Ottawa museum's lack of interest in acquiring RCAF aircraft prompts offer from U.S.

David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen - 


The lack of interest from Ottawa’s national aviation museum in acquiring the Royal Canadian Air Force’s last available Buffalo aircraft has prompted a U.S. organization to make a bid for the plane.


© Provided by Ottawa CitizenDeHavilland CC-115 Buffalo

Officials with the Pima Air and Space Museum in Arizona, one of the largest aviation museums in the world, say they can provide an excellent home for the iconic RCAF search-and-rescue plane.

The RCAF removed the last of its six Buffalo planes from service in January. Four have already been donated to museums associated with the Canadian military while a fifth will be used for military firefighter training. That leaves one Buffalo still available.

The RCAF wanted to see that aircraft sent to the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa. However, it appears the donation might not proceed as the organization responsible for three national museums related to science and technology has a moratorium on collecting, say National Defence sources. It is unclear how long that moratorium, put in place while artifacts are relocated to a new storage facility, will last.

“No final decision has yet been made for the final remaining Buffalo,” confirmed National Defence spokesman Dan Le Bouthillier.

Scott Marchand, the executive director of the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, noted his organization has one of the world’s largest and most diverse aerospace collections. In addition, the climate in Arizona is very favourable to long-term preservations and display of such aircraft, he added.

“We have 136 acres here and over 300,000 square feet of indoor displays for our 430-plus aircraft collection,” explained Marchand, who is Canadian. “We have several former CAF/RCAF aircraft in our collection already and the Buffalo is certainly a notable type that has given incredible service over its lifespan. We’d be honoured to have the opportunity to preserve it here and further highlight the long NATO/NORAD partnership between the U.S.A. and Canada.”

He noted the museum has a runway right next to it at the local U.S. Air Force base so the plane can be flown to that location.

“We have huge annual visitorship from Canada out here too,” Marchand said. “It would be unique in the U.S.A., that’s for certain.”

Purchased between June 1967 and December 1968, the Buffalo aircraft fleet provided medium tactical transportation and search and rescue services for the RCAF.

The planes initially served in the RCAF as multi-purpose transportation aircraft and were flown on multiple United Nations missions overseas, according to the Canadian Forces. On Aug. 9, 1974, a Buffalo aircraft was shot down by Syrian anti-aircraft missiles while on United Nations duty supporting peacekeepers in the Golan Heights. All nine Canadian Forces members on board were killed, making it the largest single loss of lives in Canadian peacekeeping history, according to the RCAF.

Later, the Buffalos were exclusively flown in Canada as fixed-wing search-and-rescue aircraft.

Le Bouthillier said Buffalo aircraft have already been donated to the Air Force Heritage Park in Summerside, P.E.I.; the National Air Force Museum in Trenton; and the Comox Air Force Museum, Comox, B.C. He said another Buffalo was provided to the Air Force Heritage Museum and Air Park at 17 Wing in Winnipeg.

Another of the planes will be used as a military firefighter training aid at the Canadian Forces Fire and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Academy in Borden, Ont., he said.