I was on Ebola standby today (yes, Transport Canada still has aircraft crews in Ottawa and Winnipeg on standby, every day, to fly trained medical specialists to assist local staff if a confirmed Ebola case is found). That meant that I had to stay reasonably close to the main airport at Ottawa, so I could be airborne within two hours if needed. So, no RV–8 flying today :(.

Instead, I did a tour of the Reserve Hangar at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum. The Reserve Hangar is used to store aircraft that are not currently on display. As such, it is jammed full of many interesting aircraft. The tour was part of the Ottawa Doors Open weekend, when over 120 buildings that are normally closed to public are available for public tours.

CSeries Forward Fuselage Wooden MockupI was surprised to see this wooden mockup of the forward fuselage of the Bombardier CSeries. I didn’t think that anyone was making wooden mockups in this modern age, but apparently even fly-by-wire aircraft are designed using some ancient methods.

 


Avro Arrow RL203 Outer Wing PanelsThe outer wings of Avro Arrow RL203 are stored against the back wall.

 


University of Toronto OrnithopterThe remains of the University of Toronto ornithopter, which actually flew in 2006. The main flapping wings are not installed now.