WHY WE DID IT
"A hundred years ago the dream to fly like a bird inspired people to great adventure. Today it still does".
While the technical achievement of this conquest is impressive what struck me was the personal dimension of the flight. This magnificent achievement which would change Canada forever, was conceived and executed by ordinary people outside of government or military backing. The airplane they built was surprisingly simple. The wings were covered with silver Japanese silk; hence the name the "Silver Dart". The engine, developed just 35 hp and the propeller was carved from a block of wood. In contrast, the Smithsonian Institute at the same time, received a $50,000 grant to build a flying machine that never got off the ground.
What made the difference for those Canadian pioneers that day was that they had something that money could not buy; they were driven by the spirit of adventure and the passion to fly. 100 years later, I decided there could be no greater tribute to that first flight than to organize a Cross Canada flight.
This was a once in a lifetime adventure, a coast-to-coast flight of 100 light aircraft made up of steel tubing, aluminum and flown mainly by private civilian pilots.
A hundred years ago the dream to get in the air inspired the people in Baddeck, Nova Scotia to great adventure. In the summer of 2009 the same spirit inspired flight crews from across Canada to write history again!
