Restorations

RESTORATION

CURRENT PROJECTS

LANCASTER KB882 PROJECT

After calling the City of Edmundston, New Bruinswick home for 53 years, in April 2017 KB 882 was donated to the NAFMC at CFB Trenton where it is currently undergoing an extensive restoration project that will return the aircraft to its Aerial Reconnaissance configuration. Once completed, KB 882 will be the only fully restored Lancaster in the world displayed in Mk. X AR configuration – helping to tell the history of Canada’s Air Force during the Cold War.

One of 430 Avro Lancaster Mk. Xs manufactured in Canada, KB 882’s career began in March 1945, flying with 428 Squadron in the all-Canadian No. 6 Bomber Group overseas. Following the Second World War, the aircraft was transferred to Canada and, having no operational use for the RCAF, placed in storage. It was 12 years later that KB 882 flew its next operational mission with 408 Squadron. Eventually configured as a Lancaster Mk. X AR for service in Canada, the aircraft would serve with photo and aerial reconnaissance missions in Canada’s Arctic. In April 1964, the aircraft flew its last mission to RCAF Station Downsview where it was officially retired from RCAF service.

In June 2024, after exterior restoration was complete, the Museum transported KB 882 to Base31 in Picton, Ontario for temporary display. The aircraft will remain on temporary loan until 2029, when it is scheduled to return to the National Air Force Museum of Canada.

Lockheed Hudson FK 466

The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force (RAF) shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter. The Hudson served throughout the war, mainly with Coastal Command, but also in transport and training roles, as well as delivering agents into occupied France. They were also used extensively with the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) anti-submarine squadrons.

In all, a total of 2,584 Hudsons were built. They began to be withdrawn from front line service in 1944. Some Hudsons were converted to civil transports after the war, and the Hudson formed the basis for development of the Lockheed Ventura. Lockheed Hudson Mk VI, FK466, was built in September 1942. It was ferried from Burbank, California, to Eastern Air Command at RCAF Station Debert, Nova Scotia, on October 5, 1942. It was first assigned to No. 31 (RAF) Operational Training Unit (OTU) at RCAF Station Debert to train crews to ferry Hudsons to England.

Hudson Mk. VI FK 466 arrived at the Museum in 2010 and restoration efforts are ongoing.

PAST PROJECTS

The Story of NA 337

In the early morning hours of April 24, 1945, Halifax NA 337, with her starboard wing ablaze, roared over Lake Mjøsa and crashed into its frigid waters. From the town of Hamar, 16 year-old Tore Morsoe watched as the RAF bomber disappeared into the lake, taking the lives of five of the six aircrew on board.

Mr. Morsoe never forgot the crash he witnessed that fateful night. In 1981, he returned to Hamar and, accompanied by his friend Rolf Liberg, began to search the depths Lake Mjøsa for the lost, but not forgotten bomber. After an unsuccessful drag search, the pair hired Sonar equipment and were finally able to locate where Halifax NA 337 come to rest. Though, it wasn’t until 1993 that the salvage project caught the eye of Karl Kjarsgaard who, along with Jeff Jeffreys, DFC, Second World War veteran, formed the Halifax Aircraft Association that would come to spearhead the project.

The recovery and restoration of the aircraft would be no small feat. The cold, fresh water of the fjord had kept NA 337 in relatively good condition for an aircraft that had been underwater for 50 years, but there was significant restoration work ahead. The Halifax Aircraft Association selected the RCAF Memorial Museum (now the National Air Force Museum of Canada) as the future home for aircraft, and worked alongside the Norwegian and Canadian Governments with support from 8 Wing / CFB Trenton to salvage, stabilize, and airlift NA 337 to Trenton, Ontario. Here, the bomber would be restored to its “original” glory – accomplishing the dream of Tore Morsoe to have NA 337 stand as a tribute to those who flew and those who died for freedom.

The aircraft was officially unveiled in 2005, 10 years after its recovery from Lake Mjøsa. Over 300,000 volunteer hours went into the restoration of NA 337, and today it remains the most complete and technically correct Halifax on display in the world.

Avro Anson

The National Air Force Museum of Canada Avro Anson Mark II fuselage and various assorted pieces were acquired with the assistance of Mr. Byron Reynolds, from the Reynolds Aviation Museum in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, in October 2005. The aircraft had been lying unprotected in a field for perhaps 60+ years. A limited number of manufacturing drawings have been obtained from the Aero Space Museum Association of Calgary, but many parts have to be constructed from photos, which is a long tedious process.

The wings on the Mark II Anson are almost entirely made of wood and are actually built as one-piece from tip to tip. They had completely rotted away and we had to build them from scratch. The wing spars are wooden, the wing ribs are wooden and the wing skin surface is plywood, covered with a doped fabric finish. The ailerons are constructed of small diameter welded steel tubes and they had essentially rusted away and needed to be rebuilt. They are covered with doped fabric. The flaps are of aluminum construction and they were acceptable for restoration and reuse.

The fuselage is made of steel tube construction with wood stringers and is covered with doped fabric. The steel tubes were rusted through in many areas and they had to be replaced. The Anson Mk II has a wooden moulded nose and this had to be completely built from scratch. As well, all the windows and doors needed to be replaced.

The vertical stabilizer is of steel tube construction, and the rudder is made of wood ribs and stringers and its surface is plywood, covered with a doped fabric finish. The structure of the vertical stabilizer was in acceptable condition, but the rudder was completely rotted away. No drawings were available for the rudder, but we managed to acquire a set of photos of a rudder being rebuilt in New Zealand, from which we were able to construct a new rudder.

The horizontal stabilizer is a completely wooden structure and had to be completely rebuilt using some original drawings. The elevators are of small diameter steel tube construction and they had substantially rusted away and had to be rebuilt. The elevators have a doped fabric finish.

The engines, the cowlings and the undercarriage structures were all restorable, and have been re-used in the restoration of our Anson.

The aircraft restoration was completed in May of 2017 and is currently on display inside of the museum.

FEATURED ExhibitS

DISCOVER YOUR AIR FORCE

Did you know the RCAF had K9s? Or that there was a Tim Horton’s opened in Kandahar? Have you heard of the SWINTER Trials? Discover the people, places, and events that have shaped Canada’s air force history. Featuring unique artefacts from our collection, interactive displays, and multimedia presentations, our exhibits bring the rich history of Canadian aviation to life.