The Canada Aviation and Space Museum is based in a former military airbase, just about five kilometers from the Prime Minister’s residence in Ottawa. This iconic museum pays homage to the history and evolution of the Canadian aviation industry within an international context. Here, one could easily discover some of the most fascinating mysteries of space and wonders of flight! The museum offers a brief insight into Canada’s rich aviation history while simultaneously engrossing one in STEAM-based learnings which offer plenty of fun at the same time.
The Canada Aviation and Space museum in Ottawa has a collection of more than 130 artefacts and aircrafts which include engines, propellers, and many more. The museum is also home to some intruguing space artefacts like the Canadarm. Curriculum-based tours and programs at the Museum have also been curated to maximize learning opportunities for visiting students.These hands-on learning facilities help students discover, oberve, assess and experiments the findings. Wondering about the details and what the museum has in store for you? Read on to learn more about this rich and unique historical museum.
The Canada Aviation And Space Museum: Highlights and History
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Museum Highlights
Bring your students to the place where creativity takes flight! This historical museum is home to the largest surviving pieces of the popular Avro Arrow, the actual Canadarm used on the shuttle Endeavor Space Station Exhibition, and Life in Orbit: The International Space Station Exhibition.
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Museum History
What initially opened in 1960 at the Uplands airport in Ottawa, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum has come a long way today. Back then though, it was known as the ‘Canada Aviation Museum and National Aeronautical Collection’, and represented only one of the three prime aeronautical collections hosted by the government of Canada. The first three collections showed-up at the museum were: The National Aviation Museum Collection, The Canadian War Museum’s Collection and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Collection.
While the National Aviation Museum Collection was devoted to bush fighting and early aircraft manufacturers in Canada, the Canadian War Museum’s Collection focused on military aircrafts ranging from the First World War to the 1950’s. The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) collection on the other hand concentrated on military aircrafts pertaining to the RCAF history.
It was in the year 1964 though, when these three collections were merged to form a new “National Aeronautical Collection”. This new collection was now parked at hangars from the Second World era at the historic Rockcliffe airport in Ottawa. This new “mixed” apparatus now helped visitors with a better understanding of the successive aircraft developments and applications in Canada, over the past years. No wonder, this new setup gained immense popularity among the masses, and in no time.
In a series of turnarounds, the museum was merged with the National Museum of Science and Technology in 1967. The National Aeronautical Collection though still continued acquiring military and civil aircrafts, key to Canadian and World avaiation history. In 1982, the collection was further renamed as the National Aviation Museum.
In was only in the year 1988, when the present display buiding of the museum was opened. Following up in 1990, came up the establishment of the National Museum of Science and Technology Corporation, which is now known as “Ingenium: Canada’s Science and Innovation Museums”. The corporation overlooked the National Aviation Museum as well as the National Museum of Science and Technology. Till then though, the latter came to be known as the “Canada Science and Technology Museum”.
In the year 2000, the National Aviation Museum was renamed and it turned out to be today’s “Canadian Aviation Museum”. In 2005, a reserve hangar made its way into the museum and in 2010, the museum expaned its horizon, incorporating space technology and renaming itself further as the Canada Aviation and Space museum.
Location of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum Ottawa from Different Directions
If you are planning to visit the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, it’s essential to know the precise loacation and route to the museum from your place. For starters, the museum is situated at “11 Aviation Parkway in Ottawa, Ontario”. The Museum is a must-visit destination in Canada’s Capital Region. It is located just a few minutes away from Parliament Hill by car. The Museum is very well connected and is easily accessible by car, bicycle, airplane or even public transport. If you’re looking for even more clarity, given below is the route to the museum from popular loacations around it:
From Downtown Ottawa
- Follow Sussex Drive east
- Exit the Aviation Parkway
From Ottawa West
- First, follow on highway 417 east.
- Take exit 115, St. Laurent Blvd North.
- Then turn right on to the Ogilvie Road.
- Lastly, you have to turn left on Aviation Parkway.
From Ottawa East
- First of all, you need to follow 174 west.
- Then take exit 115, St. Laurent Blvd North.
- Next, turn right on to Ogilvie Road.
- Finally, turn left on Aviation Parkway.
From Montreal
- First-up, follow the highway at 417 west.
- Then, take exit 113B, Aviation Parkway.
Visiting Hours of Aviation and Space Museum
The Canada Aviation and Space Museum is open all year-round. The operating hours of the museum are between 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, from Thursday to Monday (all-inclusive). The museum also remains open on lawful holidays, except December 25. Free admissions between 4:00 p.m to 5:00 p.m is also available at the museum. Accordingly, you can book your tickets in advance.
Special Masked Hours
The Canada Aviation and Space Museum also observes Special Masked Hours. Masks are essential for all visitors within the said time to give high-risk and unprotected individuals an alternative to visit the museum in an environment with several health measures in place. No exceptions are accepted. The time and date of observance for these special masked hours shall be declared soon.
Canada Aviation And Space Museum Parking
The Canadian Aviation and Space Museum provides on-site parking with the registration of your licence plate. Further details around the parking facilities and parking fees are mentioned below:
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On-Site Parking-Pay By Phone!
You can pay for parking upon arrival. Follow the steps to skip the parking lines at the museum:
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- Download the Park Indigo app on your mobile phone before you visit the museum and skip the long lines at the apy stations.
- When you arrive at the space museum in Ottawa, find a parking spot.
- Using the above-mentioned application, choose the museum as your location.
- Next, you need to fill in your licence plate number in the text field.
- Choose the desired amount of time you want to park your vehicle. Note that an average visit to the museum lasts two hours.
- You can easily pay with your phone and enjoy your museum visit.
Note: Please pay at the museum and don’t pay in advance as it doesn’t guarantee a parking space.
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On-site parking Fees
- $3.25/hour
- $8 daily
- After 5:00 p.m, there is a $5 evening flat rate.
The parking rates at the museum include appropriate taxes and are subject to alteration without any prior notice. There is also a check on the daily maximum parking ticket at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, the Canada Science and Technology Museum, and the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum (same day only). The museum stays committed to offering visitors a cost-effective educational experience. The entire parking revenue is used to support programming facilities at the museum.
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On-site Payment Methods
In case you are not able to download the Park Indigo app, you may use the on-site pay stations using Visa, Mastercard, Amex, or coins. Also, the automated pay stations are comfortably located and simple to utilize. While paying on-site though, you should always respect the guidelines for social distancing bywearing a mask whilst paying for parking, and handwashing.
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Designated Accessible Parking
As a part of the museum’s continuous commitment to availability, specified sections of the parking spaces are designated for people with special requirements (permit needed). There is no special fee for parking vehicles with this legal permit.
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Free Parking for Veterans
The complimentary parking is accessible to veterans through the museum from the desk (never forget your license plate number).
Online Ticket Booking at the National Air and Space Museum Ottawa
The advance ticketing is strongly preferred to prevent any further disappointments while visiting the National Air and Space Museum. When buying a ticket for the museum, you’ll have to choose your preferred time slot. Your online tickets will be accessible to download on your mobile phone.
Note: E-tickets are non-transferable and non-cancelable.
Wrapping it Up
The Canada Aviation and Space Museum is surely a must-visit place. Wrapping-in unique and historical artefacts of the Canadian and World aviation, the museum offers unparalleled indulgence into the air and space mysteries. It is located on the military air base, close to the Prime Minister’s residence at 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa. Not just restricted to fanciness or leisure, the museum also helps one learn and uncover underlying knowledge and secrets of air and space technology. A visit to the aviation museum in Ottawa is more worthwhile when you have a bit of a thorough understanding of its history. Thus, it is recommended to go through its origin to present history to get a real-time experience while visiting the museum.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
You can visit the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum year-round between its visiting hours, which are 09:00 am to 05:00 pm from Thursday to Monday.
At the Canadian Space and Aviation Museum in Ottawa, you can enjoy exploring museum demonstration areas, a library, flight simulators, cockpits, and a pre-school play area.
The Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame recognises and honors women, men, and organisations who have made astounding contributions to the Canadian aerospace industry.
The collection of the aviation museum in Ottawa consists of more than 130 aircrafts and artefacts (engines, propellers) from both civil and military service.
It takes approximately two hours to completely go through the main hangar of the museum of aviation in Ottawa. What is the time of the Canadian aviation and space museum?
What are the things to do in the museum of aviation in Ottawa?
What is Canada's aviation hall of fame?
What does the collection of the aircraft museum of aviation Ottawa consist of?
How long does it take to tour the aviation hall museum?
