NEW EXHIBIT

Our display case inside the pub features a new collection of artifacts celebrating the 1909 - 2009 Centennial of Powered Flight in Canada. 2009 is the Year of The Silver Dart, the first powered, heavier-than-air machine to fly in Canada; designed and built by the Aerial Experiment Association (Oct 1907-Mar 1909) under Alexander Graham Bell, a flight enthusiast since boyhood. After several successful flights at Hammondsport, NY, early in 1909 the Silver Dart was dismantled, crated and brought to Baddeck Bay, NS, the Bells' Canadian home. The "aerodrome" (Bell's preferred term) had a 14.9 m wingspan and an all-up weight of 390 kg, pilot included.

J.A.D. McCurdy was the principal designer and pilot; Glenn H. Curtiss developed the water-cooled engine, an advance on the association's earlier experiments. Pulled on to the ice of Baddeck Bay by horsedrawn sleigh on Feb 23, the silver-winged machine rose on its second attempt after travelling about 30 m, flying at an elevation from 3 to 9 m at roughly 65 km/hr. Over 100 of Bell's neighbours witnessed the first flight of a British subject anywhere in the Empire. The Silver Dart flew more than 200 times before being damaged beyond repair upon landing in the soft sand of Petawawa, Ont, during military trials in early Aug 1909. The engine was later retrieved and restored and is now on display at the National Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa. Full-scale models of the Silver Dart may be found in Ottawa's National Aviation Museum and at the Atlantic Canadian Aviation Museum adjacent to the Halifax International Airport.

Troy Kirkby, Publican of The Spitfire Arms, attended the 100th anniversary celebrations in Baddeck, NS and assisted the Silver Dart Flying Replica Centennial Project Group based in Welland, Ontario with preparations through his membership with the Canadian Aeronautical Preservation Association. Troy is seen photographed in Baddeck, NS with former Canadian astronaut Bjarni Tryggvason who piloted the aircraft on February 22, 2009 and again at CFB Greenwood, NS when he was permitted to sit in the aircraft prior to assisting with the disassembly of the replica for shipment back to Ontario.

www.silverdartreplica.com