John Alexander Douglas McCurdy

John McCurdy

John Alexander Douglas McCurdy (August 2, 1886 – June 25, 1961) was a Canadian aviation pioneer and lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia from 1947 to 1952.

Born in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, schooled at St. Andrew's College (Aurora, Ontario), he graduated from the University of Toronto in mechanical engineering in 1906. In 1907, he joined Alexander Graham Bell's Aerial Experiment Association.

On February 23 1909, he became the first person to fly an airplane in Canada, when he piloted the Silver Dart off the ice of Bras d'Or Lake in Nova Scotia. In 1910, he was the first Canadian to be issued a pilot's license.

At the beginning of the Second World War, he became Assistant Director General of Aircraft Production. He remained in that position until he was appointed lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia in 1947.

In 1973, he was inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame.

Reference

• "John A.D. McCurdy". Canada's Digital Collections. Retrieved August 5. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

External links

• CBC 1949 radio archive
• Photograph of J.A.D. McCurdy memorial plaque by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board