It was coming on closing time at the British Columbia Aviation Museum and there were a few more aircraft I just had to look at before we were kicked out. Firstly, I had to get up close and personal with the only jet in the entire collection. I had a model of this when I was a whole lot younger, never did finish it though....
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The Canadair CT-133 Silver Star was a license built variant of the Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star, a two seat jet trainer which started out from the original P-80/F-80. In turn the Lockheed P-94 Starfire would later evolve from the T-33 and appear in World of Warplanes as a tier IX Multi-role Fighter for the American tree.
One of the major differences between the Lockheed and the Canadair CL-30 was the use of engines, the Shooting Star had Allison J33, the Silver Star used Rolls-Royce Nene 10.
It was hard to get a good shot of this aircraft, due in part to it's location inside the museum and the other planes around it. However, I was able to not only snap a picture of inside the cockpit....
....which didn't turn out nearly as good as I had hoped, but I also got one of those once in a lifetime opportunities to do this....
Although you can't really tell from this image, the cockpit was a real tight fit. Up front, all of the controls were in spots that didn't promote comfort. For me, once I sat in the seat, that was it, no real moving around after the straps went on and the canopy was closed.
Now, the plane that I really wanted to see and if it was the only exhibit this museum had, it would have been worth it for me....
Placed right in the middle of the museum was this license built Bristol Blenheim, but in Canada, it was known as the Bolingbroke. Produced by Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. Canada, over 620 of these aircraft would take part in World War Two performing two key roles, maritime patrols and crew training. Long ago, I pitched the idea of introducing this aircraft as a premium offering for World of Warplanes http://forum.worldofwarplanes.com/index.php?/topic/22211-okay-i-have-found-my-canadian-bacon-for-your-premium-consideration/ but that idea didn't carry on for long.
Despite that, the plane exists in World of Warplanes as the original Bristol Blenheim, at tier IV in the British Heavy Fighter tree. What I wasn't fully prepared for was the sheer size of the full sized, real life model....
....and with the size of the crowded hangar, very difficult to get all of the plane into one shot. Nevertheless, I was able to capture details that will add to my memory of this experience.
The straightforward, no nonsense cockpit with it's gauges, controls and pass-through tunnel to....
....the navigator's station in the nose, complete with a map and plotting tools of the time. My wife shot this video of my self guided, exterior tour of this aircraft, along with my son....
I had planned on doing this video tour, with me making comments and observations, but I didn't follow through with any pre-planning, scripting and other stuff along those lines.
Here is the story of the aircraft, from the display beside it....
This plaque brought another moment of silence for me.
Our time at the museum had come to an end, but before leaving, I made two purchases, my small part of giving back to the efforts of those who have put in the time to keep these aircraft around, to be enjoyed by many more visitors, for years to come....
I finally have an Arrow to call my own, but flying it might prove to be a very difficult task, I think.
When I was a whole lot younger, I would borrow this book from the library so much, I almost believed I owned it. Now, many years latter, I do and will cherish it for as long as my eyesight holds out.
On leaving the building and on our way back to our rental car, I caught a glimpse of one last plaque....
....reminding me how precious history is and never let it be forgotten.
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