Aircraft Significant to Canada: The Silver Dart

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The Silver Dart

The Silver Dart was the first powered aircraft to fly in Canada, taking off from the ice of Baddeck Bay on 23 February 1909. The effort of the Aerial Experiment Association that included Alexander Graham Bell, Casey Baldwin, J.A.D. McCurdy, Glenn Curtiss and Thomas Selfridge, the name Silver Dart was chosen by McCurdy because of the silver colour of the balloon silk used to cover the wings.

The Silver Dart was the fourth AEA aircraft, employing lessons learned from the previous three efforts. The new aircraft incorporated larger ailerons, improved center of gravity balancing and non-porous fabric for the wings. The Silver Dart was one of the first aircraft to employ ailerons, a technology that was employed simultaneously in France.

On 23 February, the Silver Dart flew a distance of about 800 metres (2640 feet) at an estimated speed of 64 km/h (40 mph) and at heights of up to 10 metres (30 feet). A flight around Baddeck Bay on 24 February was about 7.2 kms (4.5 miles) in length. After its milestone flight of 23 February, the Silver Dart made more flights, some of which were over 12.8 kms (8 miles) in length and involved circular routes, with flying times up to 20 minutes.

The Silver Dart was also used for experiments at Petawawa on 2 August 1909 in which McCurdy attempted to show the Militia the potential of aircraft. Unfortunately, on its fourth flight, on 4 August, the Silver Dart caught a wheel in the soft Petawawa sand causing the aircraft to twist and catch the starboard wing, destroying the aircraft.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Canadian
• Aircraft
• Silver
• Dart
• centennial
• century
• centenary
• flight
• powered

[bagle38406]

this really helped me with my history project thanks a lot :)