Our volunteers are an essential part of the Alberta Aviation Museum and play a vital role in bringing aviation history to life. Each month, we’re proud to highlight one of the dedicated individuals who gives their time, skills, and passion to support our museum and community. Meet our Volunteers of the Month and learn more about the people behind the scenes who help make the museum what it is today.
October 2026: Steve Finkelman
Next time you pass the large screen at the front of the museum, take a moment to watch the latest edition of “Behind the Scenes,” a YouTube series produced by Steve Finkelman. The year-old series offers a fascinating look at what it takes to keep our historic hangar thriving.
Steve spent most of his career with CBC Radio in Edmonton. However, a stint in the Maritimes during the late 1970s led him to the Moncton Flying Club, where he learned to fly.
After retiring from the CBC in 2009, Steve deepened his connection to aviation by completing a 10-month Aircraft Skin and Structures program at NAIT. He joined the museum just in time to help restore our B-25 Mitchell. Since then, Steve has re-engaged his journalistic roots, sharing the stories of the remarkable people and aircraft that keep our aviation history alive.
September 2026: Bill carter
Bill Carter ticks all the boxes for what you’d want in a tour guide at the Alberta Aviation Museum. He spent 58 years flying everything from bush planes to airliners, logging 30,000 accident-free hours in the air.
He flew on floats, skis, and wheels — including time in two of our historic aircraft, the Noorduyn Norseman and the Beech 18. And if that’s not enough, Bill had an impressive aviation side-hustle, flying the airshow circuit across Canada and visiting more than 100 towns and cities as one of the top performers in the country.
After retiring from all that, Bill says volunteering at the museum is a natural extension. He still gets to be around the airplanes he loves, and gets to share his knowledge with people from all over the world. And some of them, Bill says, are pilots too.
August 2026: Michael bellamy
Michael Bellamy likes to say that he and our historic hangar are the same age: “The hangar was built in ’43, I was built in ’44—figure in the gestation and we match.”
Michael’s own flying career began in 1963. It was interrupted by three years with the RCAF in Germany, where he guarded nuclear-armed aircraft. Back in Canada, he headed north to fly in the Arctic, then pivoted to helicopters, spending 25 years in the cockpit of rotorcraft, including a stint in Somalia with the United Nations. He hung up his helmet in 2013, but not his headset, picking up a small plane that needed a home and flying recreationally in support of local COPA (Canadian Owners and Pilots Association) fly-ins.
About a year ago, when he retired from flying for good, Michael decided to put that experience to work at our museum. He now volunteers as a guide, telling visitors the stories behind our airplanes—where they came from, what they did, and how they found their way into our collection. “Volunteering”, he says, lets him “hang on to my flying life.” We’re lucky to have someone like Michael helping keep Alberta’s aviation history alive.
July 2026: David Crone
David Crone’s life has been deeply intertwined with aviation history, a passion he inherited from his RCAF veteran father, a renowned aviation historian. His love for flight was even cemented by a unique wedding gift from his wife, Norma: $600 worth of flying lessons!
After a career that included working with artifacts and displays at the Royal Alberta Museum, the Glenbow Museum, and a stint as curator at Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame, David brought his expertise to the Alberta Aviation Museum in 2012. He’s been a dedicated volunteer in various capacities, always ready to lend a hand.
Currently, David is helping with an important project in the library, digitizing the museum’s extensive collection of aircraft maintenance manuals, some dating back to the 1930s. His work is invaluable in bringing our library resources into the modern age, making them accessible online for researchers and enthusiasts worldwide.