A retired member of the Canadian Air Force and graduate of the Royal Military College is in St. John’s today to talk Newfoundland’s unique place in aviation history.

Retired Major Bill March is in town as part of a speaker series marking the 100th anniversary of Alcock and Brown’s historic Trans-Atlantic flight.

The duo took off from Lester’s Field in St. John’s and landed in Ireland solidifying their place in global aviation history.

March says Newfoundland’s aviation history, which includes important sites like Harbour Grace, Gander, Botwood, Goose Bay and Stephenville, is tied to its strategic location in the North Atlantic.

He says not only is Newfoundland the closest point of land, but the westerlies blowing across the Atlantic provided the extra push needed to get early aircraft across the span of ocean.