The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre is launching an auction of a custom Ontario Provincial Air Service (OPAS) inspired electric guitar made by Kevin McAuley. Earlier this year, Kevin gifted this custom piece to the Bushplane Museum to be auctioned off as part of our summer fundraiser.
Founder of Goulais River Guitars, Kevin creates unique musical instruments. With a lifelong passion for both music and aviation, Kevin first began his career as an Aircraft Mechanic in the early 1970s in the same hangar that now serves as the CBHC’s home.
This guitar is modelled after the famous Flying V guitar built by the Gibson Guitar Company. It was created using aircraft sheet metal and incorporating details used in the painting of the aircraft used by the OPAS. It is currently on display in the front lobby of the museum. If you are considering participating in the auction, here are the details:
To see the guitar in action and hear it played for the first time, buy a ticket to our Cory Marks concert. Country Rock singer Cory Marks will be playing it during his headliner concert on June 11th. Tickets are available now at bushplane.com/corymarks. Get yours before they are sold out!
All proceeds from the silent auction and Cory Marks concert support the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre’s Future Impact Project, which includes replacement of roofing material and other essential facility upgrades that ensure the long-term sustainability of the museum.
This week, SooToday featured a spotlight article which talks about our new fundraising campaign, The Future Impact Project. It was a heartfelt piece talking about the impact the Bushplane Museum has had on our Sault Ste. Marie community.
As mentioned in the article, the CBHC’s impact in the community is far-reaching with over 50,000 total visitors annually. The article shined a spotlight on various members of our staff, volunteers and other non-profits that operate out of our building.
There were interviews from volunteer Jan Zurawinski-Poulin, program coordinator Emma Ude, and cadet corporal Lily Friedrichsmeier. The article focused on the lived experience of these individuals and how their time at the Bushplane Museum has shaped their lives.
The team here at CBHC, wold like to thank Soo Spaces for giving us their platform to showcase these lovely individuals and the work they do. Visit Soo Spaces at sootoday.com to read the full article.
As proven by the spotlight article, the CBHC is an integral part of the Sault Ste Marie community. In 2025 alone we delivered programming to 4,609 seniors, children, and their families.
The current state of our heritage building is impeding our ability to pursue and achieve our Vision. We need to complete our Future Impact Project which includes replacing the roofing material, adding insulation and installing new climate control.
To date, we have secured about 60% of the $4.7 Million required to complete the Future Impact Project.
We need your help! Donate and keep the CBHC soaring into the future! We need to raise $2,000,000 to complete this project.
Donations can be made:
Thinking of ways to contribute to the Bushplane Museum? Participating in fundraising events is a fun way to show your support of our mission.
