An Avro CF-100 Canuck that has sat outside in the prairie elements for decades is deteriorating to the point that its Calgary museum home wants to move it indoors.

The cold-war era aircraft, which according to the museum was the first Canadian-designed and built fighter to make it to active duty, is owned by the city, along with the other museum assets. Their upkeep and museum operations are the responsibility of a not-for-profit organization formed in 1975 for that purpose.

Calgary’s Hangar Flight Museum, located adjacent to the Calgary airport (CYYC), is hoping the city will provide the funding to move it indoors. In an interview with the Calgary Herald, the museum’s board chairman Jim Williams is quoted as saying, “You can see what the elements have done over time. There are certainly holes in the airframe that would need to be repaired, and some deterioration, especially on the wings of the aircraft.”

The museum is hopeful that its new home will allow for the aircraft to be restored, recognizing that it would be a big and expensive challenge and that city-provided funding together with public fundraising would be needed. Said Williams, “In the meantime, we’re trying to work with the city and on our own to develop a plan that will allow us to deal with this aircraft before it gets worse.”

The museum’s Canuck served in RCAF 440 Squadron in Bagotville, Que. before being converted to a dual-control trainer and assigned to a training unit in North Bay, Ont.

More information about the museum, formerly known as the Aero Space Museum of Calgary, can be found here.

Photo by Gavin Young/Postmedia