New home for restored HP Hampden — Canadian Museum of Flight

What a gem! A scratch round the internet suggests this is the Stranraer now at the Shearwater Aviation Museum, having gone from west to east across Canada. And there are only two – this one and the RAF museum example.

Mark – is that the Stranraer that is now in the RAF museum in the background in your first shot?

My kind of museum. Lots of interesting junk.

Mark

Some recent pics, taken 24 September 2015. Way more impressive close up than photos suggest.

Staying with the Stranraer drift, does that mean that there are parts of three Stranraers extant? I remember a Flypast story covering the underwater recovery of an ex-Queen Charlotte Airlines machine no more than five or ten years ago, and certainly not as long ago as 1986! So that suggests that two wrecks exist in addition to the RAFM machine…

Thanks for adding more background info, hope this re construction can go undercover and PLEASE can some one repaint it, the camo looks the wrong shades?

No, this is/was a battered Stranraer wreck.

Mark

Mark – is that the Stranraer that is now in the RAF museum in the background in your first shot?

I took these shots in Vancouver in August 1986.

Mark

Scotavia, Mike J is right. I have inspected it a couple of times. While it is an impressive outward representation and does incorporate some original parts it is like a multi media FSM. For example, although they have corroded original engines and props, those are on separate display. Lighter mock engines and fibreglass props are hung on the “reconstruction”. IIRC they acquired the nose section from a wreck found in Scandinavia, donated by the RAFM decades ago (before they needed one themselves).

Tim

This flickr thread shows the main Hampden wreckage and the restoration included parts from 2 others, seems substantial original parts included so hardly a mock up in my view. https://www.flickr.com/photos/23057174@N02/2747336246/in/photostream/

Didn’t this suffer extensive snow damage ? Have they taped it back together then ?

Not really a restored Hampden, it would be more accurate to describe it as a mock-up containing some original parts. Still, the chance of more hangar space for the museum is always a good thing.