General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Unknown

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

N/A

Width

N/A

Height

N/A

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Aviation

Category

Aircraft

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

McDowall

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

City

Owen Sound

Context

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

Period

Unknown

Canada

The Museum purchased the McDowall in 1967 and restored it in 1984–86. It is on display as the oldest surviving Canadian-built aircraft.

Function

Unknown

Technical

In the early days of flying it was not unusual for aviation enthusiasts to design, build, and fly their own airplanes. The McDowall Monoplane was built in a carriage shop between 1912 and 1915, but made only a few short hops and was then stored. Two school boys attempted alterations in 1916-17. After 1920 a new owner removed the wings and fitted skis to use it as an ice scooter near Durham, Ontario. It was resold in 1954 and again stored. Due to the builder’s lack of airplane design experience, the aircraft was tail-heavy and had no provision for lateral control. This failing was recognized by the school boys who in 1917 cut pieces out of the wings in an attempt to install ailerons . The boys also tried to improve the performance of the used three-cylinder, air-cooled Anzani engine, but the aircraft never flew again.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

N/A

Missing

From CA of 04/17/2001 by Mike Irvin: Yes - no, missing engine controls, numerous unknown missing parts

Finish

Unknown

Decoration

N/A