Name/Title
"First overseas flight from Canada left Wasaga 1934", by Thelma Morrison, ArchivistEntry/Object ID
2020.417.1Scope and Content
Newspaper article, Thelma's Wasaga, "First overseas flight from Canada left Wasaga 1934", by Thelma Morrison, ArchivistContext
In the article, written circa 2005, Thelma Morrison writes about he first non-stop flight from Canada to Great Britain in the "Trail of the Caribou", flown by Wing Commander James R. Ayling and Captain Leonard G. Reid on August 8, 1934. A picture included at the bottom of the article shows the Trail of the Caribou at Wasaga Beach.
The History of Flight in Wasaga Beach:
In early years, the beachfront at Wasaga Beach was not only a main roadway it was also a natural runway for airplanes. In 1933, Captain James Mollison and his wife Amy Johnson attempted to fly their plane, the Seafarer II, from Wasaga Beach to Bagdad, Iraq in an attempt to break the long distance record. On the day they attempted to take off from the beachfront, high crosswinds made it difficult to take off. On their third attempt, the undercarriage of the plane was damaged preventing any further attempt to take off. The Mollison's sold the Seafarer II to James Ayling and Leonard Reid who restored and renamed the plane “Trail of the Caribou”. Ayling and Reid also planned to attempt to break the record for the longest flight. On the morning of August 8th, 1934, Ayling and Reid took off from Wasaga Beach in the Trail of the Caribou and made it to England. They encountered heavy fog and winds and used more fuel than they had anticipated. Although they did not break the world record they made the first direct non-stop flight from Canada to England.
A picture included at the top right of the article shows a model of the Trail of the Caribou, made by Jim Ward and Hugh Quick, and present to the town council in 2003. The model is on display outside Council Chambers at Town Hall.Acquisition
Accession
2020.417Source or Donor
UnknownAcquisition Method
Gift