105 years ago today......

[Tom H]

105 years ago today.......

A wood framed, fabric covered pusher Bi Plane trundled across the ice in Baddeck Nova Scotia and rose into the air.

By this simple act Canada became a part of the age of flight and the aircraft, the Silver Dart, became a part of our history.

Since that day Canada spent much of the 20th Century at the lead of the world of aviation...and many of those accomplishments happened right here in Edmonton and Alberta.

On the Civil Aviation side...
The first flights in the West
The first public demonstrations in the West
The First Western Air Mail
The First Police Pursuit

First of the Commercial flights in the West...passenger carrying...the first of the flights to the sub arctic...first of the many mercy flights...and so much more.

Many of the great aces and airmen of the two World Wars came from Alberta and some from both Edmonton and Calgary.

One of the larger centre of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan...The Start of the Northwest Staging Route...where ATC as we know it today came to be.

Alberta...was the home of the Winter Evaluation Establishment and continues as the home to AETE in Cold Lake that develops and leads in Aerospace Technology, now the UAV development centre for Canada is in Suffield.......

And so much more.

Sir Wilfred Laurier, Prime Minister of Canada at the start of the last century stated:

"The 20th Century will be the Century of Canada"

For much of the 20th Century that was true in the world of Aviation and for a little longer true here in Alberta, particularly Edmonton.

A good day to think of where we come from....more importantly where we are heading to.

105 years....today

[newbiewings]

And... in a fit of "progress", Edmonton has tossed it all away. I'm not sure of what's happening with the waterdrome (CES7) in Ft. McMurray, but I believe it's going in the same direction.

History, it seems, is not relevant to politicians and developers.

[pdw]

105 years ago today.......

A wood framed, fabric covered pusher Bi Plane trundled across the ice in Baddeck Nova Scotia and rose into the air.

By this simple act Canada became a part of the age of flight and the aircraft, the Silver Dart, became a part of our history.

They've got a neat replica on display out there now too somewhere, a project which my buddy started off in his metal shop here in Ontario.

[newbiewings]

Taken from the Canadian Encyclopedia, http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/ ... lver-dart/

Silver Dart

Silver Dart, the first powered, heavier-than-air machine to fly in Canada; designed and built by the Aerial Experiment Assn (Oct 1907-Mar 1909) under Alexander Graham BELL, a flight enthusiast since boyhood. After several successful flights at Hammondsport, NY, early in 1909 the Silver Dart was dismantled, crated and brought to Baddeck Bay, NS, the Bells' Canadian home. The "aerodrome" (Bell's preferred term) had a 14.9 m wingspan and an all-up weight of 390 kg, pilot included.

J.A.D. MCCURDY was the principal designer and pilot; Glenn H. Curtiss developed the water-cooled engine, an advance on the association's earlier experiments. Pulled on to the ice of Baddeck Bay by horsedrawn sleigh on Feb 23, the silver-winged machine rose on its second attempt after travelling about 30 m, flying at an elevation from 3 to 9 m at roughly 65 km/hr for 0.8 km. Over 100 of Bell's neighbours witnessed the first flight of a British subject anywhere in the Empire. The Silver Dart flew more than 200 times before being damaged beyond repair upon landing in the soft sand of Petawawa, Ont, during military trials in early Aug 1909. The engine was later retrieved and restored and is now on display at the National Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa. A full-scale model of the Silver Dart may be found in Ottawa's National Aviation Museum.

There is also an full scale replica at the Alexander Graham Bell Museum in Cape Breton.

http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/grahambell/index.aspx

[Tom H]

And... in a fit of "progress", Edmonton has tossed it all away. I'm not sure of what's happening with the waterdrome (CES7) in Ft. McMurray, but I believe it's going in the same direction.

History, it seems, is not relevant to politicians and developers.

History (I hate to say) is not taken seriously by most.

Canadians, by and large, have little knowledge of their history. Which is a true shame.

Our history, particularly aviation, is filled with adventure, romance, excitement and intrigue.

Shattering moments of bravery, courage and skill. Both civilian and military.

Ah ha moments of technological achievement,often followed by time of despair.

But rather than celebrate our history we adopt others minimizing who we are and the path we followed to get there.

That is why, again particularly with aviation, it is important for passionate people and institutions to continue to push forward OUR HISTORY.

Rant over

Tom

[1000 HP]

Happy 105th Canada!

Despite all the BS that is sometimes around I still like getting in the seat and flying in uncontrolled airspace.

[BD8]

A year and a half later on September 24th 1910, a guy named William Wallace Gibson flew his "Gibson Twin-plane" about 200 feet in a field in Victoria B.C.
(his first flight a couple of weeks earlier wasn't worth writing home about). This was the first Canadian flight of a Canadian designed and built aircraft.
During the episode he encountered a bit of a cross wind and drifted into an oak tree and smashed the aircraft, but he suffered only minor injuries.
A replica of the Gibson Twin-Plane hangs from the rafters of the B.C Aviation Museum in Victoria.

[1000 HP]

Nice! I just bought a house in Victoria. I'll be sure to visit the museum.