In 1936, where the city of Gander stands today, there wasn’t a road or even a town, nothing but trees. So why was a large airport under construction? Location - in the most northeastern part of North America! Transatlantic flights were becoming possible and pilots needed to refuel before starting across the ocean. Gander was an ideal spot and it became especially important as a base for American and Canadian fighters and bombers during WWII. After the war the airport continued to be a refueling stop for transcontinental flights until improvements in aircraft permitted longer-range flights.
The airport also had a role in the events after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center towers. All planes in flight over North America were grounded. Gander, with a population of about 10,000 people, was host to 6,600 passengers when 42 planes were forced to land at the airport. Everyone pitched in to feed and house the visitors until flights resumed six days later.
The museum has a few planes on the grounds outside and another one inside plus numerous artifacts but the personal stories about Gander and the airport are really what makes this museum interesting.
Everything is accessible.
The parking lot is large enough for any RV. Harvest Hosts visitors should park on the gravel on the right side of the lot. Ask for the internet code. After hours you can move closer to the building to get online. Museum
48.95298, -54.62249
No comments:
Post a Comment