Since December 2019, I have been working part-time in outdoor education at the Discovery Centre of Downsview Park in Toronto. Downsview Park was created when Canadian Forces Base Downsview was de-comissioned. It was the home of DeHavilland Canada. In WWII, over 1000 Mosquitoes were built there, as well as Ansons and Tiger Moths. After the war, DHC began building all-Canadian designs - the Chipmunk, the Beaver (Canada's most iconic bush plane), the Otter, Twin Otter, Caribou and Buffalo (all very Canadian Animals), as well as Trackers, under license. Eventually acquired by Bombardier, the company moved into small regional airliners like the Dash-7 and 8, and the subsequent Bombardier designs.
Now the hangars and factories have been repurposed into indoor sport fields, climbing gyms, go-cart tracks and other recreational facilities.
The Discovery Centre where I work has a small classroom where we introduce programs (before Covid) before taking the kids out into the natural areas that the airbase has begun to turn into (with some help from park planners and environmental engineers.)
I'm planning to do dioramas of some of the DHC aircraft for display in the classroom area.
So far, a Mosquito and Twin Otter models are nearly completed and ready for diorama construction. A Beaver has had some painting disasters to deal with.
If anyone is interested in donating DHC aircraft for display, I would be happy to discuss.
Happy modeling.
5 attached images. Click to enlarge.
