 | Feb 20 marks the 56th anniversary of the cancellation of the Avro Arrow project, a date which became known as “Black Friday” for the aviation industry in Canada. On Friday Feb 20th, The Elgin County Museum will show "There Never Was an Arrow", the first of its “Friday Films” series related to the Arrow and its current exhibit, “The Avro Arrow: A Dream Denied”. |
Since its demise, on-going interest in the Arrow has led to the publication of several documentaries and publications about the project. “The Arrow”, a 1997 mini-series starring Dan Aykroyd helped to introduce the story to a new generation – that film will be shown at the museum on March 27th.
The mixture of remarkable facts and mystery surrounding the plane has has meant widespread interest in the story that continues to this day. The exhibit on loan from the West Parry Sound Museum presents plenty of the facts and also some of the intrigue, covering the controversy that erupted following the project cancellation.
The mixture of remarkable facts and mystery surrounding the plane has has meant widespread interest in the story that continues to this day. The exhibit on loan from the West Parry Sound Museum presents plenty of the facts and also some of the intrigue, covering the controversy that erupted following the project cancellation.
Beginning in 1953 the jet was developed by A.V. Roe in Malton to be an interceptor aircraft for the RCAF. The advanced delta-winged CF-105 was designed to fly at Mach 2 speeds and altitudes of 50,000 feet; it was an innovative and advanced achievement and source of pride for the Canadian aviation industry.
The massive testing program included production drawings, tunnel work, extensive computer simulation studies and the launch of eleven rocket-powered models for the purpose of aerodynamic testing. The rollout of the first CF-105 took place on October 4, 1957 – the attention it garnered was overshadowed somewhat by the launch by Russia of its Sputnik missile on the same day. The Arrow’s first flight took place on March 25, 1958.
On February 20, 1959 after almost six years and over 300 million dollars, with five aircraft in the testing phase, the entire project was abruptly cancelled by the Diefenbaker government. On the same day, the company fired its entire work force of 14,000 employees.
The massive testing program included production drawings, tunnel work, extensive computer simulation studies and the launch of eleven rocket-powered models for the purpose of aerodynamic testing. The rollout of the first CF-105 took place on October 4, 1957 – the attention it garnered was overshadowed somewhat by the launch by Russia of its Sputnik missile on the same day. The Arrow’s first flight took place on March 25, 1958.
On February 20, 1959 after almost six years and over 300 million dollars, with five aircraft in the testing phase, the entire project was abruptly cancelled by the Diefenbaker government. On the same day, the company fired its entire work force of 14,000 employees.
Andrew Hibbert at exhibit opening with one of the recovery team's survey images. The eleven models sent flight data back to the Avro scientists. Andrew notes that the distinctive notch in the Arrow’s wing came from that testing. Nine of the eleven models were launched from Point Petre over Lake Ontario. None of them have ever been found. Andrew was recruited for the recovery project by Bill Scott who had researched for five years before approaching him to help out with his expertise in diving and marine archeology.
Over more than fifteen years, the recovery project has recruited many people who are passionate about the Arrow and have contributed their expertise in several areas including diving, aeronautics, technical and legal aspects of the search. He notes, “Anything on the bottom of Lake Ontario is owned by the Province of Ontario and a licence is required before surveying. When the object is found, you have to get a recovery permit.”
Initially, members of the group visited Point Petre and looked at holes where the launch site had been to predict the flight of the models. To get more information, they contacted one of the men who had run the camera photographing the launches. Based on that, they chose a search area, completed scans and selected targets based on their scans. Over the years the equipment available for the work has become more high tech. Of more than thirty targets, they have looked at ten or twelve. The work has required countless hours from many volunteers, the considerable expenses of paying for use of a zodiac and large boat for the dives, and the time of highly skilled divers. “The water is 80 to 150 feet deep and you are lucky to be able to see sixty feet – often dive sites have had less than forty feet of visibility.”
The possibility of recovering an Avro artifact still inspires the group to continue the search. Says Andrew, “At present, the nose cone and part of the cockpit in Ottawa are the only artifacts out there.” Several museums have indicated they would be very interested in acquiring any models recovered.
The group continues to seek funds for further dives but they also want to educate the public about the great achievements of the men and women connected to the development of the Avro Arrow. They maintain an excellent website of comprehensive Arrow information, www.avroarrow.org.
Over more than fifteen years, the recovery project has recruited many people who are passionate about the Arrow and have contributed their expertise in several areas including diving, aeronautics, technical and legal aspects of the search. He notes, “Anything on the bottom of Lake Ontario is owned by the Province of Ontario and a licence is required before surveying. When the object is found, you have to get a recovery permit.”
Initially, members of the group visited Point Petre and looked at holes where the launch site had been to predict the flight of the models. To get more information, they contacted one of the men who had run the camera photographing the launches. Based on that, they chose a search area, completed scans and selected targets based on their scans. Over the years the equipment available for the work has become more high tech. Of more than thirty targets, they have looked at ten or twelve. The work has required countless hours from many volunteers, the considerable expenses of paying for use of a zodiac and large boat for the dives, and the time of highly skilled divers. “The water is 80 to 150 feet deep and you are lucky to be able to see sixty feet – often dive sites have had less than forty feet of visibility.”
The possibility of recovering an Avro artifact still inspires the group to continue the search. Says Andrew, “At present, the nose cone and part of the cockpit in Ottawa are the only artifacts out there.” Several museums have indicated they would be very interested in acquiring any models recovered.
The group continues to seek funds for further dives but they also want to educate the public about the great achievements of the men and women connected to the development of the Avro Arrow. They maintain an excellent website of comprehensive Arrow information, www.avroarrow.org.
Photograph used in a 1961 Times Journal article about the Weatherhead Company of Canada. It noted that Weatherhead had "designed and produced more than 200 items for the much publicized Avro Arrow aircraft". (Archives Storage Rm. 105; Storage Location: C1 Sh2 B2 F28 13) An article by Jeff Rowling , written fifty years after Black Friday, paints a picture of the human side of the job losses related to the sudden cancellation of the project. “It was estimated at the time that a quarter of Brampton’s entire work force was employed in some way by Avro … Many of the upper echelon were offered opportunities at competing firms. In what became known as the “Brain Drain,” most left for the United States, including more than thirty who became part of the NASA space program. The Brain Drain was a highly contentious political issue for years after the cancellation … For the average worker on the floor, however, there was no similar demand.”
Rowling notes that the project’s cancellation had far-reaching effects beyond the Avro employees – those included more than 47,000 people, either at Avro itself, its sister plant Orenda Engines, or among its thirty major suppliers and 650 sub-contractors. The West Parry Sound Museum developed the exhibit because of its connection – Orenda had a testing facility a few miles from the town. In St. Thomas, Weatherhead designed and produced more than 200 parts for the Avro Arrow.
In April 1959 an order was issued for the destruction of everything associated with the Arrow: the built and partially built planes, the assembly line, drawings, films, photographs – anything to indicate the Arrow had ever existed
In preparing for the exhibit at the Elgin County Museum, curator Mike Baker discovered a local connection to the Arrow and a search for one of the artifacts which might still be recoverable. Andrew Hibbert, a Port Stanley resident who is a diver and marine archeologist has had an association of several years with Arrow Recovery Canada whose main goal is to recover the lost Arrow test models which were launched over Lake Ontario.
Andrew spoke to a packed house at the opening of the Arrow exhibit on February 6th. In introduction, he said, “The Avro story is important to Canadian history and is full of mystery and intrigue. The models were important – in development of the Arrow they went directly from the drawing board to an actual flying model. The design was revolutionary at the time. Wind tunnels couldn’t test a model at Mach 2.”
In preparing for the exhibit at the Elgin County Museum, curator Mike Baker discovered a local connection to the Arrow and a search for one of the artifacts which might still be recoverable. Andrew Hibbert, a Port Stanley resident who is a diver and marine archeologist has had an association of several years with Arrow Recovery Canada whose main goal is to recover the lost Arrow test models which were launched over Lake Ontario.
Andrew spoke to a packed house at the opening of the Arrow exhibit on February 6th. In introduction, he said, “The Avro story is important to Canadian history and is full of mystery and intrigue. The models were important – in development of the Arrow they went directly from the drawing board to an actual flying model. The design was revolutionary at the time. Wind tunnels couldn’t test a model at Mach 2.”
Dennis Jarvis - Flickr: DSC_6934 - Canadian Pride; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ For many, destruction of everything related to the Arrow, rather than the cancellation of the plane’s production was the most unforgiveable and puzzling aspect of the story. The total obliteration of so much effort and innovation by so many people has added to the mystery, and perhaps extended the passionate interest in the Arrow and the search for artifacts.
Canadian journalist June Callwood wrote about the Orenda Iroquois engine developed for the Arrow. (She was an author, social activist, and recipient of the Companion of the Order of Canada, its highest level – she is paid tribute in the naming of June Rose Callwood Public School in St. Thomas).
Callwood was also a pilot, an avid Arrow fan and someone who was familiar with it’s distinctive roar. She maintained that on the morning after the announcement of the Arrow’s destruction she heard, from her home in Toronto’s west end, the flight of an Arrow. The Arrow Recovery website includes a reprint of the McLean’s 1997 article in which Callwood recalled her days of Avro and Orenda. More than 30 years after the Arrow met its demise Peter Gzowski on CBC Radio’s Morningside talked to Arrow fans including June Callwood.
Visit the Elgin County Museum for the complete Avro Arrow Story – information on how the design challenges were met, innovations and timelines, the people who worked on the plane and the controversies and myths surrounding it. Also included are models, plans, a drag chute on loan from the Peel Region Museum, a drafting table from A.V. Roe and newsletters from Avro and Orenda.
Friday Film Schedule
Feb 20th – There Never Was an Arrow, 1979, CBC Documentary, 60 minutes; Mar 27th – The Arrow, 1997 CBC TV mini-series starring Dan Aykroyd, 180 minutes; Apr 24th – Captains of the Clouds, 1942 Warner Bothers starring James Cagney, the RCAF and lots of Harvard aircraft, 114 minutes.
Canadian journalist June Callwood wrote about the Orenda Iroquois engine developed for the Arrow. (She was an author, social activist, and recipient of the Companion of the Order of Canada, its highest level – she is paid tribute in the naming of June Rose Callwood Public School in St. Thomas).
Callwood was also a pilot, an avid Arrow fan and someone who was familiar with it’s distinctive roar. She maintained that on the morning after the announcement of the Arrow’s destruction she heard, from her home in Toronto’s west end, the flight of an Arrow. The Arrow Recovery website includes a reprint of the McLean’s 1997 article in which Callwood recalled her days of Avro and Orenda. More than 30 years after the Arrow met its demise Peter Gzowski on CBC Radio’s Morningside talked to Arrow fans including June Callwood.
Visit the Elgin County Museum for the complete Avro Arrow Story – information on how the design challenges were met, innovations and timelines, the people who worked on the plane and the controversies and myths surrounding it. Also included are models, plans, a drag chute on loan from the Peel Region Museum, a drafting table from A.V. Roe and newsletters from Avro and Orenda.
Friday Film Schedule
Feb 20th – There Never Was an Arrow, 1979, CBC Documentary, 60 minutes; Mar 27th – The Arrow, 1997 CBC TV mini-series starring Dan Aykroyd, 180 minutes; Apr 24th – Captains of the Clouds, 1942 Warner Bothers starring James Cagney, the RCAF and lots of Harvard aircraft, 114 minutes.
Elgin County Museum is located at 450 Sunset Dr, St. Thomas. Find out more at www.elgincounty.ca/musuem. Winter hours are Mon – Fri, 10am-4pm. The exhibit continues until April 24th.
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