Watch our video endorsements by:
- Hollywood actor and pilot Harrison Ford
- Canadian actress Amanda Tapping from the TV series' Stargate and Sanctuary
- Canadian actress and pilot Michelle Goodeve, "Ms. Avery" of TV's Degrassi Junior High fame
(videos can be found by clicking on the "Gallery" tab above)
Canadian Air & Space Musuem's fundraising campaign in the news!
Who we are
The Canadian Air & Space Museum (CASM) is a not-for-profit organisation based in Toronto, Canada. For 15 years CASM has been located at Toronto's Downsview Park, in the historic de Havilland Aircraft buildings, the oldest aircraft factory in Canada. Each year it hosted thousands of visitors and school groups, showcasing aviation and aerospace history. The Museum was run and supported by a small staff and hundreds of volunteers. In September 2011, the buildings were designated to be repurposed and the Museum needed to find a new home.
2 IMMEDIATE NEEDS
The Musuem hopes and plans to open its doors once again one day, but first, there are two immediate needs for funding:
1) Preserving the Museum's precious and priceless collection
One year later, most of the Canadian Air & Space Museum's precious collection of thousands of displays, artifacts, archives and aircraft sits inside 44, 40-foot freight containers in a parking lot.
The Museum's first priority is to unload the contents of the freight containers into proper environmental conditions before winter weather sets in.
But since the Museum has had no means of generating revenue since September 2011, there are no more funds for paying the current rent on the 44 containers, and additional funds for unloading and monthly storage moving forward.
Please help us preserve the Museum's collection by bringing it out of the cold.
2) Preserve the Avro Arrow and Lancaster Bomber
There are two items remaining at the original Downsview Park location: the full-scale replica of the CF-105 Avro Arrow and the World War Two Lancaster Bomber which is under restoration. Due to their immense size, storage space has not been found for them, but they need to leave Downsview Park NOW. The Museum is now looking to construct a temporary hangar for them in the interim on Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) property, home of Lester B. Pearson International Airport.
(Note, Torontonians may recall the Lancaster Bomber -- it sat atop a pole along Lakeshore Blvd in front of Ontario Place for many years.)
Please help us build a temporary home for the Avro Arrow and Lancaster Bomber.
Discussions of a new home
In the meantime, the Canadian Air & Space Museum is pleased to confirm discussions with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority regarding the potential opening of a revitalized Museum in an outstanding new location at Lester B. Pearson International Airport which will allow for vastly improved access for residents and visitors to the Greater Toronto Area and an exciting rebirth for the Museum.
No binding commitments have been made at this time. However the Museum Trustees and the GTAA are evaluating opportunities to preserve and present Toronto’s aviation past which includes watershed achievements at both the Malton (now Pearson) and Downsview airports. All parties involved share a belief that Toronto’s many aviation and space contributions to Canada’s rich history should be presented in innovative and exciting ways for the enjoyment and educational benefit of current and future generations.
Canada’s largest and busiest airport, Lester B. Pearson, can provide the Museum with many exciting new educational, development and preservation opportunities.
We anticipate progress towards a final agreement and are excited about the opportunity to create a vastly improved facility between the busiest runway and highway in the country.
(Watch the video above and see what Hollywood actor, pilot and aviation enthusiast Harrison Ford has to say. And check out the gallery for more videos including messages from Canadian superstar actress Amanda Tapping, and fellow Canadian actress Michelle Goodeve of Degrassi Junior High.)
(Photos: the world's only full-scale, all-metal replica of the 1950s Avro Arrow (behind) was built entirely by Museum volunteers)
What else we need
Once the Museum's collection is safe and secure in proper storage, we need your help to finance our next stage which includes the acquisition of a buidling to turn it into a modern facility filled with interactive exhibits that reflect the past, present and future of the air and space industry.
Specific elements of the fundraising campaign include:
- Purchase a building so the Museum can re-launch its educational program which serves 2,000 schools within a one hour bus ride of the Toronto airport.
- Develop new educational exhibits and hands-on technology displays.
- Ultimately to design and build a theatre, classrooms, workshops and an exhibition gallery that can accommodate a large collection of civil and military aircraft and historic air and space artifacts.
- Help us educate future generations about the importance of aviation and space technology and to preserve the de Havilland aircraft archive, as well as thousands of other priceless historic artifacts from Canada's 100 years of aerospace history.
What you get
Please choose one of our Perk packages. We have a number of great items to offer as a way of saying thank you for your kind donation. Books, bumper stickers, models, rare autographed items, and if you're feeling really generous, lifetime memberships and discounts at the Museum. If you're a corporation, or a really generous individual, you can also help by picking one of our Premium perks and you will have your name permanently associated with the new Museum.
Your donation
If you can't afford to donate anything, but you believe we are worth supporting, please tell your friends about us. Link, post, Tweet, email, phone, fax or semaphore everyone you know, and help us to preserve these unique historical artifacts for future generations! Don't forget you can donate as little as $1 to help us out. Perhaps you are in a position to run a Matching Funds campaign. If you are, please feel free to let us know. Or maybe you have a cool Perk we can offer to people? If you run a business and would like to help us out by offering people a Perk please contact us at casm@casmuseum.org and we can add it to our ever-growing list of Perks.
The Impact of your help
The Museum was located within a historic building in Toronto's Downsview Park where many of Canada's most successful aircraft and spacecraft were assembled, including the famous de Havilland Beaver and the first Canadian satellite, the Alouette I. More than 22,000 Canadians signed our petition to preserve both the Museum and the historic building, and thanks to their efforts the old building has been saved and will be put to good purpose. While the Museum is leaving its old location, it is discussing a move into space which is far more accessible to the public and located within an equally historic environment.
Your generous assistance will help preserve Canada's historic and unique contribution to the air and space industry. It will also create a world-class exhibit for visitors from all over the world to come and learn about our truly incomparable aerospace history. From the famous Canadarm to some of the most famous aircraft in history, such as the Mosquito, the Avro Lancaster, the Beaver, the Otter and the Tiger Moth.
Long Term Vision
Toronto's Lester B. Pearson International Airport is more than an airport. It provides employment to 40,000 people, and last year, a total of 34.4 million passengers passed through its terminals with 449,000 aircraft movements taking place on its runways.
The future home of the Canadian Air & Space Museum under discussion with the GTAA will be located near to the busiest runways in Canada, and can become an ideal showcase for the Canadian aviation and air and space industry and an exciting destination in its own right. We hope to include an airport visitor's centre where guests can witness an average of 1,200 take offs and landings a day, involving 75 of the world's airlines, from the prestigious and well-known, to the unique and colourful, that serve 180 cities around the globe.
There will be no better location in Canada to witness the past, present and future of aviation and aerospace.
For more information about the Museum and this campaign please watch the other videos in our gallery above or go to http://www.casmuseum.org
Alternatively:
Tel: 416 638 6078
Email: casm@casmuseum.org
Thank you for your support!