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.
A.E.A. Silver Dart
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Became the first powered aircraft to fly in Canada when it took off at Baddeck,
Nova Scotia on February 23, 1909, piloted by Canadian aviation pioneer John
Alexander Douglas McCurdy
Designed and built by Alexander Graham Bell and members of the Aerial
Experimental Association (A.E.A.)
Constructed out of steel tubing, wood, bamboo, friction tape, wire, rubberized
fabric and doped linen; it had no brakes and was very difficult to manoeuvre
Its name was inspired by the silver-looking rubberized fabric used to cover the
aircraft
Background History
The original Silver Dart was built by the Aerial Experiment Association formed by
Alexander Graham Bell. The first controlled powered flight in Canada occurred February
23, 1909 when the Silver Dart was flown off the ice at Baddeck, Nova Scotia, by the
designer J.A.D. McCurdy. Even though the Silver Dart was an experimental aircraft, an
attempt was made to sell the aircraft to the Canadian Army. For various reasons this was
unsuccessful.
The Silver Dart is a canard or “elevator in front” design. Like most aircraft of the time, it
appears to have had poor control characteristics. It was made of steel tube, bamboo,
friction tape, wire, wood, had no brakes, and was covered with rubberized silk ballooncloth. The museum replica is covered with doped linen. The first passenger flight in
Canada was made in the Silver Dart on August 2, 1909.
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/silver-dart
http://aviation.technomuses.ca/collections/artifacts/aircraft/AEA_Silver_Dart/