The Toronto Aerospace Museum will be hosting a Wings & Wheels Heritage Festival at Downsview Park on May 26-28. To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the first flight of the De Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk, this year’s Festival is featuring this important Canadian aircraft with a fly-in and homecoming. To date, some 20 Chipmunk owners have agreed to bring their aircraft to the event.

The weekend will begin with a symposium on the Chipmunk on the evening of May 26. Doors will open at 5:00 p.m. with a reception that will allow attendees to preview the aircraft that have arrived for the fly-in, meet the pilots and tour the museum and displays. Presentations will begin at 7:00 p.m. and will include talks on the history of the Chipmunk, the Chipmunk in RCAF service, service in foreign air forces and special modifications, and issues associated with owning and operating a Chipmunk today. Participants will include George Neal, former Chipmunk test pilot, authors Hugh Shields and Bill Fisher and our own Howard Malone. Light refreshments will be served.

The weekend’s activities are intended as a family event, with opportunities to view vintage aircraft and automobiles, tour the museum and enjoy food and music.

More information is available on the museum’s web site at www.torontoaerospacemuseum.com. Tickets for the symposium alone are $20, but a Festival pass for the entire weekend is available for $40, and will include the symposium, admission to the grounds on both May 27 and 28, and a tour of the Bombardier plant on May 28. Prices at the door will be higher.

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