Sad news about the Canadian example...
Snow breaks historic aircraft
Langley Advance
Published: Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Dear Editor,
Despite the best efforts of volunteers, the recent extreme weather has caused considerable damage to some exhibits at the Canadian Museum of Flight at Langley Regional Airport.
Hardest hit is the museums' Handley Page Hampden, a Second World War bomber that was raised from the ocean depths off Vancouver Island in 1985.
Ongoing efforts to clear the rapidly accumulating snow from the wings of the aircraft were overwhelmed during the night of Dec. 26, when snow caused a failure of the left wing's internal structure. The wing separated from the fuselage and collapsed onto an adjacent display case containing one of the aircraft's original engines.
The wing itself suffered considerable damage at both the root and tip. Further damage is visible on the tail of the aircraft, although a full investigation of this area has yet to be completed.
The museum's Hampden is the sole survivor of its type on display anywhere in the world, although another example was recovered recently from a crash site in Russia, and is under restoration in Britain.
The twin-engined Hampden was part of the Royal Air Force's front line equipment at the start of the Second World War, but was soon rendered obsolete and retired from active operations against Nazi Germany in the summer of 1943.
One hundred sixty Hampdens were built in Canada during the Second World War, and many were used on the West Coast to train crews in the difficult mission of attacking enemy shipping with torpedoes. The museum's aircraft was lost on just such an exercise on Nov. 15, 1942, when it crashed into the ocean moments after dropping a practice torpedo.
Following its recovery, the aircraft was the subject of a long and challenging restoration to static display condition, completed in 1998.
It is anticipated that a lengthy program of repair will be required to put the airplane back into display condition, and the museum is putting out a plea for the public's assistance in providing both financial and practical support to help rebuild this important piece of Canadian history.
Contact the museum at 604-532-0035, or at
[email protected].
Gord Wintrup and Rob Currington,
Canadian Museum of Flight