The hulls of two rare World War II fighter planes have arrived at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa after being discovered in a European scrapyard over a year ago, reports Canoe Travel.
The shells of the two Handley Page Halifax-model aircraft were discovered in Malta in February 2010 and have finally returned home to Canada.
One of the bombers will be reassembled and studied at the museum before being sent along to the Bomber Command Museum in Alberta. The second plane has been sold to private collectors who wish to rebuild it.
"If you had to pick one Canadian airplane of all of 100-plus years of flying that represent Canadian excellence, effort and sacrifice, it would be the Handley Page Halifax," said Karl Kjarsgaard, with the charitable organization Halifax Rescue 57 Canada.
According to Kjarsgaard, the Halifax is the rarer of the two heavy bombers used by Canadians in WWII. Because the Lancaster was more aesthetically pleasing, it captured media attention, but the Halifax was favored by the fighting men.
There are only three complete Halifax aircraft still in existence today – two in Britain and one other in Canada.
Photo credit: Canadian Aviation and Space Museum, Ottawa