BUSHPLANE DAYS IS A FREE COMMUNITY EVENT IN 2024
TO SUPPORT OUR CITY AND CELEBRATE OUR 100TH ANNIVERSARY

OPAS Reunion & Celebration

Connect with friends, learn about the contributions of the Ontario Provincial Air Service to bush flying, forest fire management, ecology and more, and participate in a once-in-a-century celebration. Select specific OPAS 100^th Anniversary Reunion & Conference events or attend them all for one package price.

Subject to change: Check back for final times & details.

Welcome Reception
Sept 18th – 6pm-8pm

Welcome to our event! Upon arrival, you’ll have the chance to register and receive your welcome package. Enjoy a relaxed and friendly gathering where you can reconnect with old friends and make new ones. Enjoy a light selection of refreshments and a cash bar, to start the reminiscing.

OPAS Discovery Day
Sept 19th – 10am-2pm

A day filled with interactive programming and tours, perfect for remembering and reconnecting.

Schedule as follows:

Live hangar tours

Test Cell meet and greet with Mike Stadnyk

Fireside chat, with Jamie Sargent, George Willoughby, Mary Ellen Pauli, and Wally Warner

H-boat meet and greet.

Lunch and sharing of memorable stories.

OBS, oldest flyable Beaver, meet and greet with Andy Turcotte (mechanic who fixed it up).

Kids of the OPAS – share stories and memories with other “kids” of OPAS air base parents.

Archive Tours

Light refreshments throughout the day. Pizza and salad lunch served at noon.

Sky High Soiree – An Evening with Roy Maxwell – Dine & Discover
Sept 19th – 5:30pm-10:30pm

Speakers: Dr. Robert Galway and Tim Murphy

5:30pm – cocktails

6:30pm – dinner

7:30pm – Dr. Galway

8:15pm – Tim Murphy performing as Roy Maxwell

8:45pm-10:30pm – live band and dance

Step back into the 1920s for an evening of immersive fun! Dress in your best vintage attire and explore the fascinating life of OPAS’s original director, Roy Maxwell, through theatre, displays, and a live presentation by historian Dr. Robert Galway and presented by Tim Murphy.

Enjoy live period music throughout the night and savour a delicious buffet meal.

V.I.P. Meet & Greet With The Snowbirds*
Sept 20th

Join us for a fun-filled excursion as we depart from the Bushplane Museum to the Sault Ste. Marie Airport.

10:30am departure. Require minimum 50 guests to go ahead. If there is more demand, a second departure at 12:30pm will be opened for up to 50 more guests.

Enjoy a tour of the MNR hangar, savor a delicious lunch, and meet the Snowbirds!

2nd Shuttle added! Leaves at 12:30pm from the Bushplane Museum.

*not included in full conference ticket

Bushplane Days

Saturday, September 21 and Sunday, September 22

Dive into the excitement of Bushplane Days at the Bushplane Museum! Watch OBS take to the water and enjoy demonstrations by modelers. Don’t miss the Snowbirds’ spectacular show. Plus, experience all the other activities that make Bushplane Days truly unforgettable.