A City of Toronto commemorative plaque has recently been erected close to the original site of the “FM104” Lancaster plinth. The plane was on public display in the park from 1965 to 1999, when it was moved to the original Toronto Aerospace Museum at Downsview Park for restoration.

After the museum’s eviction by Parc Downsview Park Inc. for redevelopment, the partially restored plane was stored at Pearson International Airport under a series of rent-free agreements with GTAA until 2017.

The City had no suitable building available for continued storage of the FM104. The plane was then moved to Staynor, Ontario by Toronto City Council, CASM (successor to TAM) and a private contractor. Bids were invited by the City “to transfer it to a new home where adequate care can be provided” within Canada in 2017.

After examining bids from 3 museums and 2 groups, Council decided to donate FM104 in March 2018 to the British Columbia Aviation Museum, at the Victoria International Airport, Sidney, BC. It is now undergoing restoration in their Restoration and Henderson Hangars.

https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2018/ed/bgrd/backgroundfile-113757.pdf

https://www.bcam.net/the-post-war-1945-1959/#Lancaster

Photos courtesy of John MacMillan and Apple Maps