Alderman dead set against city funding airplane restoration
By Richard Cuthbertson, Calgary Herald February 14, 2011
With the fate of a Calgary-owned vintage airplane in council's hands today, one alderman continues his efforts to stop the city from handing it over to a local volunteer group for restoration.
The recommendation coming to council is that the city contribute $800,000 to help with the restoration to museum quality, so long as there are matching funds and there is a significant volunteer element in the process.
This proposal is especially pleasing to the Calgary Mosquito Society, a group of aircraft enthusiasts who have lobbied hard to keep the Mosquito in this city and prevent it being sent to a collector overseas.
But Ald. Gord Lowe said he believes restoring the Mosquito, along with another city-owned aircraft, a Hawker Hurricane, is complex and difficult work that should not be left to the volunteer group.
He is also opposed to taxpayer money being used for this project.
"The $800,000 is a non-starter, as far as I'm concerned," he said.
Lowe has long advocated for an arrangement that would see both aircraft sent to a collector in England who would have both planes restored for no charge.
The collector would keep the Mosquito as his own, and return the Hurricane to Calgary, along with an endowment fund worth nearly $1 million.
But that arrangement has faced considerable opposition.
That prompted Ald. Jim Stevenson to help craft the recommendation that would keep both aircraft in the city.
Whether the expertise is available here to restore and keep the airplanes in Calgary is a good question, Stevenson said.
It's one that will be answered if the recommendation is approved by council and the city puts out a tender for the restoration.
"I think we've got to try this method first to see whether or not these people have what they say they've got as far as, No. 1, an ability to raise funds, and No. 2, the ability to come up with the expertise necessary to do the right job," Stevenson said.
For its part, the Mosquito society said concerns the members don't have the expertise are ridiculous.
Richard de Boer, the head of the group, said restoration experts from around the world have agreed to help out.
He also said the group would have no problem raising the matching funds that are needed.
De Boer said they have corporate sponsors on board, have qualified to fundraise through casinos and that volunteer work would cut down the restoration costs.
"Members of our board of directors have been to aviation museums in New Zealand, United States, three museums in Canada and the very museum that holds the prototype Mosquito and has two others, to gain the support and expertise of these people," de Boer said.
"We have in writing letters from all of these places saying, 'We're happy to come over and help, we have spare parts, we have drawings, we have manuals.' "
rCutHbertson@CalgaryHerald.Com© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
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