Mutual Concerns of Air and Space Museums Seminar

	SATURDAY, APRIL 18
	Registration and Reception at Ottawa Marriott Hotel

	3:30 - 8:00 p.m.	Conference Registration

	3:30 - 5:00 p.m.	The Aviation Heritage Group (AHG) will hold its annual meeting and elections at the Marriott Hotel following a members' visit to Vintage Wings of Canada. This meeting is held independently of the Mutual Concerns Conference and all who would like to attend are welcome. For information on the organization or the meeting, go to www.aviationheritagegroup.org

	5:00 - 6:30 p.m.	Opening Reception/Networking (hors d'oeuvres)

	6:30 - 7:30 p.m.	Welcome Peter L. Jakab, Associate Director, Collections and Curatorial Affairs, Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum Anthony Smyth, Director General, Canada Aviation Museum News from the Field This is your opportunity to give a three-minute update (when the bell rings, you're done) on what's going on at your museum. If you would like to give an update, please email nasmmutualconcerns@si.edu by April 10, 2009 with your name, museum and the topic you'll discuss.

	SUNDAY, APRIL 19
	Registration & sessions at the Ottawa Marriott Hotel

	7:00 a.m.	Breakfast provided

	8:00 - 9:45 a.m.	Welcome Opening Plenary Session: Facing the Challenges of Recessionary Times Speakers: - Mary Case, Co-Founder, Qm² - Bill Greenlaw, Vice President, Canadian Museums Association Chair: - Christopher Terry, Former President & CEO, Canada Science and Technology Museum Corporation For museums of all shapes and sizes, the economic conditions prevailing in many countries in 2009 and beyond will present challenges for museums in many areas. The impact will be seen in visitation and funding from all sources. At the same time there are opportunities for museums to strengthen their position as a low-cost attraction and an important asset to their communities. To succeed in these challenging times will require good management and a strong ongoing commitment from all of our supporters, including members, donors, volunteers and staff. This session will explore what we can do to not only survive but grow in the years ahead of us. It will offer a good opportunity for a lively discussion of this critical issue.

	9:45 - 10:00 a.m.	Break

	10:00 - 11:15 a.m.	Concurrent Sessions: Cooperation Between Flying and Static Museums Speakers: - Stephen Brown, President & Chief Executive Officer, Commemorative Air Force - Robert Collings, Co-Founder, Collings Foundation - Stephen Hinton, President, Planes of Fame Air Museum - Sharon Maguire, President/Museum Director, Palm Springs Air Museum - David Rohrer, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum - Anthony Smyth, Director General, Canada Aviation Museum - Chris Woodul, Curator, Frontiers of Flight Museum Chair: - Dydia DeLyser, Curation Director, Heritage Flight Museum This session highlights the different things that both flying and static museums can do to productively work together, particularly on special events. Because flying museums are often highly mobile, ground-based static museums may be able to host visiting aircraft to the joy of the public and the mutual benefit of both museums. Speakers experienced in flying-in and those experienced in hosting will detail some of the possibilities and offer suggestions for both types of museums. --- OR --- Expand Your Educational Programs Using Web Technology Speakers: - Mark Howe, President, Cameo E-Cademy Builder - Kim Reynolds, Education and Interpretation Officer, Canada Aviation Museum - TBA Chair: - Stewart Bailey, Curator, Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum In online production tools and broadband internet technology have become the new standard for distance learning and audience-building programs. The panelist from CAMEO will outline how the combination of an experienced multimedia development team and a learning management group has created an efficient, cost-effective way for organizations to make the move to developing their own web programs. Kim Reynolds will present the museum client perspective and outline the challenges involved in establishing an online learning program that has the potential to be used by school programs in all of the thirteen provincial and territorial educations systems in Canada. It is planned that the session will include a live demonstration.

	11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.	Lunch and free time

	12:45 - 2:00 p.m.	Concurrent Sessions: Handling Instruments and Aircrafts Containing Radium Speakers: - David Allard, Director, Bureau of Radiation Protection, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection - Sean Austin, Certified Health Physicist, Dade Moeller & Associates - Christina Dodkin, Radiation Protection Specialist, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission Chair: - Stephen Sohinki, Vice President, Safety Programs, Dade Moeller & Associates Up until the 1970's various consumer and military products — such as wristwatches, clocks, and aircraft instruments — were manufactured using a paint which contained a radioactive nuclear substance — radium — which in turn luminesces (or, glows in the dark). These products are called radium luminous devices. One of the most common devices are aircraft instruments, and today, it is estimated that there are still many tens of thousands of these, a majority of which may be displayed and stored in various museums and aircraft instrument repair shops. This session will provide the history of the radium industry; information on devices produced which contain radium luminous compounds; the radiological hazards associated with these devices; and tips for safely handling and displaying these devices in a museum setting. Also covered in this session will be a hands-on demonstration of radium gauges and the instrumentation used to detect the presence of radioactivity; case studies of an expensive clean-up effort from mishandled materials and advice on how to avoid such situations; overviews of federal regulations in Canada and the United States for the proper handling of radioactive material; and a look at new U.S. regulations that participants may not be aware of -- and ways to comply without significant costs. --- OR --- Aviation Museum Gift Shops: Something for Everyone Speakers: - Anne-Marie Lau, Retail/Volunteer Manager, National Air Force Museum of Canada - Al Mickeloff, Retail Manager, Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum - Gerald Yagen, President, Military Aviation Museum Chair: - Chris Colton, Executive Director, National Air Force Museum of Canada This session will present the ABC's of operating a profitable museum gift shop. Special attention will be given to selecting the top items for maximum sales success and how and why to create unique and exclusive merchandise with your particular customers in mind. What sells best and why? How does your shop compare to other Mutual Concerns members? How do you market that 'old' inventory? A discussion will also be led about consignment sales and time sensitive items, such as calendars and special events products. Based on the success stories of three North American shops and what they have done to provide a memorable (and ultimately profitable) shopping experience to their own museum visitors, participants will also receive select names and details of vendor/suppliers along with the results of our recent nationwide museum gift shop survey. This is a great session for large and small museums alike. Whether you're operating a gift shop with just one person, volunteers or a large staff, retail sales are an essential source of revenue. Join us for a wealth of practical information. Nota Bene: All attendees are encouraged to bring an example of their best selling gift shop item to share with our other MC participants.

	2:00 - 2:15 p.m.	Break

	2:15 - 3:30 p.m.	Concurrent Sessions: Presenting the Science of Flight Speakers: - Alastair Dodds, Principal Curator of Transport, National Museums Scotland - Alan Westby, Museum Director, EAA AirVenture Museum - Stephen Woolford, Head of Interpretation and Collections, Imperial War Museum Chair: - TBA Visitors have high expectations from today's museums and interactivity is one of the key ways to engage young people. One of the most useful ways in which interactive galleries can be utilized is in presenting the science and technology behind flight in all its forms. Different approaches can be taken to the way in which the information is conveyed, and interactives can range from simple mechanical to computer based. Various approaches from museums on both sides of the Atlantic will be explored and the latest methods from recent galleries presented. This session will emphasis how exhibits are developed, how to keep costs low and how an exhibit can be child-proofed. --- OR --- The Care and Preservation of Textiles in Air and Space Museums Speakers: - Samantha Snell, Museum Specialist, Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum - Jeannie Whited, Museum Specialist, Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum Chair: - Malcolm Collum, Conservator, Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum Textiles such as uniforms, flags and spacesuits help humanize large artifacts, making them more accessible to visitors. Whether in storage or on display, they can be a challenge to display and care for. What can go wrong, what can go right, and how can it be affordable? Jeannie Whited, Museum Specialist at NASM will answer those questions in this session. In addition, the Collections Unit of NASM received a grant to re-house the entire Spacesuit and Aeronautic collections in a clean, secure, and stable environment. Carl Bobrow and Samantha Snell will discuss the issues they dealt with while re-housing these collections including conservation, recording, and updating object data in a collections database.

	3:30 - 3:45 p.m.	Break

	3:45 - 5:00 p.m.	Plenary Session: Attracting New Visitors: Two Approaches Speakers: - Fredda Plesser, Chair and Executive Director of Education, Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum - Kermit Weeks, President, Fantasy of Flight Chair: - John Zukowsky, formerly Chief Curator, Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum In a two-part presentation, Fredda Plesser, Chair and Executive Director of the Michael Tyler Fisher Center for Education at New York's Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum along with Christopher Malanson, the museum's Director of Exhibition Design and Installation, begin by describing their recent creation of a versatile, multi-functional 13,000 square foot space (the Exploreum) for interactive displays supporting the programming needs of the museum's education department. The displays, however, are movable to allow the space to become an income-producing venue large enough for a 1,000-person sit-down dinner or other large audience event. In Part Two, Kermit Weeks of Florida's Fantasy of Flight Museum asks us to look at another, broader approach to how we deliver our offerings with a view to delivering a product that touches everyone that walks through the door. He asks us to approach the whole Aviation Museum idea from a different perspective since, as he so eloquently puts it, "The cowpath of unsuccess doesn't seem to be working for my organization and I am on a crusade to find a better way!"
	Complimentary shuttle will be provided at the beginning and end of evening between the Canada Aviation Museum and the Ottawa Marriott Hotel.

	6:30 - 9:00 p.m.	Canada Aviation Museum Dinner

	MONDAY, APRIL 20
	All sessions at the Canada Aviation Museum Complimentary shuttle will be provided at the beginning and end of day between the Canada Aviation Museum and the Ottawa Marriott Hotel.

	7:30 a.m.	Buses depart Ottawa Marriott Hotel for the Canada Aviation Museum

	8:00 - 8:45 a.m.	Breakfast at the museum

	8:45 - 10:15 a.m.	Concurrent Sessions: Controversy in Museum Exhibits: The Third Reich and the V-2 Speakers: - Christian Mühldorfer-Vogt, Director, Historical-Technical Information Center Peenemünde - Michael Neufeld, Chair and Curator, Space History Division, Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum - Holger Steinle, Chair and Curator, Aerospace Section, German Technology Museum, Berlin Chair: - David DeVorkin, Senior Curator, Space History Division, Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum Before 1990, Nazi aircraft and missiles, notably the V-2, were typically presented in aerospace and technology museums with minimal historical context, often only with technical specifics. However, a growing consciousness of the Holocaust and the crimes of National Socialism, combined with rising knowledge of the use of forced and slave labor to build German aircraft and missiles, above all the V-2, have caused aerospace and technology museums to grapple with the need to alter their exhibitions to take the moral and political issues into account. This session brings together three museum aerospace museum professionals with long experience with these questions. This session will help air and space museum curators and directors assess the political problems and controversies involved in the exhibit of Third Reich artifacts in Europe and North America, as well as the opportunities presented to reach new audiences. Stakeholders and the public may need to be engaged before exhibition of familiar artifacts like the V-2 are altered. We will present case studies of the presentation of Third Reich artifacts in two German museums (Berlin and Peenemünde) by their chiefs, as well as an overview of the presentation of the V-2 and Wernher von Braun in museums in the US (NASM, Huntsville and Kansas), Germany (Peenemünde, Mittelbau-Dora, Deutsches Museum) and France (La Coupole) by Michael Neufeld.. Through this session's discussion and the roundtable discussion of the next session, Mutual Concerns participants will be able to engage these issues. --- OR --- Lab-Oriented and Teacher-Friendly Aerospace Education Speakers: - Christine Hunt, Aerospace Educator in Residence, Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum Chair: - Elizabeth Garcia, Chief, Collections Division, Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, Paul E. Garber Facility A professional development package for high school science teachers will be provided. Each package contains aerospace-related material that is directly associated with science lessons including hands-on activities. If desired, museums can personalize the in-service training material to reflect their specific exhibits. Several dozen science topics are provided on a CD-rom that can be adopted directly by teachers or easily adapted. A full description of the program and ways to reach out to energize local teachers are included. This program was presented at the NSTA conference in Boston, 2008 and at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

	10:15 - 10:30 a.m.	Break

	10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.	Concurrent Sessions: Civic Engagement and Interpreting War Speakers: - Tom Crouch, Senior Curator, Aeronautics Division, Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum - Dan Hagedorn, Senior Curator, The Museum of Flight - Mark O'Neill, Director General, Canadian War Museum Chair: - Richard, Beckerman, Principal, Museum Consulting Associates In this session, curators and management from three internationally recognized museums will have a roundtable discussion about two controversial exhibits that interpret war: the Canadian War Museum's Strategic Bombing: an Enduring Controversy and the canceled National Air and Space Museum's Last Act: The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II which included the Enola Gay. Looking at the highly publicized reactions to these exhibits, were there organizational signals that indicated conflict would occur? Keeping in mind the approaching anniversaries of more recent and controversial wars, we will discuss what we can apply from these experiences by using civic engagement techniques to develop exhibits that effectively serve diverse audiences. --- OR --- Hanging Artifacts in Museums and Public Spaces Speakers: - Rebekah Brockway, Exhibit Designer, Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum - Robert Mawhinney, Museum Specialist, Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, Paul E. Garber Facility Chair: - Elizabeth Garcia, Chief, Collections Division, Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum Regardless of size, most air or space museums encounter at least one occasion where it would be desirable to suspend an artifact from the ceiling of their facility. This can be a daunting task, especially if it is a first time exercise. NASM staff will present an outline of the best practices for hanging artifacts based upon years of experience at the Udvar-Hazy Center and NASM National Mall Building. Topics to be discussed will follow the installation process and include design guidelines, rigging and lifting equipment, safety issues, contractor specifications, planning, and hanging procedure. Case studies will highlight common issues, as well as unique conditions. The session will also cover general design and equipment considerations, and the recommended procedures required to perform the work.

	12:00 - 2:30 p.m.	Lunch, Keynote and museum touring (Lunch provided)

	12:30 - 1:15 p.m.	Keynote speaker Marc Garneau was Canada's first astronaut, with a first flight in 1984 followed by two other missions. From 2001 to 2005 he was President of the Canadian Space Agency. Currently he is a Liberal Member of Parliament and opposition critic for industry, science and technology.

	1:15 - 2:30 p.m.	Tours of Canada Aviation Museum Storage Hangar, Library, Archives and Restoration Workshop

	2:30 - 4:00 p.m.	Concurrent Sessions: Hoping for the Best, Preparing for the Worst: Small Museums and Unexpected Disasters Speaker: - Christopher Knapp, Conservation Manager, Imperial War Museum Chair: - Scott Marchand, Director for Collections & Aircraft Restoration, Pima Air & Space Museum Many museums have been hit by unexpected disasters but the damage to the collection could have been lessened if a few simple plans had been made "just in case." This session explores some simple and inexpensive preparations that could help if that disaster happens to you. Although aimed at small- to medium-size museums, larger museums main also gain from some of the suggestions. --- OR --- Aerospace Art Speakers: - Tom Crouch, Senior Curator, Aeronautics, Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum - Russ Kirk, Director, Air Force Art Program, United States Air Force - Marc Ducharme, Chief, Operations and Curator of the Biennial Artflight Competition, Canada Aviation Museum Chair: - Laura Brandon, Historian — Air and War, Canadian War Museum Museums of any size can use original art to enhance a themed exhibit or serve as an engaging temporary exhibition on its own. Speakers from the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) and the U.S. Air Force will describe the NASM art and poster collections, the NASA Art Program, and the Air Force Art Collection, giving illustrated presentations on their collection while discussing the rationales that guide the acquisition and de-accession decisions. They will also discuss their exhibition and loan programs in this session which should be of value to any aerospace museum interested in building/managing an art collection or borrowing works from an existing collection.

	4:00 - 4:15 p.m.	Break

	4:15 - 5:45 p.m.	Concurrent Sessions: Reach Out and Touch Your Visitors…with Cell Phones! Speakers: - Dave Asheim, President, Guide by Cell - Katie Moore , Astronomy Educator, Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum - Kim Reynolds, Education and Interpretation Officer, Canada Aviation Museum Chair: - Fiona Smith Hale, Manager, Information Resources, Canada Aviation Museum Modern museums and institutions face many challenges. One of these is how to create an innovative, dynamic experience and exhibition that will interest a diverse audience while preserving identity and mission. How can new technologies help public attractions achieve both goals? A discussion on how to use cell phone audio tours to engage the audience and attract new visitors will be presented, as well as how interactive technologies found in every visitor's purse or pocket can educate and promote exhibits to a new generation of visitors. --- OR --- Collection Planning for Large and Small Museums Speakers: - Randall Brooks, Director, Collections and Research, Canada Science and Technology Museum - Karen Hinton, Director of Development, Planes of Fame Air Museum - Ted Maxwell, Senior Scientist, Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum Chair: - Patricia L. Williams, Acquisition Archivist, Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum Possession of collections incurs legal and ethical obligations to develop, provide proper physical storage, management, and care for the collections and associated documentation, as well as proper intellectual control. Both the Canada Science and Technology Museum Corporation and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum have formal plans that deal with the rational development of the collection and responsibilities of collections management. These plans include strategies for collections development including a research based historical rationales for collections, as well as the nuts and bolts of committee workings. In smaller museums, the need for a large number of policy documents is less compelling, but the strategies for acceptance of artifacts are the same. The task and challenge for museums both large and small is to manage the collection with limited resources. The policies of collection planning and the realities of limited staff and resources will be discussed in this session.

	5:45 p.m.	Conclusion of Monday's sessions Buses depart museum for Ottawa Marriott Hotel

	TUESDAY, APRIL 21
	All sessions at the Ottawa Marriott Hotel

	7:00 a.m.	Breakfast provided

	8:00 - 9:15 a.m.	Concurrent Sessions: Creating Unforgettable Visitor Experiences Speakers: - Julie Moskalyk, International Sales Manager, Science North - Whit Petch, Principal, Reich + Petch Design International - Jennifer Simpson, Learning and Programmes Manager, National Museums Scotland Chair: - Amanda Jopling, Director of Business Development, Reich + Petch Visitors are everyday people who, like all of us, enjoy being excited, amused, challenged and entertained. This session is all about creating rich, educational experiences that surround and involve a wide range of audiences keeping visitors coming back again and again. Our panel will share new, innovative and simple approaches to telling a story with the goal of broadening the visitor experience to those beyond core enthusiasts. By exploring specific projects that they have been involved in creating, they will showcase a variety of immersive aviation exhibits, including bringing to life Concordes G-BOAE and G-BOAA. The panel will identify what made these projects a hit with audiences and also share experiences that failed to engage audiences. --- OR --- Liability Issues for Aviation Museums Speakers: - Greg Hiser, Air Capital Insurance Chair: - William Anders, Founder & Chairman, Heritage Flight Museum All aviation museums face liability issues. Many may be unaware of critical liability concerns, and some relatively simple ways to avoid them. This session will outline the issues that museums large and small, static and flying, should be prepared to address, and provide alternatives for how to handle them — before it's too late.

	9:15 - 9:30 a.m.	Break

	9:30 - 10:45 a.m.	Concurrent Sessions: Web Site Design: What to Expect, What to Demand Speakers: - Karen Hinton, Director of Development, Planes of Fame Air Museum - Victoria Portway, Manager, Interactive Media, Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum - Cia Romano, Founder and CEO, Interface Guru Chair: - Fiona Smith Hale, Manager, Information Resources Canada Science and Technology Museum Corporation Aviation and space museums must rely on their web sites to attract both existing and new audiences. Unfortunately, limited budgets – and lack of knowledge – often leave museums at the mercy of sub-standard web designers. Small budgets don't have to result in poor web sites. Join web experts Victoria Portway and Cia Romano and museum practitioner Karen Hinton for a crash course in what to expect – and even demand from – a web designer. You will leave the session with tips which you can apply immediately. --- OR --- Issues Surrounding the Conservation of Large Objects Speaker: - Christopher Knapp, Conservation Manager, Imperial War Museum Chair: - Stephen Quick, Associate Director General, Canada Aviation Museum Restore, conserve, preserve or even replicate are just some of the words used, often incorrectly, when talking about the care of large objects. This session aims to explore how we can maintain professional museum standards while still living in the real world. Although the session is aimed primarily at static museums the same principles still apply and can be adapted to flying museums.

	10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.	Plenary Session: Air and Space Potpourri - Projects of Note in the Air and Space Museum Community Speakers: - Michael Fopp, Director General, Royal Air Force Museum - Susan Kinney, Director for Logistics, National Aeronautics and Space Administration - Benjamin Kristy, Aviation Curator, National Museum of the Marine Corps - Geoffrey Languedoc, Executive Director, Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute and Chairman, Canadian Centennial of Flight Project Chair: - Anthony Smyth, Director General, Canada Aviation Museum These four Conference participants have been involved or are currently involved in major projects and programs that will be of general interest to our community. At the same time describing or updating each of them does not call for a full session for each one. Therefore each speaker in the session will cover his subject in 10-15 minutes followed by about 5 minutes for questions and discussion. Michael Fopp first outlined the development of the National Cold War Exhibition at RAF Museum Cosford in his keynote address at the 2006 Conference. This year he will update participants on the success of the Exhibition and the lessons learned in its production and the initial public reaction. The year 2012 marks the centennial of United States Marine Corps aviation. The National Museum of the Marine Corps is working on a wide variety of programs and products to celebrate the occasion, and Ben Kristy will take this opportunity to outline their plans. The retirement of the Space Shuttle program over the next few years presents an extraordinary opportunity for museums to enhance their collections and exhibitions. Susan Kinney will brief the Conference on NASA's criteria and procedures for the disposition of Space Shuttle artifacts to museums and offer practical guidance on how to proceed. At last year's Conference Geoffrey Languedoc outlined the organization of and the projects being planned by the Canadian Centennial of Flight Project. This year he will describe the launch of the year's celebrations in February and provide an update on programs and events taking place through the summer.

	12:00 - 12:30 p.m.	Sessions conclude Critiques, door prize drawings and closing remarks

	TUESDAY, APRIL 21 - OPTIONAL FIELD TRIPS

	1:30 - 5:30 p.m.	Diefenbunker Canada's Cold War Museum , Carp, Ontario The Diefenbunker, Canada's Cold War Museum, began operation in June 1998. The site was owned and operated by the Government of Canada, Department of National Defence from 1959 to 1994. The facility was nicknamed after John Diefenbaker, Canadian Prime Minister at the time the government decided to construct it. Should nuclear war have broken out or seemed imminent, the Diefenbunker would have been the safe haven for those providing the thin thread of continuity of government. For the 33 years it was in operation, the Diefenbunker served as a key strategic communications facility for the Canadian Forces. The museum has a mandate to increase interest in and understanding of the Cold War, by preserving the Diefenbunker as a national historic site and operating it as a Cold War Museum. They are offering a special insiders tour of the museum. More about the Diefenbunker: http://www.diefenbunker.ca/ Roundtrip shuttle transportation between the Ottawa Marriott Hotel and the museum will be provided. --- OR ----

	1:30 - 4:30 p.m.	Vintage Wings of Canada, Gatineau, Quebec At Vintage Wings of Canada it is their mission to acquire, restore, maintain and fly classic aircraft significant to the early history of powered flight. A particular focus is on aircraft of Canadian importance. Each airplane in their collection is restored and maintained to the highest standards. They are authentically detailed and operated within the most stringent of safety guidelines. It is their goal to inspire and educate future generations about the historical significance of our aviation heritage and to demonstrate that these aircraft are more than just metal, fabric, and wood artifacts. They seek to keep the souls of these aircraft alive through the thundering sound of engines, the smell of leather, glycol, oil and sweat, as well as the laughter of their pilots as they dance with them in their natural element in the skies over Canada. The afternoon tour will be an overview of the Vintage Wings of Canada site and their aircraft. Flying operations will be dependent upon weather and availability of pilots and serviceable aircraft. More about Vintage Wings of Canada: http://www.vintagewings.ca/ Roundtrip shuttle transportation between the Ottawa Marriott Hotel and VWC will be provided. --- OR ---

	1:30 - 4:30 p.m.	Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, Ontario The Canadian War Museum is a part of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation. It is Ottawa's newest national museum and has been widely recognized for its powerful architecture. It combines interpretive permanent and temporary exhibits along with a large open collection storage area. The museum's National Collection is an assembly of military artifacts and art works that represents the Canadian military experience and promotes public understanding of Canada's military history in its personal, national, and international dimensions. This behind-the-scenes tour will focus on the Transportation and Artillery collection. More about the Canadian War Museum: http://www.warmuseum.ca/

	WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22 - THURSDAY, APRIL 23: OPTIONAL OVERNIGHT FIELD TRIP

		Don't miss this opportunity to get VIP tours at three leading Canadian museums: the National Air Force Museum, the Toronto Aerospace Museum and the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. Please see 'Overnight Tour Logistics' section below tour information for what is included in the fieldtrip price and what participants must do to book their hotel room Wednesday night in Hamilton, Ontario. Touring Information This fieldtrip begins Wednesday morning, with travel to Trenton, Ontario to visit the National Air Force Museum. The National Air Force Museum is operated by the Canadian Armed Forces and preserves and displays the history of Canada's Air Force. The highlights of its collection are the replica of the Burgess Dunne, Canada's first military airplane and the Handley Page Halifax A Mk VII. The Halifax, one of three remaining in the world, was recovered from Lake Mjosa in Norway and was fully restored by Museum volunteers. Visitors will get to see these aircraft and tour the Museum's collection. For more information on the museum: http://www.airforcemuseum.ca/ If time permits, the Trenton stop will include a brief bus tour of CFB Trenton, Canada's principal air transport base. The field trip continues on to Toronto for Wednesday afternoon to the Toronto Aerospace Museum. This museum is located on the site of the former De Havilland plant and is the oldest surviving aircraft factory building in Canada, the birthplace of many famous Canadian-designed aircraft and the original home to our space technology industry. Visitors will be given a presentation on the site and a tour of the Museum and area. For more information on the museum: http://torontoaerospacemuseum.com Wednesday's touring ends in Hamilton on Wednesday evening with a relaxing stay at the Sheraton Hamilton in Hamilton, Ontario. See Overnight Tour Logistics Below Thursday morning, participants will be taken to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Mount Hope, Ontario. This museum is a flying museum with over forty aircraft on display. Warplane Heritage is home to one of only two flying Avro Lancasters in the world. They also have the only flying North American B-25 in Canada and in May 2009 hope to have their Westland Lysander in the air. They are also restoring a Bristol Bolingbroke, which will be the only one flying in North America. Visitors will be offered a tour of the collection and, weather permitting, flight demonstrations to open the CWHM flying season. For more information on the museum: http://www.warplane.com/ Participants have the option of departing the tour at the Toronto Pearson International Airport instead of returning to Ottawa. Participants can be dropped off at the Toronto airport by 2:30 pm to catch a late afternoon or evening flight. If you are planning to leave from Ottawa, you can be dropped at the Ottawa International Airport by 8:00 pm Thursday evening; a late flight out of Ottawa or a Friday morning flight is recommended Fieldtrip Guest Shopping Option Any guests accompanying participants can choose to stay in downtown Hamilton on Thursday morning while the participants tour the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. The hotel is attached to the city's main shopping centre and is directly across the street from the Art Gallery of Hamilton. Overnight Tour Logistics The $150 (US Dollars) fee for this trip includes roundtrip transportation from Ottawa and museum admission fees. The hotel room and meals are not included. Participants must make their own reservations for Wednesday night at the Sheraton Hamilton. Sheraton Hamilton Hotel 116 King Street West Hamilton, Ontario L8P 4V3 Canada 905 529-5515 Sheraton Hamilton Hotel Website The Sheraton Hamilton Hotel in Hamilton, Ontario is located in the heart of the business district, and connected to Copps Coliseum, the Hamilton Convention Centre, and two great shopping malls. The hotel is holding a room block for fieldtrip participants at the rate of $119 for standard guestroom (additional person charge $15; cot charge $25). Deluxe guestroom rate $134.00. To book your room, individual reservations can be made by calling the 24-hour central reservation line at 888-627-8161 and asking for a room with the 'Mutual Concerns' block.