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New aviation museum planned in Edmonton
November 18, 2013 By The Edmonton Journal
Nov. 18, 2013. Edmonton - Edmonton might be losing an airport, but the region is gaining an air museum.
The Edmonton Regional Airports Authority announced late Saturday it
was donating a five-hectare site at the Villeneuve Airport, northwest of
Edmonton, which will house the new Alberta Flying Heritage Museum.
“It’s
going to be a very different museum than the Alberta Aviation Museum is
going to have to evolve into,” said Thomas Hinderks, executive director
of the Alberta Aviation Museum.
The existing facility at the City
Centre Airport will continue to operate as a traditional static-style
museum after the airport shuts down. Due to a lack of space, it will
focus on telling Edmonton’s aviation history from 1911 to 2013.
The new museum will celebrate aviation history covering central and northern Alberta.
“The
new museum will focus on living history and the experience, with the
majority of its aircraft being flying aircraft and operated regularly.
There will be a focus on interactive exhibits,” Hinderks said.
Construction of the first building on-site is expected to start early next year.
The
project will cost about $10 million and fundraising will start
immediately. Initial discussions have also begun with the provincial and
federal governments for contributions, Hinderks said.
