An icon of the true pioneering spirit of aviators in Alberta,
Edward A. (Ted) Reynolds from Wetaskiwin sought the thrill of
flight by building and flying his own airplane. In 1919,
Reynolds applied his mechanical background and built a light
monoplane using wood for the fuselage and canvas covering for
the wings. An aluminium cowling was placed over a Model T Ford
engine that was installed backward and attached to the propeller
to avoid the use of a flywheel. He used this monoplane to
complete several flights in the three years that followed.
Reynolds’ name appears again in the history of flight in
Alberta when he helped overhaul the engine of
May and
Gorman’s
biplane, The City of Edmonton, so it could be returned in
flying condition to partner Peter Lerbekmo from the Tofield
area. In October 1927, Reynolds traded his Star automobile to
obtain Lerbekmo’s entire share of the plane. Reynolds flew
The City of Edmonton in the years that followed. He
subsequently disassembled the biplane and put it in storage.
In 1980, restoration work began on The City of Edmonton.
It is now on display in Wetaskiwin’s Reynolds-Alberta Museum
along with Reynolds’ monoplane that was restored in 1990.
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