Collections & Archives

MUSEUM STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS HAVE DEDICATED UNTOLD HOURS TO PRESERVING OUR AVIATION HERITAGE AND DEVELOPING THIS WORLD-CLASS COLLECTION

We are proud to have one of Canada’s largest aviation heritage collections, and dedicate countless hours to their restoration, conservation, and preservation.

Artefact Conservation

Just like any object will age and break down over time, a historical collection of industrial artefacts needs conservation work to preserve its existence and its stories for future generations.

A good portion of the museum’s artefact collection has spent years outside, often in unsavory conditions. They have been worn and suffer from deteriorative conditions. Objects hauled from the bottom of lakes or the sides of mountains after decades resemble the wilderness more than parts of an aircraft.

It takes hours of work to preserve these pieces of history. Instead of bringing items back to a “new condition,” our conservation team works to keep every dent, scratch, rip or tear because each imperfection reflects the object’s history, and these are the stories we want to share with our museum’s guests.

Art and Imagery Collection Restoration and Preservation

The museum has an estimated 60,000 images of black and white prints and negatives, colour prints and negatives, slides, and digital images.  The Art and Imagery Collection volunteer team has been continuing its decade-long task of digitizing (scanning) the museum’s vast collection and entering them into a computer database.

After scanning images, the team also does stunning work preserving history by touching up and restoring faded and worn photos back to their original appearance. These efforts help add colour and character to the museum’s stories for future generations to enjoy.

AIRCRAFT COLLECTION

The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada has one of the largest
and most historically significant aviation collections in
Canada with over 90 aircraft in our collection.