Avro Arrow test pilot

[Jon Skagfeld]

Although not entirely within the purview of this part of the Forum...here goes:

A GlobalNews item on tonights edition reports that Jan Zurakowski, primary test pilot for the Avro Arrow trials, died today in Barry's Bay, Ontario.

He retired to Barry's bay, opening and operating a tourist camp. A Spitfire pilot during the Battle of Britain, after the cancellation of the Arrow program, he never flew again.

Per Ardua Ad Astra.

[Frank Misztal]

It sure is another sad day in Canada's aviation history.

For those interested, here is a short bio of Janusz Zurakowski - http://www.forces.gc.ca/aete/BioJanusz_e.asp

The CBC website has a pretty good backgrounder on the Arrow.

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

The following newsclip is a fascinating little addendum to the saga of the Arrow.

For the benefit of those unfamiliar with the story, between 1957 and 1959 Canada developed and flew a new jet fighter which, with minor modifications, would still be among the best in the world today. Before the project was cancelled, one of the prototypes reached Mach 2, and that on two American- manufactured engines which had been installed pending the completion of a unique Canadian twin-powerpack which would have been capable of driving it through Mach 3. In 1959.

There was nothing like it in the world.

The project was declared dead unilaterally by the government of Conservative Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, with the excuse that it was too expensive. What followed made no sense at all and demonstrated a criminal lack of judgment - the six existing prototypes, all related tooling and even the blueprints, were destroyed by government order. All that remains today are a few subcomponents and miscellaneous bric-a-brac.

There are many theories governing this wanton destruction, but the truth will likely never be known; the most popular is that Canada was pressured to do so by the United States government through threats of overwhelming sanctions, simply because we had done something only dreamt of by others. Regardless, the end result was the destruction of the high-tech aerospace industry in Canada, and the not-so-ironic giant leap forward of that of the U.S., for when all Avro's employees were laid off, most of the engineers were snapped up by NASA and the other U.S. aircraft companies.

All we have left is a legacy.... oh, and a 1:1 scale replica Arrow, magnificent in itself, sitting in the Toronto Aerospace Museum on the grounds of the former CFB Downsview in Toronto. Hanno or Brian, have you a couple of photos of the latter you can share here?

The article in question:

Avro Arrow mementoes on auction block
Last Updated: Sunday, December 9, 2007 | 12:36 PM ET
CBC News

An important part of Canadian aviation history will briefly return to the spotlight Sunday as a Toronto auction house sells a collection of memorabilia related to the Avro Arrow jet.

Company papers, employee notices, models and photos — along with a copy of the fateful speech in the House of Commons announcing the project's demise — will go on the auction block around 2 p.m. ET.

The collection could sell for up to $50,000, according to Empire Auctions.

The first Avro Arrow interceptor jet was built with cutting-edge aviation technology and unveiled on Oct. 4, 1957. The federal government scrapped the project on Feb. 20, 1959.

About 14,000 people involved in the jet's development and construction lost their jobs.

In the analysis that followed, the decision to cancel the project became a symbol for some people of U.S. domination in Canadian politics.

Many believed then-prime minister John Diefenbaker stopped production of the supersonic Avro Arrow because of U.S. pressure.

"It seems that we have a product here which is far better than anything our friends from across the border can produce, and I just don't know why we have to drop it like this," said one man who lost his job at the A.V. Roe plant in Malton, Ont.

A key reason for cancelling the Arrow was the mounting cost of the program. Though the Arrow was an expensive plane, critics of the cancellation later argued that development could have been completed for the cost of the cancellation fees alone.

Canada still needed jet interceptors. Two years later the air force took possession of 66 used McDonnell F-101 Voodoo jet fighters from the United States, a plane they had rejected as inadequate before commissioning the Arrow. Editor's note -- "the infamous Widowmaker".

The planes were eventually given to Canada in exchange for Canadians staffing radar bases in the Arctic along the Pinetree Line, the first of three Cold War lines of air defence that included the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line and the Mid-Canada Line.

[Jon Skagfeld]

Geoff: et al...

Two points...the F-101 Voodoo wasn't known as the "Widowmaker". That appellation belonged to the F-104 Starfighter.

Secondly, recent declassified information leads to the plausible explanation that the Arrow was cancelled because of the following...

After WW II, Canada became infested with Communist (i.e. Russian) spies.

Witness the Gouzenko affair.

So, Canada having produced an interceptor which could reach the maximum altitude of the Skunk Works' newly developed U-2 spy plane, the US said...Hey, Canada is infested with the big Red bad guys, selling or passing on secret information back to the Rodina.

So, went the thinking, if Canada has such a plane, the possibility is very high that the Russkies will do their copy cat trick and produce a similar aircraft which would pose a threat to the U-2.

End of Arrow, end of domestic Canadian high tech technology, end of story.

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

I stand corrected, of course you're right about the appellation, Jon... of course had we had the Arrow it would be a moot point...

[cletrac (RIP)]

The Americans sucked Dief into believing the day of the manned interceptor was gone and sold him the Bomarc missiles. When the Bomarcs proved useless (the Americans already knew that) Dief was forced to replace the CF100s so we ended up with the Voodoo and they ended up with all our aerospace technicians. It was extremely good dealing on their part.

[Keith Webb]

He was also famous for his display in a Meteor where he managed to make it cartwheel in the vertical plane using asymetric thrust.

Originally posted by Geoff Winnington-Ball
with the excuse that it was too expensive. What followed made no sense at all and demonstrated a criminal lack of judgment - the six existing prototypes, all related tooling and even the blueprints, were destroyed by government order. All that remains today are a few subcomponents and miscellaneous bric-a-brac.

Good Heavens!!

I thought you were talking about TSR2. . . . . . . .

http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co...r2/history.php

"All tooling was destroyed; on the production line, as workers completed assembly of some airframes prior to their transport to the scrap yard, the tooling was being destroyed with cutting torches behind them. A wooden mockup of the TSR.2 was dragged out of the Warton factory and burned while the workers looked on. All technical publications were ordered to be destroyed; even photographs of the aircraft were destroyed. Boscombe Down's official records of test flights were 'lost'. "

R.

[Jon Skagfeld]

Richard:

TSR and Arrow are almost a mirror image of our shared shame WRT government mis handling of a national asset.

Vegemite:

Asymmetric, surely.

Hi folks, bit of an update on the auction outcome.

Avro Arrow mementoes fetch $32,000
Famed Canadian interceptor was scrapped in 1959
Last Updated: Sunday, December 9, 2007 | 9:54 PM ET
CBC News
Bits of Canadian aviation history changed hands for $32,000 Sunday as a Toronto auction house sold a collection of Avro Arrow memorabilia.

Company papers, employee notices, models and photos — along with a copy of the fateful speech in the House of Commons announcing the plane's demise — went to an unidentified private buyer.

The buyer, who did his bidding by phone, said he is Canadian and the collection will stay in Canada.

[Keith Webb]

Originally posted by Jon Skagfeld

Vegemite:

Asymmetric, surely.

Thanks, Jon that's what I meant.

Originally posted by Jon Skagfeld
Richard:

TSR and Arrow are almost a mirror image of our shared shame WRT government mis handling of a national asset.

Indeed so and the malodourous olfactory sensation of rattus rattus seems to pervade both shameful scenarios.

R.

[Mike K]

"I'm Karmen and am not a stranger to MLU-ers !!! I'm just strange "

I agree 100% with that statement .

Originally posted by Mike Kelly
"I'm Karmen and am not a stranger to MLU-ers !!! I'm just strange "

I agree 100% with that statement .

As do an few others in here I've no doubt

Carman