John Alexander Douglas McCurdy

John Alexander Douglas McCurdy, aviation pioneer (b at Baddeck, NS 2 Aug 1886; d at Montréal 25 June 1961). With F.W. BALDWIN and A.G. BELL he formed the Aerial Experiment Association to test the feasibility of powered flight. He made more than 200 short flights in experimental aircraft in the US before flying the SILVER DART at Baddeck 23 February 1909 - the first controlled flight by a British subject in the British Empire. McCurdy is also credited with making the first ocean flight, from Florida to Cuba, and with sending and receiving the first messages while aloft. He was assistant director of aircraft production for the Canadian government in WWII and was lieutenant-governor of NS 1947-52. He was awarded the MCKEE TROPHY (1959) on the 50th anniversary of the flight of the Silver Dart.

Author JAMES MARSH

Links to Other Sites
The Silver Dart Makes Canadian Aviation History
A pilot's account of his historic 1909 Silver Dart flight. From CBC Digital Arcives.

Canadian Aeronautical Preservation Association
Describes early experiments with powered flight conducted by the Aerial Experiment Association. From the Albertasource.ca website.

Alexander Graham Bell Family Papers
The website for the Alexander Graham Bell Family Papers at the Library of Congress. Features correspondence, scientific notebooks, journals, blueprints, articles, and photographs documenting Bell's invention of the telephone and his involvement in the first telephone company, his family life, his interest in the education of the deaf, and his aeronautical and other scientific research.

Flight of the Silver Dart Centennial Celebration
Soar into this year-long centennial anniversary celebration of the historic 1909 flight of the Silver Dart. Check out the multimedia features and the "backgrounder" for more details about this memorable event. From the Silver Dart Centennial Association.

Canadian Aeronautical Preservation Association
The website for CAPA, an association that promotes the preservation of aircraft, aviation history, and the retention in Canada of artefacts and materials significant to Canadian aviation.

A Century Aloft: The Rise Of The Silver Dart
A compelling account of the bumpy path that led to the first successful powered flight tests in Canada. From legionmagazine.com.