Silver Dart Legacy - Chronology - JA Douglas McCurdy Airport.doc

Alexander Graham Bell
National Historic Site of Canada
The “Silver Dart” Legacy
Alexander Graham Bell’s
Flying Machines of the Future
~ A Chronology ~
AERIAL EXPERIMENT ASSOCIATION CHRONOLOGY
. McCurdy describes the first powered flight in Canada, February 23rd, 1909:
“The whole scene is still very vivid to me. It was a brilliant day in more ways than one. The sun was glaring down on the ice of Lake Bras d’Or, which is near Baddeck. The town had turned out in a festive mood, done up in mufflers and heavy fur hats. The town, by the way, consisted largely of very doubtful Scotsmen. Most of them were mounted on skates – the kind you strap to your feet. They didn’t say much – just came to wait and see. The aircraft, or aerodrome as it was called in those days, which we had christened the ‘Silver Dart’, was surrounded by people. During the early afternoon it was wheeled into place. The propeller was cranked and, with a cough, the motor snorted into place. I climbed into the pilot’s seat. With an extra special snort from the motor, we scooted off down the ice. Behind came a crowd of small boys and men on their skates – most of them still doubtful I would fly. With a lurch and a mighty straining of wires we were in the air. It was amusing to look back and watch the skaters – they seemed to be going in every direction – bumping into each other in their excitement at seein