First Military Demonstration of Aircraft Flight in Canada 2-August-1909

The first military demonstration of aircraft flight in Canada was given at Petawawa Camp Ontario on 2- August 1909, by J.A.D. McCurdy and F.W. Baldwin, with the assistance of
the Royal Canadian Engineers.

On the morning of 2 August, they made three successful flights in the Silver Dart. This
aircraft was destroyed in landing after the fourth flight. Further flights were made in the Baddeck No. 1 on 12 and 13 August. The tests ended on 13 August, after this aircraft was damaged.

The plaque commemorating the first military test flights in Canada can be found at the entrance of CFB Petawawa, off County Road 55, 2.3 km east of Highway 17 near Menin Road. 

The flights at Petawawa were not just a demonstration of aircraft capabilities, but also a collaboration between engineers, the military, and Alexander Graham Bell’s Aerial Experiment Association (AEA).