August 22 @ 10:00 am – August 23 @ 5:00 pm
- Visiting Aircraft!
- Special Event – 2 Days only!
- Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada
- 2088 Wellington Ave, Winnipeg
Experience a once-in-a-lifetime visiting aircraft weekend only at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. Step inside history, and witness a historic standing down as the aircraft we’ve all come know in our skies officially retires from service.
Few aircraft have carried Canadians farther, landed where others couldn’t, or brought more people safely home than the CC-130 Hercules. Join us as we honour its remarkable journey and mark the end of a legacy of service supporting Canada’s proud tradition of excellence in search and rescue.
As the Royal Canadian Air Force marks the retirement of the iconic CC-130H Hercules from service in the 17 Wing Winnipeg region, we invite you to take part in marking this transition. This is a rare opportunity to celebrate the legacy of the Hercules that have served our communities, skies, and generations. This aviation icon will be on site at the museum and open to the public for viewing for two days only.
• An Inside Look: Climb aboard the CC-130H Hercules, seeing inside side one of Canada’s most recognizable and long-serving military aircraft.
• RCAF Meet and Greet: Members of the RCAF 17 Wing 435 Squadron will be on site to meet with members of the public about these iconic military aircraft, bringing along exclusive merchandise!
• Once-in-a-Generation Transition: Bring the whole family along for this rare moment in Canadian aviation history that won’t come again!
The CC-130H Hercules has been integral to the history of the 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron at 17 Wing Winnipeg, providing 24 hour-a-day, seven day-a-week responsibility for search and rescue missions. 435 squadron covers the largest search and rescue region in Canada, extending from Quebec City to the British Columbia/Alberta border, and from the Canada/United States border to the North Pole. The CC-130H has been integral to these missions, a truly legendary aircraft with an impressive history of service. These aircraft are now being phased out of service.
This visiting aircraft event is one of the largest and most unique experiences the museum has ever hosted, featuring rare aircraft that require significant planning, coordination, and operational costs. As a special fundraising event, separate admission is required for all guests, including museum members. Members will receive a 25% discount on tickets to this exclusive event. We truly appreciate your understanding and support, as funds from this event will help to fund more experiences like this within our community. Thank you for helping to make extraordinary opportunities like this possible.
All visiting aircraft are displayed outdoors and are weather-dependent. Visiting aircraft schedules can change based on weather, mechanical issues, or at RCAF discretion. We apologize but tickets are non-refundable, but may be used at a different date for up to 1 year from purchase.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We highly recommend pre-purchasing tickets to ensure access, as tickets can sell out quickly, and we do have set maximum number of guests for each day. Please have your pre-purchased tickets ready to be scanned upon arrival on the day of your visit for quick access. If tickets remain, they will be available for purchase at the ticketing desk on the day of the event.
The Museum offers visitor parking in the lot adjacent to our building at 2088 Wellington Ave.
During particularly popular events, our parking lot may reach capacity. When this occurs, guests are welcome to use the nearby Winnipeg Airports Authority (WAA) Economy parking lot.
To access the WAA Economy lot, stay left on Wellington Avenue and continue past the 7-Eleven, where you can loop around and follow to the left to enter the WAA lot.
Please note that WAA parking rates apply.
This visiting aircraft event is one of the largest and most unique experiences the museum has hosted, featuring rare visiting aircraft that require significant planning, coordination, and operational costs. To help support the museum and ensure this event remains accessible to everyone, additional discounts on general admissions will not apply. Membership holders will receive a 25 per cent discount on their tickets. We appreciate your understanding and support: every admission helps us continue bringing exceptional aviation experiences like this to our community. Thank you for helping us make extraordinary opportunities like this possible.
Visiting aircraft appearances are subject to factors beyond the Museum’s control, including weather, mechanical issues, operational requirements and Royal Canadian Air Force discretion. While we understand this can be disappointing, however the Museum has already committed significant resources to hosting the event, including staffing, event planning, marketing, logistics and site preparation, regardless of whether the aircraft is ultimately able to attend. For that reason, tickets are non-refundable.
Since these tickets are general admissions, they are valid for a visit to the museum for up until 1 year past the date of purchase. You can hold onto your tickets and redeem them at a later date!
Not necessarily. The Royal Canadian Air Force has generously agreed to open the CC-130H Hercules for public viewing. While the Museum will do its best to accommodate all visitors, access to visiting aircraft is always subject to operational requirements and cannot be guaranteed.
Please note that military aircraft cockpits are not designed with public access in mind. Entry often involves steep ladders, narrow doorways and confined spaces, which may present challenges for some visitors with mobility or accessibility needs.
EVENT DETAILS
