John Alexander Douglas McCurdy (2 August 1886 – 25 June 1961) was a Canadian

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot a ...

pioneer and the 20th Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia from 1947 to 1952.

Early years

Son of inventor Arthur Williams McCurdy and born in

Baddeck, Nova Scotia Baddeck () is a village in northeastern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is situated in the centre of Cape Breton, approximately 6 km east of where the Baddeck River empties into Bras d'Or Lake. Local governance is provided by the rural municipality ...

, McCurdy was known as "Douglas". He was schooled at St. Andrew's College in

Aurora, Ontario Aurora ( 2021 population: 62,057) is a town in central York Region in the Greater Toronto Area, within the Golden Horseshoe of Southern Ontario, Canada. It is located north of the City of Richmond Hill and is partially situated on the Oak Ridg ...

and graduated from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, an ...

in 1907, where he had been a member of The Kappa Alpha Society along with his friend

Frederick Walker Baldwin Frederick Walker Baldwin (January 2, 1882 – August 7, 1948), also known as Casey Baldwin, paternal grandson of Canadian reform leader Robert Baldwin, was a hydrofoil and aviation pioneer and partner of the famous inventor Alexander Graham Bell. ...

. The University of Toronto Year Book for his graduation year
Torontonensis
1907) shows that he was active in rugby and fencing. AEA Silver Dart

Aviation

In 1907, he joined Alexander Graham Bell's

Aerial Experiment Association The Aerial Experiment Association (AEA) was a Canadian-American aeronautical research group formed on 30 September 1907, under the leadership of Dr. Alexander Graham Bell. The AEA produced several different aircraft in quick succession, with eac ...

. In 1908, McCurdy helped another AEA member,

Glenn Curtiss Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early a ...

to set up the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. McCurdy became the first British subject to fly an aircraft in the British Empire when he piloted the

's '' Silver Dart'' off the ice of

Bras d'Or Lake Bras d'Or Lake ( Mi'kmawi'simk: Pitupaq) is an irregular estuary in the centre of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. It has a connection to the open sea, and is tidal. It also has inflows of fresh water from rivers, making the brackis ...

in Nova Scotia. The Silver Dart was the first powered aircraft to fly in Canada. In 1910, he was the first Canadian to be issued a pilot's license and the following year, he made the first flight from

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. For the next few years, he continued to set aviation records in Canada and North America, until 1916, when vision problems grounded him.

First World War

In 1915, McCurdy established the first aviation school in Canada, the Curtiss Flying School, operating from 1915 to 1919, and was the first manager of

Long Branch Aerodrome Long Branch Aerodrome was an airfield located west of Toronto, Ontario and just east of Port Credit, now Mississauga, and was Canada's first aerodrome. The airport was opened by the Curtiss Flying School, part of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Com ...

, Canada's first airport. He was also instrumental in setting up Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd., an aircraft manufacturing company located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that built aircraft for the Royal Flying Corps during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Formed on 15 December 1916, when the

Imperial Munitions Board The Imperial Munitions Board (IMB) was the Canadian branch of the British Ministry of Munitions, set up in Canada under the chairmanship of Joseph Wesley Flavelle. It was formed by the British War Cabinet to alleviate the Shell Crisis of 1915 du ...

bought the Curtiss (Canada) aircraft operation in Toronto (opened in 1916 as Toronto Curtiss Aeroplanes), Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd. manufactured the JN-4 (Can) Canuck, the

Felixstowe F5L The twin-engine F5L was one of the Felixstowe F series of flying boats developed by John Cyril Porte at the Seaplane Experimental Station, Felixstowe, England, during the First World War for production in America. A civilian version of the air ...

flying boat, and the

Avro 504 The Avro 504 was a First World War biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the war totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind tha ...

.Given, Robert A
"Long Branch."
''etobicokehistorical.com.'' Retrieved: 24 February 2011.

Interwar years

In 1928, McCurdy created the Reid Aircraft Company in Montreal and became its first president. After a merger, he remained at the helm of the Curtiss-Reid Aircraft Company, a position he held until the advent of war. The most notable product of the company was the

Curtiss-Reid Rambler The Reid Rambler, later known under the Curtiss-Reid brand after Reid was purchased by Curtiss, was a biplane trainer/sport aircraft built in Canada in the early 1930s and used in small numbers as a trainer aircraft by the Royal Canadian Air Forc ...

."Curtiss-Reid Rambler."
''Canadian Historical Aircraft Association''. Retrieved: 31 October 2010. McCurdy married Margaret Ball of Woodstock, Ontario, daughter of Margaret and Robert N. Ball, Queens Counsel for Sullivan Co, Ontario.

Second World War

At the beginning of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, McCurdy became Assistant Director General of Aircraft Production. He remained in that position until 1947.

Postwar

In 1947, McCurdy was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, a post he continued until 1952. He was awarded the McKee Trophy in 1959 on the 50th anniversary of the flight of the Silver Dart. He attended official ceremonies and sat in the replica Silver Dart built for the occasion. He was also named an honorary air commodore at the time. After a lengthy illness, McCurdy died in 1961 in

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pe ...

, and was buried the following month in

where a family home had been maintained.McDonald, Tom
"John McCurdy of Nova Scotia Dies, Ist in British Empire to Fly Plane_Jun 26, 1961."
''caperblogs.com.'' Retrieved: 18 August 2011.

Legacy

The McCurdy Award at

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous ...

in Montreal was introduced in 1954 by the Institute of Aircraft Technicians. The award commemorates the contributions made by John A.D. McCurdy during the development of the aviation industry in North America. Following its creation in 1973, McCurdy was inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame. On 27 July 2009 Sydney Airport was renamed J.A. Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport in his honour."Sydney Airport."
''Sydney Airport Authority'', 2011. Retrieved: 24 February 2011. In 2012, he was inducted into the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame.

Awards and recognition

References

;Notes ;Citations ;Bibliography
"Aerial Experimental Association (AEA)".
''Aerofiles.'' Retrieved: 19 May 2005. * Blanchard, H. Percy. "Family Tree Reference 2A73." ''The McCurdys of Nova Scotia: Genealogical Record & Biographical Sketches of the McCurdys of Nova Scotia''. Halifax: Hon. F. B. McCurdy, 1930. * Green, H. Gordon. ''The Silver Dart: The Authentic Story of the Hon. J.A.D. McCurdy, Canada's First Pilot''. Fredericton, New Brunswick: Atlantic Advocate Book, 1959. * Gunston, Bill. ''World Encyclopedia of Aircraft Manufacturers.'' Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1993. . * Harding, Les. ''McCurdy and the Silver Dart''. Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada: University of Cape Breton Press, 1998. .

''Canada's Digital Collections.'' Retrieved: 5 August 2005. * Milberry, Larry. ''Aviation in Canada: The Pioneer Decades, Vol. 1''. Toronto: CANAV Books, 2008. . * Molson, Ken M. and Harold A. Taylor. ''Canadian Aircraft Since 1909''. Stittsville, Ontario: Canada's Wings, Inc., 1982. * Taylor, Michael J.H. ''Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation''. London: Studio Editions, 1989. .

External links

CBC 1949 radio archive

J.A.D. McCurdy and the Silver Dart: Canada's First Aerial Navigator
at ''

Nova Scotia Archives & Records Management Nova Scotia Archives is a governmental archival institution serving the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The archives acquires, preserves and makes available the province's documentary heritage – recorded information of provincial significanc ...

''
Photograph of J.A.D. McCurdy memorial plaque by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCurdy, John Alexander Douglas 1886 births 1961 deaths Canadian mechanical engineers Canadian Presbyterians University of Toronto alumni St. Andrew's College (Aurora) alumni Canadian aviators Aviation history of Canada Members of the Early Birds of Aviation Lieutenant Governors of Nova Scotia Canadian people of Scottish descent Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame inductees Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) People from Baddeck, Nova Scotia Honorary air commodores Canadian aviation record holders