People of Canada’s Air Force: 100 Years
April 1, 2024 – September 2, 2024
Exhibition Details
People of Canada’s Air Force: 100 Years
Canada celebrates the centennial of the Royal Canadian Air Force on 1 April 2024.
Conducting war in the air and from the air is more hazardous than most conflict environments due to the inherent danger of operations. When this was combined with air power’s novelty as a military element during the First World War, mythos grew rapidly around the image of fighter pilots as cavalier throw-backs to the knights of the Middle Ages. When compared to the mud-caked brutality of trench warfare, war in the air seemed clean, civilized, and even gentlemanly.
The reality was far different: those who waged it were haunted by nightmares, technical failures, and oxygen deprivation that aged them rapidly. When aircrew failed to return, it affected the vast array of skilled aircraft technicians and maintainers deeply.
Yet Air Force mythos persisted throughout the Second World War, Cold War, and into the modern era, perpetuating imagery of jaunty, playboy pilots and deep technical complexity.
People of Canada’s Air Force reconciles extant Canadian Air Force mythos with the unique military experience that developed out of the technology, lifestyle, and working environment faced by individuals who served in Canadian military aviation since 1924. Combining personal narrative with material culture in a variety of media, this exhibit challenges technologically-heavy Air Force historiography to present a comprehensive study of Canadian Air Force experience.
Curated by Alison Mercer, Air Force Museum of Alberta.
Image Gallery
