Two replica First World War biplanes fly through the sky. They were made as part of the Wings of Courage project. (Photo: Carlo Ricci/Canadian Geographic)
A year in the making, the new Wings of Courage website is now live and beautifully showcases Canada’s first aviation heroes.
Canadian Geographic, Sound Venture, Canadian Heritage and CPAC are proud to unveil the Wings of Courage site, which is the second part of a trilogy of projects called A Nation Soars: Commemorating Canada’s Great War Flyers.
As part of the Wings of Courage episode, a group of aviation experts and six young Air Cadets constructed two replica First World War biplanes. Not only are the planes a highlight of the Wings of Courage initiative, the inclusion of the cadets, aged 16 to 19, on the build site serves as a poignant reminder of how young the men who fought in the Great War were.
The three elements of A Nation Soars —Drawn to Victory, Wings of Courage and Flight Path of Heroes — were created to commemorate the centennial anniversary of Canada’s role in the First World War. They explore how aviation changed the course of the First World War, such as its vital part in Canada’s nation-defining victory at Vimy Ridge, and highlights the lesser-known, distinctly Canadian aspects of the war.
Each website is a hub of information about the various elements of each episode of the trilogy. On the Wings of Courage site also features information on the replica biplane build and links to the suite of free educational materials.
The Wings of Courage documentary is narrated by Dan Aykroyd and tells the stories behind the heroism of five notable Canadian pilots and the technological improvement of aviation during the First World War; it premieres on CPAC Sunday, November 6th, 9 p.m. (ET). Drawn to Victory, the first documentary in the trilogy, premieres on CPAC one-week prior Sunday, October 30th, 9 p.m. (ET).
