Holiday break programming now on at Royal Aviation Museum

Parents looking to keep the kids busy over the holiday break can check out some special programming happening at the Royal Aviation Museum this week.

"All the kids are on holiday break right now, so we have holiday programming in the two classrooms," said Ana Ritchot, visitor experience and gift shop manager at the museum.

Ritchot said they've been seeing anywhere between 300 – 400 visitors per day over the past week.

Special activities include aviation-themed puzzles and trivia, as well as a math game that teaches kids how to use a map. "It seems to be a little bit of a lost art these days, so it's kind of a scavenger hunt using a real map," Ritchot said. The museum has also set up a colouring station, and of course – a paper airplane station.

Apart from the holiday events, Ritchot said families visiting the museum can explore a variety of interactive experiences.

"We do have a Musketeer airplane up there which is a real training aircraft that the military has used, so they can go inside that aircraft and play with the controls," said Ritchot, adding that kids can also see some of the first ever passenger planes made for Air Canada.

The museum also features volunteer experts, many of whom have actually flown the planes on display. These experts wear red lanyards and can give great insight into the history of aviation in Canada.

Ritchot also highlighted a few of the museum's new exhibits, including an aerobatic stunt airplane on loan from top-ranked pilot Luke Penner. "So that's going to be here until April, and we just got a new mini-helicopter in for everyone to see," she said.

Holiday programming at the Royal Aviation Museum runs from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily through Jan. 7, 2024. More information can be found online.