Powered air flight is an invention of the twentieth century with the Wright Brothers in the United States making the first flight in 1903.

The first airplane in British
Columbia, a Curtiss biplane,
owned by C.K. Hamilton.
Vancouver, March 25, 1910
A-03045
When the first airplane arrived in British Columbia in 1910 the new invention was still considered a wonderful oddity by many.

The first airplane in B.C. at
the Armstrong Dominion Day
celebrations July 1, 1912
B-03403
Others saw its potential for fast and dependable travel and communications, and pursued perfecting the technology and promoting its acceptance by the public.

Three Curtiss Jennies at an
aerial meet at the Willows
in Victoria in 1919
A-06807
Airplanes proved themselves in combat and communications in World War I and after the war their use expanded at a rapid rate.


1919, the year after the war ended, saw a number of important firsts in air transport in British Columbia: the first flight from Vancouver to Victoria, the beginning of airmail service between Seattle and Vancouver, and the first flight over the Rocky Mountains by Ernest C. Hoy in his aircraft The Little Red Devil.

The first seaplane airmail
flight between Seattle and
Victoria, October 15, 1920
A-06814
An early airmail flight in B.C.
at Revelstoke, October 1920
B-02298


In these pioneer days of flight formal airports were rare. Airplanes often landed on any available field, even farmers' fields and baseball parks.

The first airplane in the Cariboo,
shown in a farmer's field at
Clinton in 1919
Detail of D-09308


Continued...





We respect your privacy and the privacy of your children, and urge you to review the Privacy Policy for this Web Site.
 
Unless indicated otherwise, this page and all contents are Copyright © ,
British Columbia Archives, Royal BC Museum.