Page 14 - August 2018

Left vacant and unused for a time post war, the
building eventually became home to Bullock
Helicopters. Bullock Helicopters performed oil
exploration, search and rescue, and transport for
seismic crews and their equipment.

One of the first tasks Evan Bullock and his team
undertook was to tear up the original wooden floor
THE FIRST AVIATION MUSEUM IN CALGARY and pour a concrete slab in its place. Also, during
their tenancy, Bullock Helicopters built the area that
The first aviation museum in Calgary, "The Air Museum
currently features the Museum gift shop. At the
of Canada," was founded in 1960 but was largely a
collection of privately owned aircraft. Disbanding in time it was used as their reception area and
administrative offices. As an interesting side note,
1971, the museum's aircraft and assets were turned
visitors to the Museum often comment on the
over to the City of Calgary and housed at the city's
Planetarium for safekeeping and display. In 1975 the beautiful stonewall that backdrops the gift shop
inventory. The Bullock pilots would return from trips
"Aero Space Museum Association of Calgary" was
up north with unusual stones and fossils they
registered as a non-profit, charitable, organization and
assumed the care and upkeep of these artifacts. discovered. This collection was eventually
assembled into the museum’s showpiece wall.
By the late 1970's a central office was established.
Other companies also hung their shingles above the
Recently retired Calgary Airport manager Bill Watts
agreed at that time to manage the daily operations of door, the last of which was Kenting Helicopters.
Upon their departure in 1985 they offered Museum
the museum. In 1985 the Aero Space Museum of
Calgary took up residence in the former Bullock founder Bill Watts the use of the hangar for the Aero
Space Museum. Fortunately for the fledgling
Helicopter Hangar at the south end of the Calgary
organization, Kenting Helicopters had paid rental on
International Airport. A former WWII BCATP training
hangar, this building has been home to the museum's the building for the remainder of the year and
granted that money to the Museum, allowing them
collection since that time, in what is now known as The
to take occupancy rent free for their first few
Hangar Flight Museum.
months of existence.
The building in which the museum calls home had its
As the Museum’s collection grew, the facility had to
origins in the founding of the British Commonwealth
change to keep up. In 1997, new hangar doors were
Air Training Plan (BCATP). Built in 1941, it was the drill
hall for #37 Service Flight Training School. installed, enlarging the entrance for the aircraft and
allowing more of the collection to be housed
The BCATP was developed to provide Commonwealth indoors. This move was the first in a series of major
airmen with an opportunity for training. Over 130,000 changes to the Museum infrastructure over the next
airmen graduated from the plan, with many seeing few years.
action in the skies of Asia, the Pacific and Europe.
These airmen trained long and hard at hundreds of
sites across Canada, including Calgary.

The drill hall was one of 7,000 buildings built in support
of the BCATP. It was used for various activities
including sports. One of the airmen who likely walked
the floor of the drill hall was Commander Peter
Middleton, the grandfather of Kate, the Duchess of
Cambridge. Commander Middleton was stationed in
Calgary from 1942 to 1944.