The Silver Dart Takes Flight

February 23, 1909 was a spectacular day in Canadian aviation history. It was on this frosty day that The Silver Dart first took flight about thirty feet above the Canadian ice covered basin. This historical experiment marked the first controlled powered flight in Canada and the British Empire. On February 23, 2009, Canada celebrated this amazing accomplishment by issuing a postage stamp honoring The Silver Dart.

The Silver Dart, otherwise known as Aerodrome #4 was the brain child of Dr. Alexander Graham Bell and his team at the Aerial Experiment Association. The Association team consisted of members from both the United States and Canada who were dedicated to developing aircraft. The Silver Dart was originally designed and built in New York. After successfully taking flight several times in New York, it was dismantled and shipped to Nova Scotia to mark the first
Canadian flight.

Despite it’s flying successes in the US and Canada, the Canadian Army was not impressed by the idea of aircraft being used in warfare. At the time, they thought that aircraft would never be a useful tool in combat. Eventually the Association was allowed onto a military base to showcase The Silver Dart. Unfortunately, the tiny two inch wheels on the aircraft performed very poorly on the sandy runway. Sadly, on only its fifth flight, The Silver Dart crashed on landing when one wheel struck a berm on the ground. This was the last flight ever for The Silver Dart.

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