AEA Silver Dart
The Silver Dart (or Aerodrome # 4 ) was a pioneer in 1909 built aircraft. It was the first aircraft to be tested by the Royal Canadian Air Force ( RCAF ).
The first flight was on 23 February 1909 by the ice, in Baddeck on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was the first controlled powered flight in Canada and in the British Empire. The aircraft was one of his designers John AD McCurdy flew. The original Silver Dart was a product of the Aerial Experiment Association ( AEA), founded by Alexander Graham Bell.
The framework and the structures of the Silver Dart were made of steel pipes, bamboo, tape and wood. The wings were covered with rubber balloon cloth. Had the V -8 engine 35 hp (26 kW) at 1000 rpm and a native of Glenn Curtiss. It had no brakes. The propeller was carved from a piece of wood. It was equipped as many former aircraft with a pusher propeller and a front wing, the control was not easy.
The Silver Dart was constructed from the end of 1908. It was the fourth machine of the AEA. A predecessor was the successful AEA June Bug, which had broken many records. It won as the Scientific American Trophy and made the first official flight over a kilometer. But the newer Silver Dart was a lot better. McCurdy flew on March 10, 1909 a 35 km circular route with it. On August 2, 1909, the first passenger flight in Canada was conducted.
The Canadian Army, however, was not impressed by the achievements of the group. They still believed that aircraft could never have had much success in the war. Contrary to the pessimism of the Army invited the AEA one the officials on the military base in Petawawa, Ontario, to show off the plane. It got to 50 millimeters wide wheels to start on the sandy bottom. The Silver Dart had a difficult start. In the fifth landing, the machine crashed in the deep sand. Thus, the short military career, the machine was stopped.
The Silver Dart was rebuilt from 1956 to 1958 for the Canadian Aviation Museum in Ottawa. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the replica machine was flown again. However, it crashed due to strong winds.