About 200 small planes gathered at the Springbank Airport on the weekend to celebrate 100 years of powered flight in Canada.

The Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) also held their annual national convention at the airport July 17-19, opening up to the public and interested commercial and recreational small-plane flyers.

The convention coincides with Springbank’s celebration of a century of flight in Canada.

In February 1909, Canada’s first piloted flight took off near the Alexander Graham Bell’s home in Baddeck, N.S.

“Besides the train, aviation is the next major thing that built this country,” said Kevin Psutka, president and CEO of COPA. “(Canada) was really opened up big time by small airplanes, and it continues to be the lifeline of the north.”

Springbank was the first major stop on the Cross Canada Century Flight, where about 100 aircraft will fly across the country, stopping at small airports with the final stop in Baddeck.

Most participants don’t fly for the whole 12-day trip, but Paul Irwin relished the opportunity. Three generations of Irwin boys — Paul, his 14-year-old son Dalton and his father Peter — are flying together in the family plane.

“We’ve got three generations of pilots and an airplane we’ve had for 46 years,” Irwin said. “My father’s a retired airline pilot, I’m an airline pilot and my son’s learning to fly.”

Irwin is happy to take in the centennial flight celebrations and share it with his family. Irwin said 12 long days of flying isn’t a big deal for a commercial pilot like him — they basically “fly a day, rest a day.”

But for most, it’s the journey of a lifetime.

“There’s a lot of pilots here that go for maybe an hour flying on a weekend here and there. So, it’s a monumental undertaking.”
The century flight is the brainchild of John Lovelace, a 30-year veteran of flying. Five years ago, sitting on the lawn of the Alexander Graham Bell estate, he came up with the idea.

“One hundred years is a really short period of time,” Lovelace said. “The strides that we’ve made are absolutely incredible. We take it for granted.”

There are about 32,000 aircraft in Canada, but only 1,500 are what we would consider commercial airliners. The others are small planes, with about 25,000 owned by individuals and flown for recreation and transportation.

Springbank Airport is a major hub for small aircraft and training centre for young pilots and enthusiasts.

“This is a success story,” said Psutka. “It’s a thriving airport.”

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