Billy Stark, Canadian pioneer aviator and his wife (1912)
William "Billy" McIntosh Stark, the first Canadian with a pilot´s license and his wife Olive in a Curtiss school plane in Sand Diego in 1912. My colorization of an image in the City of Vancouver archives.
The Canadian Museum of Flight tells the story:
"High speed and danger tend to appeal to a certain type of individual, so it was hardly surprising that a well-known Vancouver auto racer, Billy Stark, took up flying. Since there were no flying schools in Canada in 1911, Stark went to San Diego, California, to enroll in the only aviation school on the Pacific coast. Glenn Curtiss, the world-famous aircraft designer and builder, was giving expert flying instruction in the hopes of selling his airplanes to successful students. Stark progressed through the complete course, learning aircraft handling and repair and basic engine maintenance. In an era when aviation mechanics and riggers were all but nonexistent, each pilot had to know enough to keep his machine operating efficiently and safely. His life depended on it.Billy Stark returned to British Columbia with his pilot's licence and a new Curtiss “Flyer.” On April 24, 1912, Stark took Daily Province sports editor Jim Hewitt up for a flight. Hewitt, who was British Columbia's first air passenger, related his impressions of the flight to his readers.Later that same day, Olive Stark became the first woman airplane passenger in Canada. She sat beside her husband on the lower wing of his Curtiss, bundled up against the cold, looking both proud and apprehensive.Stark's Curtiss was typical of pre-World War 1 machines. It was a “finely tuned” mass of wire, bamboo, interplane struts, and spruce, covered by stretched and doped fabric. The engine was a six-cylinder, water-cooled “V”-type, which was fueled by a gasoline tank mounted above it to permit gravity feed. A single steering wheel controlled height and direction of flight. Flying wires stretched between the wings had to be properly tightened to ensure structural strength. Very light in weight, these machines were easily damaged in their all-too-frequent crashes. Stark was injured late in 1912, after making numerous personal appearances at events around the province."
Billy Stark, Canadian pioneer aviator and his wife (1912)
William "Billy" McIntosh Stark, the first Canadian with a pilot´s license and his wife Olive in a Curtiss school plane in Sand Diego in 1912. My colorization of an image in the City of Vancouver archives.
The Canadian Museum of Flight tells the story:
"High speed and danger tend to appeal to a certain type of individual, so it was hardly surprising that a well-known Vancouver auto racer, Billy Stark, took up flying. Since there were no flying schools in Canada in 1911, Stark went to San Diego, California, to enroll in the only aviation school on the Pacific coast. Glenn Curtiss, the world-famous aircraft designer and builder, was giving expert flying instruction in the hopes of selling his airplanes to successful students. Stark progressed through the complete course, learning aircraft handling and repair and basic engine maintenance. In an era when aviation mechanics and riggers were all but nonexistent, each pilot had to know enough to keep his machine operating efficiently and safely. His life depended on it.Billy Stark returned to British Columbia with his pilot's licence and a new Curtiss “Flyer.” On April 24, 1912, Stark took Daily Province sports editor Jim Hewitt up for a flight. Hewitt, who was British Columbia's first air passenger, related his impressions of the flight to his readers.Later that same day, Olive Stark became the first woman airplane passenger in Canada. She sat beside her husband on the lower wing of his Curtiss, bundled up against the cold, looking both proud and apprehensive.Stark's Curtiss was typical of pre-World War 1 machines. It was a “finely tuned” mass of wire, bamboo, interplane struts, and spruce, covered by stretched and doped fabric. The engine was a six-cylinder, water-cooled “V”-type, which was fueled by a gasoline tank mounted above it to permit gravity feed. A single steering wheel controlled height and direction of flight. Flying wires stretched between the wings had to be properly tightened to ensure structural strength. Very light in weight, these machines were easily damaged in their all-too-frequent crashes. Stark was injured late in 1912, after making numerous personal appearances at events around the province."