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The Ayling and Reid Flight
Photos by contributor Colin Old - January, 2009
Plaque Location
In the Town of Wasaga Beach in the County of Simcoe
at coordinates N 44 31.200 W 80 01.260
on a cairn at the entrance to Nancy Island Historic Site.
Click here for an interactive larger map
© 2010 Microsoft
Plaque Text
On 8 August 1934 J.R. Ayling and L.G. Reid, flying "The Trail of the Caribou" a twin-engined biplane, the De Haviland "Dragon", took off from the hard sands of Wasaga Beach headed for Baghdad. An icing problem led to a bent control rod and a throttle stuck wide open. This, in turn, increased fuel consumption by 70 per cent above that estimated and resulted in termination of the flight at Heston Airfield, London, England after 6,000 km and 30 hours, 55 minutes of flying time. Despite failure in their main objective the aviators had accomplished the first non-stop flight from the mainland of Canada to England.
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