The engine was a six-cylinder, water-cooled "V"-type, which was fueled by a gasoline tank mounted above it to permit gravity feed. A single steering wheel controlled height and direction of flight. Flying wires stretched between the wings had to be properly tightened to ensure structural strength. Very light in weight, these machines were easily damaged in their all-too-frequent crashes. Stark was injured late in 1912, after making numerous personal appearances at events around the province. The well-known husband and wife team of John Bryant and Alys McKey Bryant visited British Columbia in 1913 during their tour of the Pacific Northwest. Alys, like Billy Stark, had been trained by Glenn Curtiss, and had made her reputation as an excellent pilot before her marriage. Taking to the air on July 31 at Minoru Park, she became the first woman to pilot a plane in Canada. Over Victoria on August 6, John Bryant was the first aviator to fly over the downtown area of a British Columbia city. That same day he exchanged his wheeled undercarriage for a float and took off from Victoria harbour in gusty wind conditions. Over the city, one of the wings collapsed and the machine crashed onto the roof of a building near the waterfront. Bryant was killed instantly - Canada's first aviation fatality. His wife never flew again. In 1914, when war broke out in Europe, few aircraft were being used for military purposes. The Royal Flying Corps, which had been established in 1912 as part of