Ontario museum surrounded by giant wind turbines used to be an RCAF base

If you're ever in Dunnville, Ontario, you should stop by the No. 6 RCAF Museum for a slice of history in this small town outside of Toronto. The museum is one of the only institutions that has preserved training aircrafts and artifacts from the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP).  

No. 6 RCAF Museum was a flying training school opened to train pilots on fighter aircraft. Today it's a city staple for guests to see preserved planes and artifacts from as early as 1940.

The history behind it all 

No. 6 RCAF Museum was originally the No. 6 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) — one of 29 facilities established across Canada under the BCATP, and a working farm, which was transformed into a fully functional airfield.

The institution was complete with five hangars, 50 H-huts, a canteen, three double runways, a drill hall, a fire hall, and several other buildings.  

The No. 6 SFTS was among the first Service Flying Training Schools made to train pilots to fly fighter aircraft, and the Dunnville location was selected because it was outside controlled airspace with Lake Erie (open waters) in close proximity. 

The museum displays original hangars from the training school days. These include a Cornell, Fleet Finch, Spitfire, Mosquito Bomber, Grumman Tracker, and even a World War I Nieuport 17. 

The school officially closed down and turned into the Dunnville airport, shortly after the war; a total of 2436 pilots "earned their wings" at the No. 6 SFTS. 

When the museum was born 

In 1999, the Dunnville airport was purchased by Russ Cameron, Vic Powell, and Dan Silverthorne, three men who had a dream of building something monumental on the site. 

Hundreds of artifacts are on display for the public to get a feel for the rich history of the city. 

No. 6 RCAF Museum officially opened its doors to the public on July 5, 2003, and now features extensive displays, a library, vintage aircraft, a flight simulator, and even a memorial garden. 

Surrounded by giant wind turbines that add some rural aesthetic charm to the backdrop, the museum is like stepping into the history books for a glimpse into Canadian military aviation's past. 

No. 6 RCAF Museum is located at 536 Port Maitland Road.