely clueless.
Next was the one which had the coolest name of all, the Starfighter. This was the Lockheed CF-104D Mk.2. The CF-104D is a variant of the original Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. This is a American made, single-engine, supersonic interceptor. This was widely used in the Cold War and in many other countries throughout the world notably Pakistan. This variant was used by the Canadian Air Force, had a General Electric J79-19 turbojet and could reach maximum speeds of Mach 2 which is 2330 kmph. I climbed in and sat in the cockpit to get a feel of the jet. As I was trying to take selfies, a lady saw me and offered to take a pic for me which is the one I posted below.
Next was the Handley Page Hampden. This is a Canadian made version of the original British twin-engine bomber. This was manufactured in the 1940s and had two 1000 hp Bristol Pegasus XVIII engines which could reach maximum speeds of around 400 kmph.
Next was the Snowbirds aircraft. The snowbirds are a regular in the local air shows and it was good to see on up and close. The Snowbirds are military aerobatics flight demonstration team of the Royal Canadian Air Force. They fly the Canadair CT-114 Tutor aircrafts which are manufactured by Canadair. It used to be the standard jet trainer of the Canadian Armed Forces in the 1960s till 2000s. The Ct-114 Tutor is a single-engine turbojet aircraft capable of reaching top speeds of 795 kmph.
There were a few others which were of interest but I forgot to take pics of their specs.
After I was content, I made way into the indoor section where there were tons of exhibits. On the left, on the right, on the floor, hanging from the roof, everywhere. I was overwhelmed by the number of display boards and exhibits there were so I just focused on things that stood out without worrying about missing anything. There were some cool engines too.
Beyond the hangar was an open space where a few people were hanging out while staring at a few airplanes parked on the airstrip beyond. It was a bright sunny day. Perfect for a day for flight watching. I stood there for a while, chatted with a friendly volunteer and soon wrapped my visit.
Address: 5333 216 St Hangar #3, Langley, BC V2Y 2N3
Ticket price: $ 12
Website: http://www.canadianflight.org/