Captain E. C. Hoy's 1919 Trans‑Rocky Flight Lands in Cranbrook

In August 1919 Captain E. C. Hoy, a Kelowna‑born aviator representing the Aviation Club of Canada, completed a trans‑Rocky Mountain flight in a Curtiss 4 “Red Devil”. He landed at the aerodrome on the flats east of Cranbrook, British Columbia, drawing a crowd of roughly three thousand spectators. After landing, Hoy delivered the town’s first aerial message to Mayor Cameron, was hosted by the local golf club for lunch, and performed a few stunts for the gathered crowd. The route cut about 75 miles from the usual path and passed over West Kootenay, where Hoy encountered air pockets that forced brief altitude drops.