AEA Cygnet

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The Cygnet, also known as Aerodrome No. 5, was an unusual early Canadian aircraft built by the Aerial Experiment Association under Alexander Graham Bell. It used a wall-like wing made of 3,393 tetrahedral cells and was a powered version of Bell’s tetrahedral kite. Four Cygnets were built between 1907 and 1912.

The project began as Bell’s attempt to turn his tetrahedral kite concept into a heavier-than-air machine. The first flight, on 6 December 1907, was piloted by Thomas Selfridge and towed behind a motorboat, reaching 168 feet. This was the first recorded heavier-than-air flight in Canada, but the craft was hard to control and crashed into the water at the end of the flight.

In 1908–09 a smaller version, the Cygnet II, was built with wheels and a Curtiss V-8 engine. Flights at Baddeck, Nova Scotia, from 22 to 24 February 1909 failed. When the AEA’s Silver Dart was ready to fly, the Cygnet II’s engine was removed and later reinstalled. It was rebuilt again as the Cygnet III with a more powerful 70 hp Gnome Gamma engine.

The final flight occurred on 19 March 1912 at Bras d’Or Lake, piloted by John McCurdy. The Cygnet III could barely lift off, typically only a foot or two, staying in ground effect. After a final trial on 17 March, the tetrahedral cell structure failed, leaving the aircraft badly damaged. The Cygnet II and III were abandoned after this.