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OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, August 28, 2009 · 22 Aviation pioneer gets long overdue recognition Oakville resident proud of grandfather J.A.D. McCurdy By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF While some may not have recognized the importance of what his grandfather did in the early 20th century, all are recognizing it now. Oakville resident Gerald Haddon was called to Nova Scotia in late July to attend a special ceremony that saw Sydney Airport renamed to honour his grandfather J.A.D. McCurdy, Canada's first pilot. "It was a wonderful ceremony. I got up and gave a speech and I was speaking to probably almost a thousand people who had come to the airport to see this ceremony," said Haddon. "I was thrilled and happy for my grandfather that as the first pioneer of Canadian aviation he was recognized by having an airport named after him. It took a number of years for this to happen." JANET TROST / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER PROUD MOMENT: Gerald Haddon stands beside a replica of the Silver Dart, an early aircraft first flown by his grandfather J.A.D. McCurdy in 1909. This replica was created at flown at the 100th anniversary of McCurdy's flight in Baddeck, Nova Scotia in February. The lead up to this event dates back to Feb. craft known as the Silver Dart. As part of Alexander Graham Bell's Aerial 23, 1909 when McCurdy lifted off a frozen lake in Baddeck, Nova Scotia in an early air- Experiment Association, McCurdy had helped to design and build the Silver Dart, which was the last in a series of experimental aircraft the association had put together in the hope of creating a flying machine capable of sustained flight. Haddon expertly tells the story of that first flight, speaking as though he was there to see it. "There were a lot of doubtful Scotsmen who really didn't think it was going to fly and had come really to almost see a disaster, but it (Silver Dart) lifted off and it went for almost three quarters of a mile, just over thirty feet off the ground at about 40 miles per hour. J.A.D. McCurdy then brought it down to the ice, perfect landing and taxied back," said Haddon. "He remembered two things about that day. He remembered the look of astonishment on everyone's faces at actually seeing a man fly and the look of sheer joy on the face of Alexander Graham Bell. So my grandfather felt as if he had had two or three shots of whiskey and he wanted to go up immediately again." Bell noted one flight was enough for one day and momentarily restrained McCurdy's enthusiasm, but on the following day McCurdy took the Silver Dart up again and flew more than seven km. The next day he flew the Silver Dart for 32 km. These flights made McCurdy the first British subject to fly an airplane anywhere in the British Empire, however, this would not be his last historical accomplishment. In 1910, he became the first Canadian to be issued a pilots licence and in 1911 he became the first person in history to make a transoceanic flight, which he made from Key West, Florida to Cuba. As if that was not enough for one lifetime, McCurdy was also the first to land an airplane on water using pontoons and co-founded Canada's first airplane construction company, which produced the first airplane built in Canada, the Baddeck 1. He also made the first wireless transmission from an airplane to the ground and formed Canada's first aviation school where, following the outbreak of the First World War, he trained Canadian and British pilots so they could bring their skills to the battlefield. Despite his considerable contribution to Canadian history, McCurdy remained very humble about his achievements with Haddon practically having to twist his grandfather's arm to get him to speak about them. As an example of this modesty, Haddon pointed to 1959 when, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his historic flight, the Queen made McCurdy an honourary air commodore. Haddon noted being an honourary air See Skeptics page 23