By Gary Watson | April 4, 2016 Estimated reading time 3 minutes, 58 seconds.
LGen Mike Hood checks out the Air Force Museum CF-104.
On March 18, LGen Mike Hood, commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, visited the Air Force Museum of Alberta, located in The Military Museums complex in southwest Calgary.
It became obvious that Hood has a keen interest in RCAF history, as he toured the original museum and then spent time in the Ken and Rona Lett Cold War Exhibit, located in two simulated hardened aircraft shelters. The buildings house three iconic Cold War aircraft—the F-86 Sabre, CF-104 Starfighter and CF-18 Hornet—plus numerous supporting artifacts and displays.
Accompanied by Air Force Museum of Alberta directors and volunteers, Hood examined story boards and artifacts, and a number of volunteers provided details on the aircraft and exhibits. After the tour, Hood talked to museum volunteers, thanking them for their hard work in creating and running a magnificent museum and Cold War exhibit.
Accompanied by Air Force Museum of Alberta directors and volunteers, Hood examined story boards and artifacts, and a number of volunteers provided details on the aircraft and exhibits.
“I am committed to RCAF museums,” Hood told Skies. “As the youngest of Canada’s three services, we tend to not have as much information available to the public compared to other services, and I hope to help museums provide more information to the Canadian public about their air force’s contributions to Canada. The stories don’t have to be melancholy; instead, [we can] talk about the great things Canadians have done while serving in the RCAF. I like what I have seen here in Calgary, and think the museum is doing a great job telling the Cold War story.”
Canada has several museums dedicated to telling the stories of the RCAF. Some, such as the Air Force Museum of Alberta, are directly connected to the RCAF via the Directorate of Heritage and History (DHH). Others are community or other organizations with an arm’s length connection to DHH. According to Hood, all are doing an incredible job.
Retired colonel Gerry Morrison, right, a past chairman of the Air Force Museum, was on hand for the event.
“We are currently working on a plan to combine all RCAF museums under a centralized organization, to provide better access to funding and help them be coordinated in the stories they tell, so as to have the same basic message,” he continued. “If a visitor walks into a museum in Comox or one in Ontario, the message should be coordinated, with every museum having the flexibility to choose their own method of telling the story.”
Milestones ahead on the horizon include “Road to 2024,” a memorial celebrating the 100th year of the RCAF, and the publishing of Volumes 4 and 5 of the official RCAF history. Volume 4 will cover the Cold War, while Volume 5 will focus on Afghanistan.
