The conflict in the Middle East is complicating efforts to bring a piece of Canadian military history home to the Jet Aircraft Museum (JAM) in London, Ont. The facility is home to restored aircraft flown by the Royal Canadian Air Force – save for a few, including the CF-104 Starfighter. But last year, a successful public fundraising campaign generated the funds needed to source a Canadian-built jet from Greece. Then war got in the way. John Ducharme, a volunteer with JAM, arrived in Greece just as a missile fired during the U.S.-Iran conflict struck Cyprus. Immediately, his itinerary changed. “Well, that just shut everything down because they thought, well, if they go there, they could come to the mainland. So, they shut all the air bases, said Ducharme. Scott Ellinor, JAM’s president, was alarmed when he heard from Ducharme. “I was already worried by the time he contacted me to say, ‘Greece is on high alert, and he’s not getting to the places he wanted to go,” said Ellinor. That was a concern for the museum that had raised over $60,000 for the project on a tight budget. Luckily, days later, the Hellenic Air Force agreed to let Ducharme visit two of the six bases he expected to see. One contained one of the planes that the museum hopes to secure. “The last Canadian Starfighter that’s there. It is in one piece. It has been what we call hollowed out. There’s nothing in the cockpit, but I have an engine for it,” said Ducharme. But the parts list and a second aircraft will have to wait until next time, meaning another costly trip is needed. The shipping costs to deliver the permanently loaned aircraft back to Canada have also risen, again due to fuel hikes caused by the war. “We also have to have money to crate them, put them in the container, bring it back here, uncrate them, and then reassemble,” said Ducharme. At least $20,000 will be needed to bring the aircraft home. Still, the planes – decommissioned over 30 years ago – won’t move until the Greek government gives the all-clear. “We’re waiting for the Greek Air Force to say, ‘You’re welcome to come back and have a look at what you’ve asked for,’ and then make an agreement to have them shipped to Canada,” concluded Ellinor.
