Larry Dibnah: The Gibson Twin Plane

The Gibson Twin Plane and Early Flight in British Columbia

by Larry Dibnah

bC aviation MuseuM

The history of Canadian aviation all began with the well documented first flight of the Silver Dart in Baddeck, Nova Scotia on February 23, 1909 with Mr. J.A.D. McCurdy at the controls. The aircraft was designed in the USA and built by Alexander Graham Bell’s Aerial Experiment Association. The Silver Dart went on to make the first passenger flight in Canada later in 1909.

Only a year later, and more significant to British Columbia, the first powered flight in this province occurred on March 25, 1910 on Lulu Island near Vancouver. The pilot was Mr. Charles Hamilton flying his American built Curtis pusher biplane. Later that same year another ‘powered flight’ event took place in British Columbia. However, this flight was not only significant to BC’s aviation history but to Victoria’s history as well. A totally local venture, the Gibson Twin Plane, designed, built and flown by Mr. William Wallace Gibson of Victoria, first took flight at the Dean family farm in Saanich (later to become Lansdowne Field) on September 8, 1910. Gibson also designed and built the 6-cylinder air cooled engine for his aircraft.

After making a fortune in the mining industry, William Wallace Gibson moved from the prairies to Victoria in 1906 and began to raise money for the development of an aircraft engine. His first 4-cylinder engine was completed by 1908 but was a failure due to severe vibration. His next engine design was in 1910 and featured 6-cylinders. The new engine ran very well and produced 60 hp. This actual engine is presently on display at the National Air Museum in Ottawa.

That same year, Gibson decided to design and build an aircraft that could be powered by his new engine and so he quickly went to work on the Twin Plane. The design included two 20 ft. tetrahedral-shaped wings, one behind the other, and each covered with silk. The wing positions could be moved by means of adjustable fittings. The elevator was located at the front of the plane and could be operated by a control stick. The rudders were located at the rear of the

plane and were controlled by two stirrups which, in turn, were fitted to Gibson’s shoulders and moved as he twisted his upper body. Lateral control was accomplished by moving the control stick side-toside thus warping the wing shape – much the same system as employed in the earlier Wright Brothers Flyer. The Gibson Twin Plane was built within a few months and first took flight on September 8, 1910. This first distance was a meager 25 feet but after Gibson had made a few modifications to the airframe he flew the aircraft again on November 24, 1910 for a distance of 200 feet!

Gibson re-designed the Twin Plane soon after his first successes. The new aircraft featured a series of long, narrow wings of solid spruce mounted vertically like a Venetian blind. Bad weather in Victoria forced him to move first to Kamloops, BC then to Calgary where his assistant made several long flights in August of 1911. The last flight covered a distance of about one mile but crashed on landing. By this time, William Wallace Gibson had exhausted his resources and could not afford to continue his aerial pursuits.

A full scale replica of the early Gibson Twin Plane is on display at the BC Aviation Museum here at the Victoria International Airport. Also, there is a monument dedicated to Gibson’s first flight and it is located at Lansdowne Middle School Annex on Richmond Road.

Reference: The British Columbia Historical Quarterly, 1939