Calgary museum to receive CF-100 flight simulator

The flight simulator, developed by Avro, saw about 20,000 flight hours of service during its lifetime, officials say.

Aircraft enthusiasts will soon be able to enjoy a close-up look at a piece of equipment that helped many pilots reach the skies through its lifetime.

The Air Force Museum Society of Alberta, which operates an exhibit The Military Museums of Calgary, will be unveiling an Avro CF-100, also known as Clunk, flight simulator this week. It's part of a planned expansion of the facility that has seen new aircraft being added to the collection.

Officials say the flight simulator "was a vital tool to train pilots."

"(It helped them) command the 639 different variant CF-100s in the (Royal Canadian Air Force)," the museum society said in a release.

The simulator itself was also as rugged as its real-life counterparts, officials suggested.

"Although projected to have a life span of only 2,000 flight hours, it was discovered during operations that the airframe was good for over 20,000 hours, leading to a full withdrawal from service in 1981," the museum said.

The flight simulator will be unveiled to the public on Thursday and become part of the museum's Cold War exhibit.

The facility already features five aircraft on site – an F5 mounted on a pole, a T-33/T-Bird in the field south of the exhibit, along with an F-86 Sabre, a CF-104 Starfighter and an F-18 Hornet all set up inside the exhibit's main building.

Further information about the museum can be found online.