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Aviation History
1959
1959 - 0579.PDF
Canada's Golden Anniversary ON February 23, 1909, a Gable was sent to The Times byDr. Alexander Graham Bell which read "FIRST FLIGHT OF AFLYING MACHINE IN CANADA OCCURRED TODAY (FEB 23) WHEN DOUGLAS MCCURDY A NATIVE OF BADDECK NOVA SCOTIA FLEW A DISTANCE OF ABOUT ONE HALF MILE AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 30 FEET ABOVE THE ICE OF BADDECK BAY IN AN AERODROME NAMED THE SILVER DART." This was not only the first powered flight inCanada—the 50th anniversary of which was celebrated this week with functions at Baddeck and Montreal—but was also the firstpowered flight by a British subject in the British Empire. The Aerial Experiment Association, the brain-child of Dr.and Mrs. Alexander Graham Bell, existed from October 1, 1907, to March 31, 1909. Its formation, with the object of "achievingmechanical flight by the construction of a practical man-carrying, power-driven aerodrome.," followed Dr. Bell's interest in kites andtetrahedral-cell aircraft. The members of the Association were Dr. Bell, chairman; F. W. (Casey) Baldwin, chief engineer;J. A. D. McCurdy, treasurer and assistant engineer; Lt. T. E. Selfridge, U.S. Field Artillery, secretary; and Glenn M. Curtiss,director of experiments. The early experiments were carried out at Hammondsport,N.Y. Two of Bell's tetrahedral cell designs, the Cygnet and the Cygnet 2, were built and tested, together with the four more-conventional biplanes listed in the table below. Baldwin's flight in the Red Wing on March 12, 1908, was the first powered flightby a Canadian. The most important innovation introduced on the second biplane, the White Wing, was the introduction of hingedwingtips, or ailerons, for lateral control, as suggested by Dr. Bell and designed by Casey. McCurdy first flew the White Wing on May 23, 1908, atHammondsport. Various improvements were made during the development of the third and fourth machines, and McCurdymade the first flights with the Silver Dart at Hammondsport on December 6 of the same year. The historic first flight in Canadawas witnessed at Baddeck Bay by over 100 local villagers. Canada's celebrations of the 50th anniversary of McCurdy'sflight are on a nationwide scale, with the overall programme organized by a National Co-ordinating Council. Represented onthe council are bodies which include the R.C.A.F., R.C.N., Canadian Army, Department of Transport, Canadian AeronauticalInstitute, R.C.A.F. Association, Aviation Writers Association, Canadian Owners and Pilots Association, Royal Canadian FlyingClubs Association, Air Industries and Transport Association, Air Cadet League, National Re;earch Council and Canadian Air LinesPilots Association. On the morning of Monday last, February 23, a replica of theoriginal Silver Dart, constructed by the R.C.A.F., was to be flown by W/C. Paul Hartman at a ceremony at Baddeck. The sameevening commemorative dinners were scheduled in many cities and towns across Canada. The principal dinner was that heldin Montreal under the auspices of the Canadian Aeronautical Institute, at which the Governor-General of Canada, Mr. VincentMassey, was to be guest of honour. A Comet of R.C.A.F. Trans- port Command was to be used to ensure the attendance at boththe Baddeck and Montreal functions of Mr. McCurdy and other V.I.P.s. This week's ceremonies were the opening events in the anni-versary programme. Among other major projects, a Canadian National Aeronautical Museum is to be inaugurated during 1959,and many historic aircraft models for the museum will be pro- duced by the model contest competition which has been spon-sored principally by the R.C.A.F. A special film concerning the anniversary is being produced by the National Film Board, and amemorial is to be unveiled at Baddeck as part of the Canadian Aeronautical Institute's meeting in June. The article by Mr. McCurdy on the opposite page, and theinformation contained in the table below, are reproduced from the February issue of the Canadian Aeronautical Journal (pub-lished by the Canadian Aeronautical Institute), which contains a number of special anniversary features. BIPLANES OF THE AERIAL EXPERIMENT ASSOCIATION SponsorStarted Completed First flight dateDistance (ft) ... Pilot Gross weight (lb)Span Chord (max.) ...Chord (min.) ... Wing area (sq ft)Aileron span ... Aileron chord ...Engine type Rated h.p.Cruising h.p. ... Red Wing Selfridge January, 1908 March, 1908 March 12, 1908 300 Baldwin 570 43ft 4in6ft 3in 4ft 385.5 8 cvl. V 40 (1,800 r.p.m.) 25 (1,200 r.p.m.) White Wing Baldwin March 18, 1908 May, 1908 May 18, 1908 279 Baldwin 605 42ft 3in6ft 6in 4ft 408.5 4fr Aft 8 cvl. V 40 (1,800 r.p.m.) 25 (1,200 r.p.m.) June Bug (Loon) Curtiss May 24, 1908 June 19, 1908 June 21, 1908 485 Curtiss 615 42ft 6in6ft 6Ain 4ft <Mn 370 4ft 4ft 5in8 cvl. V 40 (1,800 r.p.m.) 25 (1,200 r.p.m.) Silver Dart McCurdy Julv 10, 1908October 1, 1908 (ex engine) December 6, 190P 600 McCurdy 860 49ft6ft 4ft 420 5ft ljin 4ft 8 cvl. V 50 (1,600 r.p.m.) —
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