"Nobody told us we couldn't do it."
- Jim Floyd, speaking about his days at Avro.
In April, 1924, the Royal Canadian Air Force was born. Barely
thirty years later, Canadian Engineers were drawing up plans for an
advanced jet Interceptor. The engines to power this craft were two
generations beyond anything that had yet seen the light of day.
1999 is the 75th Anniversary of the RCAF, now known simply as
the air division of the Canadian Armed Forces. It's a proud history,
but it is marred by political interference of colossal proportions. The
Arrow Scrapbook celebrates a Canadian achievement that was killed by
lack of foresight on the part of a few men.
Yet was it simply lack of foresight, or were there larger
forces at work? There is mystery and even some intrigue surrounding the
cancellation of the Arrow. Peter Zuuring's scrapbook does justice to
the events and the context of the times, and goes far beyond any other
collection yet seen in documenting these events.
The press release for the Arrow Scrapbook calls this "the Definitive
collection of original documents, rarely seen photos,drawings, letters,
and more..." Be assured that this is not an exaggeration. The Scrapbook
comprises more more than 500 original documents and previously
unpublished photos, drawings, letters. As if that weren't enough, there
are also newly declassified Diefenbaker Cabinet minutes, and more.
The Scrapbook follows Arrow enthusiast and author, Peter Zuuring, as he
uncovers lost parts, drawings, plans and models in government
institutions, warehouses and private basements. Zuuring's research
overturns previously accepted Arrow doctrine, such as:
Diefenbaker cancelled it
The U.S. manipulated the cancellation
B-47 being powered by the Iroqouis jet engines slated to power the prodution version of the Arrow.
But there are other popular myths that are also quashed by Zuuring's investigations:
It cost too much and Canada couldn’t afford it
Nobody wanted it
It would have fallen apart
Nothing was saved
It was 20 years ahead of its time
It's a fascinating read, and if you have an interest in military
aviation or aviation history, it's a must read. The biggest surprise
for some will be learning about plans to rebuild the Arrow as a
National project ready to celebrate 100 years of flight in Canada, in
2009. The following is excerpted by permission of the Arrow Alliance.
By the early 1950s, A.V. Roe Canada Limited had several successes behind
it. The first North American passenger Jetliner had flown, and the pre
production models of the first all-weather subsonic fighter-interceptor,
the CF-100 Canuck, were complete. Full production was being sorted out,
although not without some major problems. The management team that was to
oversee the Arrow program was in place, while government work provided an
ever-increasing cash surplus.
Even before the CF-100 was proven and in service, a supersonic replacement
was being discussed to meet the ever-changing Soviet threat. Avro, as a
forward-thinking company, would not lose the opportunity to make its
interests known. In 1951, it submitted a brochure detailing three possible
solutions. The Royal Canadian Air Force responded in 1952 with a
requirements document that led to Avro winning a design-study contract the
following year.
While these "blue sky" discussions were going on, disturbing events were
unfolding for the military and the company. CF-100 design flaws and
production delays occupied the minds of the RCAF and its political masters.
The outbreak of the Korean War did not make things any easier. The Jetliner
was sitting unsold because of war production restrictions in the United
States, while in Canada an unimaginative Trans-Canada Airlines and a
preoccupied military bought foreign equipment (the Viscount and the ill
fated Comet both from the United Kingdom).
C.D. Howe, the federal "Minister
of Everything," told Avro that as long as the government was paying the
bills, fixing the CF-100 was the first priority and forget about anything
else. In one stroke, any potential commercial airline business was left in
the dust.
Photo Avro Aircraft Corp.
It took thousands of engineering changes over two years - from June 1950
when the first production orders were given to July 1952 - for the first
CF-100 (18108) to be delivered to the RCAF. Returned aircraft in the
interval had suffered from bent wings, popped rivets and shoddy
workmanship.
Cockpit pressurization problems may have caused the first
Canuck crash on April 5, 1951, which killed both pilot and observer.
Understandably, the company cancelled its plan to show the CF-100 at the
Farnborough air show that year.
In the House of Commons, politicians berated Howe by saying that the CF 100
project, if not a fiasco, was at least an excessively costly experiment
($100 million to date). It was so far behind schedule that there was real
danger of obsolescence before delivery - something like the "being taken
over by events" that the company would hear in years to come.
Even though
the CF-100 problems were resolved with time, lingering seeds of doubt
were
sown with respect to the company's engineering, design, manufacturing
and
program management. These doubts would later become a factor in the
cancellation of a much more promising and much more expensive program.
And that is how the Arrow story unfolds in the early pages of the
Scrapbook. I enjoyed this read immensely. In fact, it was one of those
"I can't put it down" experiences. Highly recommended, and you may
order directly from the Arrow Alliance for $40 Canadian. All profits go
directly to the main project: rebuilding an operable Arrow!
