100th Anniversary: Powered Flight in Canada

On 23 February 1909, a horse-drawn sleigh pulled the strange "aerodrome" on to the frozen water of Baddeck Bay on Bras d'Or Lake, Nova Scotia. Over a hundred curious locals gathered along the shore to catch a glimpse of this new curiosity: the Silver Dart, an experimental aircraft built of steel frame, bamboo, wood, wire and covered in silver japanese silk. J.A.D. McCurdy, designer and pilot, climbed aboard.

At first the experiment was disappointing. Then, on his second attempt, McCurdy eased the Silver Dart into the air and flew 30m over the lake. McCurdy had achieved the first powered heavier-than-air flight in Canada and the British Empire.

More information:
Celebrating 100 years of Flight in Canada