Vernon held ceremony for the 50th anniversary of the first flight over the Rocky Mountains

It may not seem like a big deal these days, but at one time, flying over the rockies was a big deal.

And in 1969 the Vernon airport held a special ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the event which included the history-making pilot himself.

In 1919, Capt. Ernest Charles Hoy made the first successful aircraft crossing over the Rocky Mountains. Hoy flew from Vancouver to Vernon, his first stop on the trip that would make history when he flew to Alberta.

Vernon-based videographer and historian Francois Arseneault converted old black-and-white footage of the Vernon visit into a digital format which has been posted to the Greater Vernon Museum and Archives Youtube channel.

Arseneault has numerous other videos on his own Youtube channel.