A Sea King helicopter, the CH-124426, has been officially unveiled as part of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum (CASM)’s permanent collection on Monday, 9 December. A formal ceremony was held in its honour with many dignitaries and members of the Maritime Helicopter community to witness the occasion at the CASM.

Brigadier-General Lise Bourgon, who flew this particular aircraft during her service as a pilot at 12 Wing Shearwater, addressed the crowd of approximately 150 veterans, officials, CAF members, National Defence employees, and members of the general public for the special occasion:

“It’s a great honour to be here. The Sea King has been the workhorse of the RCAF; the most operational aircraft. So now, being inducted here is like a hall of fame. This helicopter had so many diverse roles from anti-submarine warfare, to surface warfare, search and rescue, medical evacuations. We did it all.”

Apart from aircraft 426 that was transferred to the CASM, eight Sea Kings will be on display in various DND locations, 15 aircraft have been sold to Rotor Maxx Support Limited, one is being kept as a training aid and three were demilitarized and converted to waste, recycling certain components to the extent possible.

The CH-124 Sea King, procured in 1963, was an essential part of the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force for 55 years. Since its retirement from service in December 2018, the duties performed by the CH-124 Sea King have been taken over by the new fleet of state-of-the-art CH-148 Cyclone helicopters, of which 19 (out of 28) have been delivered to Canada.