Canada’s Centennial of Flight Celebration
One hundred years ago, the first “powered and controlled” flight departed (and arrived) in Canada. On February 23rd, 1909, the Silver Dart, an aircraft built by the Canada’s Aerial Experimental Association (AEA), alighted from a frozen lake in Baddeck, Nova Scotia. The group was headed by none other than inventor Alexander Graham Bell, and had four other founding members who had ties to the fledgling field of aviation: soon-to-be aviation designer and manufacturer Glenn Curtiss, Lt. Thomas Selfridge, a U.S. Army observer and steadfast aviation designer/enthusiast, Frederick Baldwin, the first Canadian to pilot an aircraft in North America (at Hammondsport, NY), and engineer/principal designer John Alexander Douglas McCurdy. It was J.A.D. McCurdy who piloted the first flight of the Silver Dart off of Bras D’or Lake, becoming the first Canadian to fly in Canada (some say the first subject within the British Empire, too). On its’ second attempt to gain lift, the first successful flight of that day covered close to of a mile at around 40 mph, winging its way into history.
That day sparked a century of aviation triumphs in Canada. The original aircraft made some 200 flights before being wrecked in an accident; its engine was recovered and is in Ottawa’s National Museum of Science and Technology. Organizers built a replica of the Silver Dart with hopes to fly it on February 23, 2009, but forecasted weather conditions pushed the flights to a day earlier. Almost one hundred years to the day, a Silver Dart became airborne in Canadian skies again. This was but one part of a year-long celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the First Flight in Canada. Other presentations have been planned to be held throughout the year, with one attracting a great amount of attention. The Canadian Centennial of Flight Project was created to help present historic aviation demonstrations throughout the year. One highly visible tribute is the Centennial Heritage Flight, which consists of three airworthy jets… the current CF-18 Hornet air force demonstration jet, an Canadair (F-86 license built) Sabre, and a CT-114 Tutor jet trainer. All three jets are painted in commemorative colors; each one has a story to tell.
A common theme is the Centennial Logo, designed by Ottawa’s Dave O’Malley. It features the Canadian Maple Leaf stylized in multiple colors, with a Silver Dart image underneath it, and the North Star above it. The CF-18 is painted in a stunning blue and gold background, with a modern representation of the classic lightning bolt (the old standard Canadian Air Force paint scheme design) on the sides and the Centennial Logo on the twin tails. Aircraft 719 took 13 days to paint, headed by noted designer/marketing director/painter Jim Belliveau and Crew Chief Master Corporal Shawn Perry and his team at 1st Air Maintenance Squadron. The CT-114 Tutor is painted in classic Golden Centennaires colors, a Canadian military flight team that was formed for the Canadian Centennial year in 1967. Their 8-ship team formed the foundation for the current Snowbirds demonstration team.
Finally, the Sabre is a Canadair-built F-86 Sabre Mk.5, although it reportedly is rebuilt with a Mk. 6 wing that included a leading edge slat. Known as Hawk One, the jet came together through a unique non-profit venture between the Canadian Government, and Vintage Wings of Canada. Discovery Air is a major sponsor, among many proud Canadian companies. Hawk One is painted in smart Golden Hawks colors, which was the six-ship Canadian Air Force demonstration team put together for the 1959 Golden Anniversary of Flight celebrations. Flying duties are shared by five pilots with stellar credentials. Lt. Col Steve Will, a former Snowbirds Team Leader and CF-18 pilot, leads the team. Chris Hadfield is an accomplished military test pilot, an astronaut with multiple trips to space stations, and has held important positions in NASA management. Paul Kissmann is currently a Research Engineer Test Pilot at Canada’s NRC laboratory. He is also a former CF-18 and military test pilot. Tom Leslie is a retired Canadian Air Force pilot with thousands of hours in CF-5 fighters, transports and helicopters. He’s a pilot for Canada’s National Research Council flight laboratory in Ottawa. He is also V.P and Chief of Flying Operations for Gatineau, Quebec’s Vintage Wings of Canada Foundation (a partner in the Hawk One team), and a well established warbird and classic aircraft pilot. Dan Dempsey served as a fighter pilot (CF-5 and CF-104) and Solo for the Snowbirds before being named as Snowbirds Team Leader for the 1989 and 1990 seasons. He flies for Top Aces, providing training for Canadian Forces, and has written a book about Canadian Air Show teams, too. All five pilots are representative of the entire 24 person Hawk One team, whose aviation experiences fills volumes.The Hawk One Sabre will appear at over 40 events and air shows… many with the Snowbirds and the Centennaires Tutor. The idea behind the appearances is to allow Canadians the chance to get “look, touch, and learn” about their country’s aviation heritage. The Snowbirds, when teamed up with the Sabre, perform a graceful but short formation flight routine; the F-86 looks larger than expected in the air. When the trio of Centennial jets fly together in formation, the CF-18 dwarfs the other two.
Just a few of Canada’s important aviation accomplishments include training more than 130,000 military airmen under the United Kingdom’s Empire Training Scheme during World War II, and being valued partners in military organizations such as NATO and NORAD. DeHavilland Canada has designed and produced winners such as the DHC-2 Beaver and DHC-3 Otter, plus many more multi-engined transports. The early AVRO C.102 jet airliner and the CF-105 Arrow were technologically well advanced, even though they never reached production status. Canadair built the F-86, CF-104 and CF-5 fighters under contract, and produced the CF-100 all-weather interceptor too. Spar Aerospace produced the “Canadarm” robotic arms on the Space Shuttles and has sent men to outer space, too. There have been many triumphs in the first 100 years of powered flight in Canada. The Centennial of Flight celebrations, such as the Centennial Heritage Flight, offer an historic tribute to the people and planes that succeeded during Canada’s first century of flight.
Article and photo by Ken Kula