First flight in Canada

February 1909

Look at the old photo below. The plane is called the Silver Dart.

Famous flight

The Silver Dart flew in the air on February 23, 1909. It was a famous flight.

The Silver Dart flew about 800 metres (½ mile). It went about 65 km per hour (40 miles per hour).

The Silver Dart had a V-8 engine. The plane had no brakes!

Made history

The flight made history. It was the first flight in Canada!

Note: It was the first controlled powered flight in Canada. This means

• the plane had an engine, and
• the pilot could control the plane

Got name from silver wings

The Silver Dart was a biplane. Silver cloth covered its wings.

February 2009

In February 2009, there was a special event in Nova Scotia. A pilot flew a replica (copy) of the Silver Dart.

Replica in Calgary

You can see a replica of the Silver Dart in Calgary. It is at the Aero Space Museum.