Symposium to Celebrate History of Famous DHC-2 Beaver Bush Plane

- May 25, 2007 Symposium Coincides with 60th Anniversary Homecoming Fly-In of Beaver aircraft at Downsview Park, Toronto

TORONTO - On Friday, May 25, 2007 the Canadian Aviation Historical Society (CAHS) and the Toronto Aerospace Museum (TAM) will host a full day historical symposium at Downsview Park, Toronto celebrating the famous de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver aircraft and its pioneers.

The Beaver is considered Canada's most successful aircraft design and was recognized in 1986 as one of the top 10 Canadian engineering achievements of the last century.

The Toronto Aerospace Museum building is the original birthplace of the prototype Beaver, CF-FHB-X, which made its first flight at Downsview on August 16, 1947.

Sixty years later, the Beaver is still in widespread commercial use in northern Canada, the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.

The Symposium program will include a slide show on the Beaver and presentations by former de Havilland test pilots, salesmen and engineers; and panel discussions featuring Beaver pilots, mechanics, owners, operators and re-builders, past and present.

Anyone with an interest in the Beaver and Canadian aviation history is invited to attend.

The Beaver symposium comprises the second day of the CAHS national convention. The CAHS is Canada's oldest land largest aviation heritage organization, established in 1963.

The symposium is being co-sponsored by the Toronto Aerospace Museum a day prior to the May 26-27 Wings & Wheels Heritage Festival at Downsview Park.

The festival includes a fly-in of dozens of vintage and modern aircraft at Downsview airport, and a rally of hundreds of classic cars, motorcycles and military vehicles. This year's Festival will feature a 60th anniversary homecoming of Beaver bush planes and between 10 and 20 are expected to be on public display at Downsview Park.

Pilots will be able to fly in to Downsview airport to attend the Beaver Symposium and Festival. Advance reservations are required to land at the private airport, which is used by Bombardier Aerospace to flight test Q Series Dash 8 airliners and Global business jets.

The Beaver symposium is the fourth organized by the Museum (with the CAHS) highlighting Toronto’s role as a leading aircraft manufacturing centre.

The DH 98 Mosquito fighter-bomber was featured in December 2004, the Avro Lancaster bomber in May 2005, and the DHC-1 Chipmunk trainer in May 2006.

In October 2006, the museum celebrated the 49th anniversary of the rollout of the Avro Arrow with an unveiling of its own full scale replica of the Arrow, Canada’s first supersonic aircraft.

The replica Arrow and the museum's Avro Lancaster restoration project will be on view during the Beaver symposium.

For further detail on the DHC-2 Beaver Symposium, the CAHS national Convention, and the Wings & Wheels Heritage Festival, visit www.cahs.com and www.torontoaerospacemuseum.com