The CATP Museum Opens for the Season on April 1!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26, 2026

Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum Reopens for the Season April 1

Brandon, Manitoba – The Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum will reopen for the 2026 season on April 1, welcoming visitors back to the hangar just in time for Spring Break.

The Museum will be open daily from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm beginning April 1, offering families, visitors, and aviation enthusiasts the chance to explore one of Canada’s most important Second World War training sites.

Over the winter months, staff and volunteers have been busy behind the scenes working on new exhibits, caring for the collection, maintaining aircraft, and preparing for the next stage of the Museum’s growth. This work continues as the Museum moves forward with planning for future redevelopment while keeping the historic hangar active and open to the public.

“We are always excited to open the doors again for the season,” said Zoe McQuinn, Director General of the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum. “A great deal of work happens over the winter, and reopening in the spring is a chance to welcome the community back and share the stories that make this place so important.”

Visitors can see historic training aircraft, vehicles, and artifacts connected to the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, the massive wartime program that trained more than 220,000 personnel in Canada during the Second World War, including aircrew, ground crew, instructors, and support staff whose work contributed to victory.

Located at the Brandon Municipal Airport, the Museum is part of the Manitoba Signature Museums network and welcomes visitors from across Manitoba and beyond.

To get the most value from their visit, the Museum encourages visitors to consider becoming members. Membership at the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum provides unlimited admission throughout the season and includes reciprocal benefits through the Manitoba Signature Museums network, offering free admission at participating museums across Manitoba, including the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre, Le Musée de Saint-Boniface Museum, Manitoba Agricultural Museum, Mennonite Heritage Village, New Iceland Heritage Museum, and Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. Membership support plays an important role in helping the Museum care for its collection, maintain historic aircraft, and continue planning for the future of the site.

Spring Break is an ideal time for families to visit, with plenty of space to explore and something for all ages.

For more information, visit
www.airmuseum.ca
or follow the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum on social media.

Hiring: Visitor Services Assistant & Museum Interpreter

Visitor Services Assistant & Museum Interpreter (Temporary Part-Time)

Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum, Brandon, Manitoba

Located at the Brandon Municipal Airport

The Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum is seeking a temporary part-time Museum Interpreter & Visitor Services Assistant to support weekend operations and visitor services from April 1 to August 31, 2026. This position is ideal for someone with an interest in history, aviation, education, tourism, or museums, and who enjoys working with the public in a small, hands-on environment.

The Museum honours the legacy of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and shares the stories of the more than 220,000 aircrew who trained in Canada during the Second World War. Our work is rooted in community engagement, education, and respectful stewardship of history.

Position Details

  • Temporary part-time position
  • Term: April 1 – August 31, 2026
  • Primarily weekends, with occasional weekday or event shifts
  • Typical hours: 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm (April 1 – April 30), 9:30 am – 4:30 pm (May 1 – August 31) 
  • Wage: $16.50 per hour

Duties may include

  • Front desk reception and visitor services
  • Providing guided tours to visitors and school groups
  • Operating the gift shop and handling cash / POS transactions
  • Assisting with special events, flying days, and volunteer coordination
  • Light cleaning and general upkeep of museum spaces
  • Assisting with museum security procedures
  • Assisting with collections, cataloguing, or exhibit work as needed

Qualifications

  • Interest in history, museums, aviation, tourism, or education
  • Strong communication and interpersonal skills
  • Ability to work independently in a small team environment
  • Reliable and responsible
  • Drivers licence and transportation required

Students, retirees, and individuals with experience in history, education, tourism, or heritage organizations are encouraged to apply.

Commitment to Inclusion

The Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum is located on Treaty 2 Territory, the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and the homeland of the Metis Nation. We are committed to respectful relationships, inclusive storytelling, and ensuring that the history shared in our Museum reflects the diversity of those who served and those who lived through the wartime experience.

We are committed to inclusive hiring practices and welcome applications from all qualified candidates, including Indigenous peoples, members of racialized communities, persons with disabilities, women, and members of 2SLGBTQ+ communities.

How to Apply

Please email your resume to:

airmuseum@inetlink.ca or DirectorGeneral@CATPM.onmicrosoft.com

Applications will be accepted until March 27, 2026.

Only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.

Teachers! It’s Field Trip Time!

March 2026                    

Dear School Administrators and Teachers,

When planning your field trips for this school year, please consider the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum in Brandon. We offer a student friendly environment with tours to suit all grade levels with specific curriculum links from Grade 1 to 12. We are available for tour bookings now up until the end of October.  We normally get booked up for tours all through spring, so book early, or consider a fall field trip!

Our museum tour can be adapted to meet your needs and time constraints. We are open seven days a week and have special rates just for school groups. Our regular rates are $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for youth, school groups are only $4.00 per student and with every ten students you are allowed one free supervisor.  

A little about us:

We are a National Historic Site and a Manitoba Signature Museum. We are located at the Brandon Municipal Airport. Our museum tells the story of air force training during WWII. Aircrew were trained from across the Commonwealth, and beyond, right here in Canada, including many Manitoba locations! The hangar has many historic aircraft, vehicles, and interactive displays. We also have an active restoration shop, a memorial chapel, historic buildings, and lots of outdoor space to have a picnic lunch. We also have the incredible RCAF WWII Memorial, a 300 foot granite wall that pays tribute to those lost serving in the RCAF. More information can be found on our website (www.airmuseum.ca) or on our social media accounts.

In addition to being an amazing location for an educational field trip, our Education Committee has put together some resources for teachers. You can find them on the education page of our website (https://airmuseum.ca/services/tours-education/). These resources include several activities suitable for high school created by a local history teacher. We also have an amazing learning kit, targeted at middle years, created by a highly regarded, recently retired, Brandon educator. The kit has several modules containing exciting activities, all connected to Manitoba Curricular outcomes. If you are interested in this learning kit, contact the museum.

If you have any questions or would like to book a tour, please give me a call at 727-2444.

Yours truly, Stephen Hayter

Stephen Hayter
Executive Director
Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum
Box 3 Group 520 RR #5
Brandon, MB  R7A 5Y5
P: 204-727-2444  c: 204-761-8365
airmuseum@inetlink.ca
www.airmuseum.ca

2025 at the CATPM in Review

The past few years, a video reviewing the museum’s activities over the previous year has been created, and the 2025 version is now available. You can view it – and many other museum videos on our YouTube channel!

2025 was an exciting year: a new Director General, acquiring a Norseman and a Stearman, a huge bequest, and much more! Watch the video to see it all.

UNESCO Live Museum

When Canada was called upon, we stepped up. Through the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, communities across this country trained 220,000 personnel and helped shape the outcome of the Second World War. Small towns across Canada made a big impact.

That spirit still guides us at the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum (CATPM).

This year, our Director General participated in UNESCO’s global Live Museum training – joining museum and heritage professionals from around the world to explore how museums can foster dialogue across cultures. From Brandon, Manitoba, we stood shoulder to shoulder with institutions including the Grand Egyptian Museum, sharing ideas about how heritage can connect people across borders.

We are a focused, independent museum telling one chapter of Canada’s story – but it is a chapter that changed the world.

Dialogue across cultures: Museum and heritage professionals worldwide

Little hangar. Global conversation.

Hangar #1 (the CATP Museum)
Hangar #1, part of #12 SFTS, home to the CATP Museum