AEA Silver Dart

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AEA_Silver_Dart

The Silver Dart (or Aerodrome #4) was a derivative of an early aircraft built by
a Canadian/U.S. team, which after many successful flights in Hammondsport, New
York, earlier in 1908, was dismantled and shipped to Baddeck, Nova Scotia. It
was flown off the ice of Baddeck Bay, a sub-basin of Bras d'Or Lake, on 23
February 1909, making it the first controlled powered flight in Canada. The
aircraft was piloted by one of its designers, John McCurdy. The original Silver
Dart was designed and built by the Aerial Experiment Association (AEA), formed
under the guidance of Dr. Alexander Graham Bell.

From 1891, Bell had begun experiments at Baddeck and Hammondsport to develop
motor-powered heavier-than-air aircraft. By 1908, the success of the AEA was
seen in a series of ground-breaking designs, culminating in the Silver Dart. By
the time the Silver Dart was constructed in late 1908, it was the Aerial
Experiment Association's fourth flying machine. One of its precursors, the June
Bug, had already broken records. It won the Scientific American Trophy for
making the first official one mile (1609 m) flight in North America.

The frame and structure of the Silver Dart were made of steel tube, bamboo,
friction tape, wire and wood. The wings were covered with rubberized, silvery
balloon cloth provided by Capt. Thomas Scott Baldwin of Hammondsport; hence the
name the "Silver Dart". Its Kirkham engine, supplied by Glenn Curtiss, was a
reliable V-8 that developed 50 horsepower (37 kW) at 1,000 rpm. The propeller
was carved from a solid block of wood. The aircraft had what is now called a
canard or an "elevator in front" design. Like most aircraft of its day the
Silver Dart had poor control characteristics; likewise, it had no brakes.


Role
Pioneer Era aircraft

Manufacturer
Aerial Experiment Association

Designer
John McCurdy
Frederick W. "Casey" Baldwin
Glenn Curtiss
Thomas Selfridge
Alexander Graham Bell

First flight
23 February 1909

Status
Destroyed in crash

Primary user
Aerial Experiment Association

Produced
1908

Number built
1

When the Silver Dart lifted off on 23 February 1909, it flew only half a mile
(800 m) at an elevation from three to nine meters, and a speed of roughly 65
kilometres per hour (40 mph). The aircraft was the first powered,
heavier-than-air machine to fly in Canada. Other records were soon to fall; on
10 March 1909, the Silver Dart flown again by McCurdy completed a circular
course over a distance of more than 35 kilometres (22 mi). The first passenger
flight in Canada was made in the Silver Dart on 2 August 1909.

The Canadian Army was unimpressed at the headway made by the group. The general
impression of the time was that aircraft would never amount to much in actual
warfare. Despite official scepticism, the Association was finally invited to the
military base at Camp Petawawa to demonstrate the aircraft. The sandy terrain
made a poor runway for an aircraft with landing wheels about 2 inches (50 mm)
wide. The Silver Dart had great difficulty taking off. On its fifth flight on 2
August 1909, McCurdy wrecked the craft when one wheel struck a rise in the
ground while landing. The Silver Dart never flew again.

Although a significant aircraft in Canada, the location of the initial design
and construction of the Silver Dart made it an American design. Following the
disbanding of the AEA, founding members, McCurdy and F.W. ("Casey") Baldwin
obtained the Canadian patent rights for Aerodrome No. 4 (The Silver Dart), for
the express purpose of producing a Canadian-made version. Subsequently, the
Baddeck No. 1 and Baddeck No. 2 were built by the Canadian Aerodrome Company,
the newly formed company that Baldwin and McCurdy established in 1909.

Specifications (Silver Dart)

General characteristics
Crew: 1
Capacity: 2
Length: 30 ft 0 in (9.14 m)
Wingspan: 40 ft 1 in (12.22 m)
Height: 9 ft 7 in (2.92 m)
Wing area: 563 sq ft (52.3 m2)
Empty weight: 320 lb (145 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Curtiss 50hp V-8 V-8 air-cooled piston engine, 50 hp (37 kW)

Performance
Maximum speed: 40 mph (64 km/h; 35 kn)
Range: 20 mi (17 nmi; 32 km)



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