AEA Silver Dart
The AEA Silver Dart in flight.
Type	Early experimental aircraft
Manufacturer	Aerial Experiment Association
Designed by	John McCurdy Frederick W. "Casey" Baldwin Glenn Curtiss Thomas Selfridge Alexander Graham Bell
Maiden flight	23 February 1909
Status	Destroyed in crash
Primary user	Aerial Experiment Association
Produced	1908
Number built	1

The Silver Dart (or Aerodrome #4) was an early aircraft which after many successful flights in Hammondsport, New York, earlier in 1909, was dismantled and crated then brought to Baddeck Nova Scotia. It was flown off the ice in Baddeck, Nova Scotia on Bras d'Dor Lake, on 23 February 1909. This was the first controlled powered flight in Canada and the British Empire. The plane was piloted by one of its designers, John McCurdy. The original Silver Dart was the fruit of the Aerial Experiment Association formed under the guidance of Alexander Graham Bell. AEA Silver Dart. ... An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, and/or spacecraft. ... The Aerial Experiment Association (AEA) was formed in 1907 under the tutelage of Dr. Alexander Graham Bell. ... John McCurdy John Alexander Douglas McCurdy (August 2, 1886 – June 25, 1961) was a Canadian aviation pioneer and lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia from 1947 to 1952. ... Frederick Walker Baldwin also known as Casey Baldwin (January 2, 1882 - August 7, 1948) was an engineer and a hydrofoil and aviation pioneer who was the first Canadian to pilot an aircraft. ... Glenn H. Curtiss at the Grande Semaine dAviation in France in 1909 Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an aviation pioneer and founder of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, now part of Curtiss-Wright Corporation. ... First Lieutenant Thomas Etholen Selfridge (February 8, 1882 – September 17, 1908) was the first person to die in a powered aircraft crash. ... A portrait of Alexander Graham Bell in 1910s Alexander Graham Bell (March 03, 1847 – August 02, 1922) was a scientist, inventor, and innovator. ... The Maiden flight of an aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord. ... February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The village of Baddeck is located in Victoria County, Nova Scotia on Cape Breton Island in the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada. ... February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... John McCurdy John Alexander Douglas McCurdy (August 2, 1886 – June 25, 1961) was a Canadian aviation pioneer and lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia from 1947 to 1952. ... The Aerial Experiment Association (AEA) was formed in 1907 under the tutelage of Dr. Alexander Graham Bell. ... A portrait of Alexander Graham Bell in 1910s Alexander Graham Bell (March 03, 1847 – August 02, 1922) was a scientist, inventor, and innovator. ...

Design and development

The frame and structure of the Silver Dart was made of steel tube, bamboo, friction tape, wire and wood. The wings were covered with silver japenese silk; hence the name the "Silver Dart". Its engine, supplied by Glenn Curtiss, was a reliable V-8 that developed 35 hp (26 kW) at 1000 rpm. The propeller was carved from a solid block of wood. The aircraft had what is now called a canard or an "elevator in front" design. Like most aircraft of its day the Silver Dart had poor control characteristics; likewise, it had no brakes.. Diversity Around 91 genera and 1,000 species Subtribes Arthrostylidiinae Arundinariinae Bambusinae Chusqueinae Guaduinae Melocanninae Nastinae Racemobambodinae Shibataeinae See the full Taxonomy of the Bambuseae. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Glenn H. Curtiss at the Grande Semaine dAviation in France in 1909 Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an aviation pioneer and founder of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, now part of Curtiss-Wright Corporation. ... The Liberty V8 aircraft engine clearly shows the configuration, although modern automotive versions use a 90 degree block angle. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Testing

By the time the Silver Dart was constructed in late 1908, it was the Aerial Experiment Association's fourth flying machine. One of its precursors, the June Bug, had already broken records. It won the Scientific American Trophy for making the first official one kilometer flight in North America. But the Silver Dart outdid this when on 10 March 1909, McCurdy flew the aircraft on a circular course over a distance of more than 35 km (20 mi). The first passenger flight in Canada was made in the Silver Dart on 2 August 1909. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1908: // Events Month unknown- The United States Army announces plans to buy flying machines. ... The June Bug (or Aerodrome #3) was an early aircraft designed by Glenn Curtiss and built by the Aerial Experiment Association in 1908. ... Scientific American is a popular-science magazine, published (first weekly and later monthly) since August 28, 1845, making it the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States. ... March 10 is the 69th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (70th in leap years). ... 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... August 2 is the 214th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (215th in leap years), with 151 days remaining. ... 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

The Canadian Army was unimpressed at the headway made by the group. The general impression of the time was that aircraft would never amount to much in actual warfare. Despite official skepticism, the Association was finally invited to the military base at Petawawa to demonstrate the aircraft. The sandy terrain made a poor runway for an aircraft with landing wheels about two inches (50 mm) in diameter. The Silver Dart had great difficulty taking off. On its fifth flight, McCurdy wrecked the craft when one wheel struck a rise in the ground while landing. The career of the Silver Dart thus ended ignominiously. The main entrance to CFB Petawawa. ...

Tributes

There is a reconstruction of the Silver Dart on display at the Canada Aviation Museum in Ottawa. The reconstruction was built by volunteers from the Royal Canadian Air Force between 1956 and 1958 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first flight. The aircraft flew on the day of the anniversary but crashed due to high winds. A number of other recreations are found in Canadian museum collections, including examples at the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame and the Calgary Aero Space Museum. The Canada Aviation Museum (French: Musée de laviation du Canada) is the national aviation history museum, located in Ottawa, Ontario. ... Motto: Advance Ottawa/Ottawa en avant Location of the City of Ottawa in the Province of Ontario Coordinates: Country Canada Province Ontario Established 1850 as Town of Bytown Incorporated 1855 as City of Ottawa Amalgamated January 1, 2001 Government  - Mayor Larry OBrien  - City Council Ottawa City Council  - Representatives 8... The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) was the air force of Canada from 1924 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Forces. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

With the upcoming Centennial celebrations of flight in Canada in 2009, a number of other Silver Dart recreations are being planned.

The 824 Silver Dart Royal Canadian Air Cadets Squadron in St. Peter's, Nova Scotia is named in honour of the Silver Dart. Royal Canadian Air Cadets (RCAirC) is a Canadian national youth program for persons aged 12 to 18. ... Mike Brady loves his wife of twenty-six years, Betty Ann Brady Mike is from Mt. ...

Specifications (Silver Dart)

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 30 ft 0 in (9.15 m)
• Wingspan: 49 ft 1 in (15.0 m)
• Height: ft in (m)
• Wing area: ft² (m²)
• Empty weight: lb (kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Curtiss water-cooled V8 engine, 50 hp (37 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 40 mph (35 knots, 64 km/h)
• Range: 20 mi (17 nm, 35 km)

The distance AB is the wing span of this Aer Lingus Airbus A320. ... Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company was an American aircraft manufacturer that went public in 1916 with Glenn Curtiss as president. ... The Liberty V8 aircraft engine clearly shows the configuration, although modern automotive versions use a 90 degree block angle. ... VNO of an aircraft is the V speed which refers to the velocity of normal operation. ... The maximal total range is the distance an aircraft can fly between takeoff and landing as limited by its fuel capacity. ...

References and external links

• Aerial Experimental Association (AEA). Aerofiles. [1] Access date: 19 May 2005.
• Molson, Ken M. and Taylor, Harold A. Canadian Aircraft Since 1909. Stittsville, Ontario: Canada's Wings, Inc., 1982. ISBN 0-920002-11-0.

May 19 is the 139th day of the year (140th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Audio recording of a CBC Interview with pilot John McCurdy about the first flight
• Silver Dart Drive at Pearson International Airport in Toronto

Related content

Designation sequence

• #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5

The Red Wing (or Aerodrome #1) was an early aircraft designed by Thomas Selfridge and built by the Aerial Experiment Association in 1908. ... The White Wing (or Aerodrome #2) was an early aircraft designed by Frederick W. Casey Baldwin and built by the Aerial Experiment Association in 1908. ... The June Bug (or Aerodrome #3) was an early aircraft designed by Glenn Curtiss and built by the Aerial Experiment Association in 1908. ... The Cygnet (or Aerodrome #5) was an extremely unorthodox early aircraft, with a wall-like wing made up of 360 tetrahedral cells. ...