Alberta Aviation Museum unveils 'Eyes on the Skies' air traffic control exhibit

New exhibit unveiled at Alberta Aviation Museum The travelling exhibit lets you test your own air navigation skills.

EDMONTON — The Alberta Aviation Museum is welcoming back visitors with a new exhibit exploring the evolution of Canadian air traffic control with interactive elements.

The museum is the first in Canada to debut the touring exhibit focused on the history of Canada’s air traffic control management systems.

“It talks about the history, the technology, and the people involved in managing Canada’s air traffic control system which is one of the largest in the world,” said Ryan Lee, curator at the Alberta Aviation Museum.

The interactive exhibit features audio and visual elements that simplify complex ideas behind air traffic. Many aspects of air traffic control can be relatively invisible to passengers when flying commercial, according to Lee.

“You get onboard a plane and you get to where you’re going, but how you get there is really dependent on a whole network of people and a network of technology,” said Lee.

'Eyes on the Skies' also features Alberta and Edmonton’s role in Canada’s air navigation history dating back to the Second World War, a time when Lee says Edmonton became home to one of the busiest airports in the world.

Today, Edmonton and Alberta still remain some of the busiest air traffic corridors in the country, according to Lee.

“Eyes on the Skies: Exploring the History of Air Traffic Management” was developed by Canada’s Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa. Alberta’s Aviation Museum had planned to host the exhibit in 2020, but that was put off due to COVID-19 and public health restrictions.

The Alberta Aviation Museum unveiled the exhibit in a grand opening Friday, July 16.

“We’re super excited to welcome people back into the museum, we’re really hoping it’s going to drive a lot of people to come visit us,” said Lee.

The exhibit will run until Oct.7., 2021.