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On a warm quiet afternoon, Ottawa residents were preparing for the last long weekend of the summer.
Ottawa on Friday, Aug. 29, 1958 seemed like a perfect day until 4:12pm when the city was rocked by an explosion.
Dishes shattered as they fell off shelves.
Windows shook and rattled to the point of breaking.
A45-year-old man collapsed on his verandah from the shock of the blast.
The switchboards at the Ottawa Citizen and the city’s emergency services lit up like Christmas trees as calls came in to find out what happened.
Had a factory exploded?
Was it an earthquake or t a prelude to a Russian nuclear attack?
On the ground, they tried to determine where the explosion came from.
They should have looked up.
I’m Craig Baird, this is Canadian History Ehx and today we are feeling the need for speed as we break the sound barrier and jet off on a journey on f The Avro Arrow!
The explosion that rocked Ottawa happened 45,000 feet above the capital as test pilot Jan Zurakowski flew the experimental Avro Arrow fighter jet faster than the speed of sound causing a sonic boom that shook the city.
It was a revolutionary jet and within six months, it would be dead, and one phrase has echoed ever since.
Dief killed the Arrow.
I have seen that comment dozens, if not hundreds of times.
Any time I post something about Prime Minister John Diefenbaker on social media, you can bet someone is going to write that.
Diefenbaker has become the focus of all blame for the sudden cancellation of the Avro Arrow in 1958 but the story is deeper and more complicated than that.
And to tell any good story, you must start at the beginning.
Aircraft played a critical role in the Allied victory during the Second World War and Canada central in getting those planes in the sky.
Engineers like Elsie MacGill oversaw the construction of hundreds of aircrafts that would fly over the English Channel, while Canada’s Commonwealth Air Training Plan prepared tens of thousands of pilots.
Far from the reach of German bombers, Canadian factories were the perfect place to produce planes, and in 1942 the government created the Crown Corporation Victory Aircraft Limited.
Located near what is Toronto Pearson International Airport today, the Malton factory operated by Victory Aircraft was given blueprints and a Lancaster MK I, a British bomber with the hopes of producing a new aircraft that could deliver bigger payloads at longer ranges.
The factory got to work assembling the Avro Lancaster Mk X heavy bombers and it was one of the most complex aircraft ever created with 500,000 manufacturing operations involved in creating 55,000 separate components.
It took only 16 months to go from blueprints to the first test flight, which impressed the management at Avro in the United Kingdom.
The UK wanted more bombers and Victory Aircraft were happy to provide them.
Production ramped up on the aircraft with a factory workforce of 10,000 people, one quarter of whom were women, the.
Eventually, their efforts produced at the astounding rate of one aircraft per day.
By the end of the war, the factory had built a variety of planes including 3,197 Avro Ansons, 430 Avro Lancasters, six Avro Lancastrians, an Avro Lincoln, and an Avro York.
On Nov. 11, 1945, Victory Aircraft ceased production and the Canadian government sold the factory to Hawker Siddeley Group. That company used the factory for their new subsidiary, A.V. Roe Canada, which would eventually become…. Avro Canada.
The war effort trained thousands of Canadians to produce high-quality aircraft and a highly skilled workforce.
So, it’s no surprise that in 1947, the Avro XC-100, became Canada’s first jet fighter and it hit the skies for the first time on Jan. 19, 1950.
Designed by Avro, it was later renamed the CF-100 Canuck, and eventually 692 of them were built and entered into service with the Royal Canadian Air Force in NATO bases in Europe and North America.
On Dec. 18, 1952, test pilot Janusz Zurakowski took a CF-100 Canuck Mk 4 prototype to March 1.10 as he dove from 14 kilometres above ground and broke the sound barrier.
It resulted in the first straight-winged jet aircraft to achieve controlled supersonic flight and while the CF-100 was an excellent aircraft, it was clear by the time it entered service that more power was needed.
And Avro was going to be the one to give it.
If you’ve seen the 2023 Oscar winning movie, Oppenheimer you know that the United States beat the world in developing the atomic bomb and used it twice on Japan, effectively ending the Second World War.
This led to an arms race and the Soviet Union caught up on Aug. 29, 1949, when they tested their first nuclear bomb.
The two countries pushed science further and the atomic bomb became hydrogen bombs which are more powerful, flexible, and cleaner than a-bombs.
Throughout the early-1950s, the Cold War escalated as the United States and Soviet Union built up nuclear arsenals and as the threat of nuclear war increased, Canada sat geographically right in the middle of the two superpowers.
To detect Soviet bombers flying over the Arctic, the United States and Canada developed early warning radar stations.
The Pine Tree Line along the United States-Canada border was built in 1951 and was the first coordinated system for early detection. Two more radar lines, the Mid-Canada Line, and the Distant Early Warning Line, were developed in 1956 and 1957.
Now that the United States and Canada had the power to detect approaching Soviet bombers, they needed a way to intercept them.
Enter the CF-105.
By the early-1950s, Avro Canada was a leader in aerospace and a major contributor to the economy as it employed thousands of Canadians, and its supply chain employed several thousand more.
The Royal Canadian Air Force was looking for supersonic missile-armed jets that could combat Soviet bombers.
The Canuck was fine, but it was ineffective against new bombers that could fly faster for longer distances.
From 1952 to 1953, Avro and the RCAF discussed creating a new revolutionary aircraft for a two-person crew, with a range of 550 kilometres at low-speed and 370 kilometres at high-speed.
It needed to be able to reach a cruising speed of Mach 1.5, or 1.5 times the speed of sound, and maintain that speed at 21,000 metres while being able to handle turns of 2 Gs with no loss of speed.
Within five minutes… the aircraft had to go from engine start to an altitude of 15 kms at Mach 1.5 without losing energy.
It was a tall order, but Avro Canada was up for the task because they had some of the best aerospace minds in the world at their disposal.
In May 1953, Avro submitted their C-105 design and two months later, the RCAF accepted the proposal giving them the go-ahead to start the project.
At first it would be limited in its overall scope as Avro provided $27 million for flight modeling.
After the Soviets tested a hydrogen bomb in August 1953, the budget for the Avro CF-105, or Arrow as it became known, was upgraded to $260 million and The RCAF requested five Arrow Mk 1 flight-test aircraft, the first version of the aircraft, followed by 35 Arrow Mk 2s, the upgraded second version of the aircraft.
Avro had the money, now they needed to build these new aircraft in a short amount of time.
On Sept. 30, 1953, Avro purchased a jet plant near Malton, Ontario for $17.5 million to allow them to build a complete aircraft from airframe to jet engines in a Canadian factory.
A spokesperson stated,
“Never before has a Canadian company been capable of building a plane from top to bottom. We have always had to buy various parts for the aircraft. Now we can design and put one together on our own hook.”
Born in Winnipeg Avro President Crawford Gordon Jr. had been the leader of Canada’s wartime defence production under C.D. Howe, the Minister of Munitions and Supply
Considered one of Canada’s greatest business minds, he took over as president and general manager in October 1951 and helped solve several problems in the development and production of the CF-100.
Working alongside him was James C. Floyd.
He was born in England and had worked with A.V. Roe before moving to Canada in 1946. By 1952, he was Avro Canada’s Chief Engineer.
To meet the strict deadlines set by the RCAF, The Avro Arrow program changed how it created and tested prototypes.
Typically, a small number of prototypes were built and flown which was time-consuming and delayed building of production models.
Instead, Avro set up a production line first and tested production models, rather than prototypes.
As tests were completed, Avro could incorporate changes into the design, and full production would start immediately.
Nine free-flight models were created. These models were smaller than the actual Arrow and were mounted onto rocket boosters to test how they reacted at supersonic speeds. Six models were tested over Lake Ontario, and two were tested over the Atlantic Ocean.
The tests proved successful and only a few design changes were needed; mostly focused on wing profile and positioning.
This is when the first rumblings of budget cuts reached Avro offices.
As early as 1953, senior Army and Navy officials were questioning the program. because funds were being diverted to the air force.
Regardless of rumours, Avro was full steam ahead on the Arrow.
In October 1954, R.K. Anderson, Avro’s assistant industrial engineering manager, spoke in front of 250 scientists, engineers and technicians at an international meeting and stated that their new program would be ready by 1956.
He didn’t name the Arrow, but most believed that’s what he was talking about.
By 1955, news reports filtered out about a new aircraft being developed by Avro and on Sept. 16, the Regina Leader-Post reported that the new aircraft may not have a pilot due to the stresses of such high speeds,
“At 1,500 miles an hour, a plane is approaching the heat barrier in which ordinary metals such as steel tend to give way. The heat is caused by friction between air and aircraft. It is believed the pilot will have little to do than take it off and land it, and even this may be done automatically.”
In February 1956, the Royal Canadian Air Force demanded changes to the fire control system so they would be similar to the firing system in development with the Americans on their Sparrow missile program. The RCAF felt this system was more accurate, and a better fit for the Arrow.
Avro objected to implementing this new firing system because further testing would delay unveiling the plane and increase costs. The RCAF stood firm, and the new system was developed for the Arrow.
By the time the Arrow was ready to debut, it was unlike anything anyone had seen before.
Weighing in at 20,000 kilograms, it had a 15.2 metre wingspan and was capable of speeds faster than any jet in its class. With a top speed of 2,104 km/h, it could fly from Vancouver, British Columbia to St. John’s Newfoundland in just over two hours.
It could also reach nearly twice the speed of sound at an altitude of 53,000 feet. The refrigeration system of the plane was so powerful that it could produce 23 tons of ice per day, if one wanted it to produce ice that is.
Inside, there was 17 kilometres of wiring and a control mechanism strong enough to lift six elephants standing in an elevator.
Now completed it was time for its big unveiling.
The day turned out to be one of the most important days in human history.
But not because of the Arrow.
Major events can be sometimes overshadowed by another momentous event on the same day.
This is what happened on the morning of June 25, 2009, when 1970s icon Farrah Fawcett died of cancer. As news of her death spread twelve hours later, Michael Jackson died.
News of his death caused websites to crash, Google believed it was under attack by hackers, and global Internet traffic increased by 20 per cent.
A major event, overshadowed by another… which is what happened on Oct. 4, 1957.
On a warm autumn day 12,000 gathered at the Avro plant to see the Arrow emerge from the hangar and the paint was still wet
.
Ian Austen, a journalist in attendance said,
“It’s swept back delta wings and early electronic flight controls gave it the look of tomorrow, as did its blinding white, matte black and Day-Glo orange paint.”
Air Vice Marshall Hugh Campbell said,
“The Arrow, including its missiles, flight trail and fire control systems, we believe will become a very important component of North American air defence.”
Everyone wanted to touch the plane to make sure it was real.
One man in the crowd broke through the rope cordon and ran to check out the wings and belly. Several others kicked the tires, which were set to 200 pounds of pressure.
Others stuck their fingers in any vent they could find.
Jan Zurakowski, the test pilot who would take the plane to the skies said “She’ll do. Easy to fly. She will be the easiest flying plane ever built.”
The final cost of that first plane was $6 million.
But amid the hoopla, several reporters raised concerns. There was a worry about the noise. Anyone living within three to four kilometres of the plane would have their home rattled by sonic booms.
The Calgary Herald questioned if it would even be useful by the time, it was ready to roll out,
“Will the Arrow, which will not be in squadron service until 1961 be outdistanced soon by rockets? This is the real contest the Arrow faces. Not against Russian bombers, which she can magnificently demolish, but against the timescale of rocket missilery which is rapidly compressing her useful fighting life.”
The article added that no matter what the concerns were, there was no way the Arrow would be cut from production because by 1957, it was one of the biggest employers in Canada. Quote
“It should be said, if only for the benefit of the 20,000 Canadians whose jobs depend on the project, that in the current defence economy drive the Arrow is as safe as a church.”
The Ottawa Citizen speculated whether the jet could be used to carry nuclear bombs, and Canada’s involvement in building bombers. Quote
“Avro’s new jet is platform for launching of H-Bombs.”
So, what overshadowed the Arrow on Oct. 4, 1957?
Sputnik.
On the other side of the planet, the Soviet Union sent Sputnik 1 into low Earth orbit.
It changed… Everything.
Sputnik was a simple polished sphere 58 centimetres in diameter with four external antennas broadcasting radio pulses.
Humanity had entered the Space Age.
The small satellite orbited the planet at a speed of eight kilometres per second at a height of about 500 kilometres above the Earth. After six months, Sputnik reentered the atmosphere and, in that time, it had orbited the planet 1,440 times.
Within 12 years, humans would walk on the moon and in 60 years, spacecrafts Voyagers 1 and 2 would be traveling the solar system.
Sputnik also changed the art of war.
Since the first atomic bomb was dropped in 1945, destructive instruments of war were transported by bombers. The arrival of Sputnik meant the nuclear bomber would be fast becoming extinct in favor of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
No matter how fast the Arrow could fly it would be no match. The death of the Arrow began the day it was born.
A month and a half after Sputnik fell back to Earth, the Avro Arrow took flight for the first time with Jan Zurakowski at the helm.
I’ve mentioned him a few times already but waited to delve into his impressive resume until now.
Zurakowski was born in 1914 in present-day Ukraine.
As a teenager, he learned to fly gliders before joining the Polish Air Force in 1934 and graduated a year later.
When Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, Zurakowski took his outmoded PZL P.7 trainer to the air against seven German planes.
He damaged one before he was forced to retreat after his guns jammed.
When Poland was defeated, Zurakowski made his way to England using forged documents. Thousands of Polish Air Force pilots like Zurakowski joined France and England to fight the Germans.
Zurakowski took part in the Battle of Britain in 1940, before he was reposted as a flight instructor.
Following the war, he remained in Britain to train pilots because he was considered to be one of the best aerobatic pilots in the United Kingdom.
He could fly 30 different types of planes and following the war he moved with his family to Canada and became the test pilot for Avro in 1952.
He had ice in his veins and nerves of steel, and on March 25, 1958 he was ready to make history at 9:53 a.m. when he took the Arrow on its first flight…
It lasted 35 minutes and was problem-free as Zurakowski put the aircraft through its paces. After the flight, Zurakowski, a man of few words, said it had excellent handling and quote.
“It’s a beauty.”
The Windsor Star wrote,
“Today’s flight relieved months of tension for Avro designers and engineers.”
Nine days later on the Arrow’s third flight, it went supersonic.
On the seventh flight, it broke the sound barrier at 50,000 feet while climbing.
A top speed of March 1.98 was reached but engineers said it could be pushed further.
With such a favourable outcome Avro began working on the Arrow Mark 2.
But dark clouds loomed on the horizon and before the decade was over the revolutionary aircraft would be dead.
The Avro program was amazing, but it came at a very high cost. The jets were expensive at $6 million each, or $63 million today. An estimated $400 million was put into it, diverting funding from other military programs.
Sputnik rewrote the book on nuclear warfare, and while the Avro Arrow was one of the fastest jets in the world, other countries like France, the United Kingdom and the United States were already developing their own comparable jets. And the Avro Arrow had another enemy– politics.
In 1948 Liberal leader Louis St. Laurent became prime minister and Canada underwent a transformation.
Under his watch, The Trans-Canada Highway, St. Lawrence Seaway and Trans-Canada Pipeline were all initiated.
Canada took its first steps towards Medicare, the creation of RRSPs, and a strong social safety net during this time as well.
The Liberal Party had governed Canada since 1935 so by 1957 the party was becoming long in the tooth, and stale.
The Progressive Conservatives were led by the dynamic John Diefenbaker who had a fiery speaking style and was magnetic. Thousands would attend his rallies around the country and on June 10, 1957 he won the election and became Prime Minister of Canada with a minority government.
Government spending had increased since the end of the Second World War and now in power, Diefenbaker looked to cut costs.
Avro Arrow was firmly within Diefenbaker’s crosshairs.
It didn’t help that Crawford Gordon Jr. and Diefenbaker did not see eye to eye.
Gordon was closely tied to the Liberal Party, while Diefenbaker led the Progressive Conservatives.
After their first and only meeting, which lasted barely 20 minutes., Diefenbaker called Gordon a rude drunk who puffed smoke in his face. Diefenbaker didn’t drink or smoke.
Two of his advisors, Minister of National Defence Major General George Pearkes and Chief of Staff Committee Chair General Charles Foulkes recommended abandoning the Arrow in favor of the new American-built Bomarc missiles.
Things got worse for Avro on March 31, 1958 when another federal election was held, and Diefenbaker won the largest majority in Canadian history.
On April 22, 1958, the Defence Research Board advised the government against any sort of cancellation because the Arrow would be a useful weapon system for several years to come.
The future of the Arrow hung in the balance and depended on what the Russians would do next.
The Ottawa Journal reported, if the Russians moved towards ICBMs, the Avro would be obsolete. If they continued with bombers, the Avro could have an impact.
“Such a government decision could be changed overnight if intelligence reports out of Russia provided reliable information that the Soviet Union planned to halt bomber production soon.”
On Aug. 11, 1958, Major General George Pearkes, the Minister of National Defence requested that the Arrow program be cancelled but the Cabinet Defence Committee refused to do so.
In September, Pearkes again put forward the request to cancel the Arrow. The request included a plan to install the Bomarc missile system in Canada.
The Bomarc missile was the world’s first long-range nuclear capable ground-to-air anti-aircraft missile. Diefenbaker entered Canada into an agreement with the United States to purchase 56 Bomarc missiles, which would be deployed in Quebec and Ontario. The missile system also cost less than half the Arrow program.
The committee accepted the installation of the missile system but again refused to cancel the Avro Arrow program.
The committee wanted to wait until a major review of the program would be available on March 31, 1959 but Diefenbaker already had his mind made.
He said it was obsolete, adding,
“There is no purpose in manufacturing horse collars when horses no longer exist,”
Amid all the uncertainty, Avro continued to work on its revolutionary plane.
On Aug. 2, 1958, the second Avro Arrow took flight and remained in the air for 75 minutes. Three weeks later, it hit 1,400 km/h and reached 50,000 feet.
For the federal government, success meant nothing. [PAUSE]
On Feb. 20, 1959, thousands of Avro employees went off to work, then in a flash, everything changed.
In the House of Commons, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker stood up and declared that the Avro Arrow program was dead.
The decision had come down to costs and the fact jet fighters were going to be obsolete as we entered the missile age., Diefenbaker had agreed to purchase Bormac missiles from the US and couldn’t afford both.
Avro management was completely caught off guard. sort of….
They had known that the program was in jeopardy, but they did not expect a decision before March 31.
The company hoped to fly the Arrow Mark 2 before then and set new world speed and altitude records to gain public support.
Crawford Gordon said,
“We have received wires from the government instructing us to cease all work immediately on the Arrow and the Iroquois program at Malton and by all suppliers and subcontractors. As a result, notice of termination of employment is being given to all employees. We profoundly regret this action, but we have no alternative since the company received no prior notice of the decision and therefore, we were unable to plan any orderly adjustment.”
With the news of the program’s demise, Avro Canada laid off 14,528 employees.
There was speculation that the move was meant to embarrass the government and force it to walk back its decision, but Executive Vice-President Fred Smye, said there was no alternative after the program was cancelled.
The Avro Arrow supply chain was impacted, and another 15,000 people lost their jobs.
The day of Feb. 20, 1959 became known as Black Friday in the aerospace industry.
The Arrow staff were not the only ones caught off guard by the decision. The Ottawa Journal reported, The House of Commons was shocked as well. “It was evident by the hush that fell over the House this morning that the members had not expected the pronouncement of the Arrow death sentence almost six weeks ahead of deadline.”
Liberal leader Lester B. Pearson called for a complete review of defence policy quote “Where are we going from now on in this vital matter?”
General Charles Foulkes, Chairman of the Canadian Chiefs of Staff blamed the cancellation of the program on high costs and the lack of foreign orders, quote.
“Therefore because of these reasons it is now possible that we may have to abandon the policy of developing and producing special Canadian equipment for the limited requirements of the Canadian forces.”
Diefenbaker issued a statement on Feb. 20, where he again said the Arrow was obsolete,
“By the middle 1960s the missile seems likely to be the major threat and the long-range bomber relegated to supplementing the major attack by these missiles. This decision is a vivid example of the fact that a rapidly changing defence picture requires difficult decisions and the government regrets the inevitable impact of it upon production, employment and engineering work in the aircraft and related industries.”
Diefenbaker added.
“The examination had been made in light of all information available concerning the probably nature of threats to North America in future years, the alternative means of defence and the estimated costs. The conclusion is that development of the Arrow should be terminated now.”
An attempt was made to provide the completed Avro Arrows to the National Research Council of Canada as a test aircraft, but the council refused it because they couldn’t supply spare parts, staff or trained pilots.
Then in a shocking decision the government ordered the destruction of all Avro Arrows planes, blueprints, models and designs.
Many are still baffled by this but in July 1959 the engineering marvels of their time was unceremoniously cut to pieces by blow torches.
The Victoria Times Colonist reported,
“The remains were left on a concrete flight apron to be taken away and disposed of as scrap metal.”
Rumours swirled that Diefenbaker ordered all evidence of the plane’s merits destroyed to avoid future embarrassment, while others said it was for security reasons.
Some believed that the CIA was involved in terminating it because it could outperform their own top-secret U2 spy plane.
Amid the destruction, a story emerged that Air Marshal W.A. Curtis had hidden an Arrow away. In 1968, he was asked if the rumour was true, and said.
“I don’t want to answer that.”
While no intact full-sized Avro Arrow has ever been found, the legend persists that there is one somewhere in Canada.
It is not easy to hide and after seven decades, if we haven’t found it, it likely doesn’t exist.
Full-sized working Arrows may be long gone, but in 2018 one of the test models was discovered.
Below Lake Ontario a small bit of history, and engineering marvel was found covered in sediment.
The official death of the arrow, much like a rock thrown into a pond, caused ripples, affect many people, and took down a politician.
It is unknown if the Avro Arrow program would’ve been cancelled regardless of the government in charge. It was a costly endeavor during changing times, so it could’ve all been just a matter of time.
Blair Fraser of Macleans wrote, that unfortunately for John Diefenbaker, his name will always be tied to a death in Canadian aerospace innovation and the joy he got from it. Quote
“Never, not even in June 1957, has Prime Minister Diefenbaker met the press with such well-earned glee as when he announced the discontinuance of our all-Canadian supersonic fighter aircraft, the Avro Arrow.”
Charles Lynch of the Ottawa Citizen reported,
“I, for one, am convinced the program would have been carried through but for Mr. Diefenbaker’s open hatred for the Avro company, which he regarded as a pork barrel operation.”
Diefenbaker tried to counteract this view quoted,
“It was a beautiful aircraft, but I had to make, in the finality, that decision. When one’s faced with a problem like this, there is a higher source of strength. If one doesn’t have that strength, he can never bear the attacks made on him. I knew that a great industry that had been established would be weakened. But it was right to end it.”
But then he bought 66 second-hand Voodoo fighters that could only go half the speed of the Arrow and then the Bomarc missile program also hurt him.
That system was met with immense criticism in the 1960s as the anti-nuclear movement grew and led to the program being abandoned. The Voodoo aircraft and the Bomarc purchases amounted to more than the entire cost of the Arrow program with little to show for it.
Diefenbaker cancelled the Avro Arrow only a month after his huge election victory, but it hounded him the whole time he was in power… and beyond.
Three years after the cancellation, Conservative candidates dealt with angry Canadians, especially in southern Ontario, who spoke of the loss of the Arrow.
In the 1962 election, Diefenbaker saw his record-setting majority reduced to a minority government. A year later, his government was out as Lester B. Pearson and the Liberals returned to office.
The Progressive Conservatives would not win another majority government until Brian Mulroney in 1984.
By 1967, Diefenbaker was out as leader and would spend the rest of his life, until his death in 1979, as a backbencher in Parliament.
The demise of the Arrow was disastrous for Avro.
By the time the company closed its doors in 1962, 25,000 people had lost their jobs, assets sold for $15.6 million. Avro president, Crawford Gordon Jr., never recovered from the Arrow’s cancellation. Out of a job, he spiraled and by 1966, his wealth was mostly gone, as he battled alcoholism.
He died in New York City of liver failure. His friends said he drank himself to death, unable to get over the demise of the Arrow.
The Avro was cancelled nearly seven decades ago, but the legend has only grown since then.
Pieces of the Avro Arrow have turned up over the years and found their way into museums.
The Canadian Air and Space Conservancy has a full-sized replica while the Avro Museum in Calgary has a flying replica.
The nose section of the original Arrow with the words “cut here” written on it is on display at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa.
In 1997, a four-hour miniseries called The Arrow was released on CBC starring Dan Aykroyd as Crawford Gordon. It garnered the highest viewership ever for a CBC program and it won six Geminis in 1998.
Aykroyd said.
“I can see why the program was cancelled. Missiles were coming in. There was pressure from the United States not to have an aerospace program in Canada. I can’t blame old Devil Dief for that. But where I do blame him is in the vindictive and vengeful way the planes were destroyed. That one or two weren’t saved is the real black horror of the story.”
Paul Stephens, a producer of miniseries, said that decades, Avro Arrow employees held reunions to reminisce about old times together quote “You sit there in a hotel room full of white-haired men and listen to their testimony. These are people who went on to land a man on the moon, but they said working on the Arrow was the best time of their lives. There was this spirit of enthusiasm and creativity at Avro that they never felt again. You could just tell it was like the Apple Corporation of the 1950s.”
On Jan. 6, 2020, CBC News announced that original blueprints of the Avro Arrow were kept by Ken Barnes, a senior draftsman who was ordered to destroy them but kept them in storage instead.
The blueprints were put on display at the Diefenbaker Canada Centre in the Touch the Sky: The Story of the Avro Canada.
In 2021, the National Research Council of Canada digitized and released 595 Avro Arrow reports that had been stored in their rare book room.
While Black Friday was a huge loss for Canada, it was a major gain for two programs in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Following the cancellation of the Arrow thousands of Canadian engineers had to find work elsewhere leading to a massive brain drain as they moved to the United States and United Kingdom for work.
In the United Kingdom, former Avro engineers worked on the Concorde program, and developed the world’s first supersonic passenger jet.
The first flight of the Concorde took place on March 2, 1969
In the United States, several Avro engineers went to work for NASA.
Avro’s Chief Aerodynamicist Jim Chamberlain took 25 engineers with him to work on the Space Task Group as managers and lead engineers on the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs.
Eventually, 32 Avro engineers were part of the program.
Chamberlain proposed to NASA the creation of a Lunar Orbit Rendezvous in the Apollo program. It would use a lunar module to descend to the surface of the Moon with astronauts inside.
NASA historians called Chamberlain one of the most brilliant men to ever work for the agency.
The Arrow may be gone, but at least as Canadians we can take pride in the fact that many of our talented engineers went on to help change the world in other ways.
[OUTRO]
Information from Macleans, Canadian Encyclopedia, The Montreal Gazette, Wikipedia, The National Post, Saskatoon Star Phoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Province, Calgary Herald, The Windsor Star, CBC, Nanaimo Daily News,
Information from Macleans, Canadian Encyclopedia, The Montreal Gazette, Wikipedia, The National Post, Saskatoon Star Phoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Province, Calgary Herald, The Windsor Star, CBC, Nanaimo Daily News,
