Book Review: Avro Arrow by The Arrowheads
There is no more Canadian aviation story than that of the Avro CF-105 Arrow, the Cold War wonder-plane whose cancellation marked the end of military jet development in Canada and became a national cause célèbre.
Like the BAC TSR-2 in the UK, the fate of the Arrow continues to resonate among enthusiasts and – albeit at a lower level than in the past – within the Canadian psyche. Not by accident has the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA) of Canada named its new, zero-emissions concept car, a focal point and shop window for domestic innovation in the auto sector, Project Arrow.
This history of the Arrow project – a 2004 revision of the 1980 original – was a gift from a friend, who reasoned correctly that it would be right up my alley. The narrative follows the story of the Avro delta from first concepts to test flights, and to its abrupt cancellation in 1958.
Or as the subtitle accurately describes it, ‘Extinction’, for the project was dismantled and its work destroyed with alarming determination, on the orders of the Diefenbaker government. It has since been determined that this may have been in response to fears that a Soviet mole had infiltrated the project, although this was only the last of many ways in which politics had shaped the Arrow story. As with the TSR-2, its downfall was hastened by cost escalations and by the threat of missiles rendering manned fighters obsolete.
Other books explore the political angles, but the account compiled here by the four ‘Arrowheads’ focuses on the project itself, detailing the plane’s design and testing in admirable, but still accessible, depth. The ambitious performance requirements of the Arrow and its Iroquois engines led to a demanding specification that in turn spawned remarkable technical innovations, some of which would apparently not be matched for more than a decade in a jet that reached active service.
Although chronological and extremely measured in tone, the text avoids becoming a dry list of events – in part to occasional interventions from test pilots, but especially because the picture-heavy, text-light format holds your attention. The photography (often in colour) is superb, augmented by technical drawings.
I enjoyed being taken back to an era that long predates my time in Canada. I found myself slightly in awe of the Arrow project’s ambition and achievement, despite how it ended. My lasting impression was of an opportunity missed, especially since many key figures subsequently re-emerged at the heart of milestone aerospace programs in the USA.
Avro Arrow
by The Arrowheads (Richard Organ, Ron Page, Don Watson and Les Wilkinson)
Revised edition, Boston Mills Press, 2004.
Find it on eBay
Like the BAC TSR-2 in the UK, the fate of the Arrow continues to resonate among enthusiasts and – albeit at a lower level than in the past – within the Canadian psyche. Not by accident has the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA) of Canada named its new, zero-emissions concept car, a focal point and shop window for domestic innovation in the auto sector, Project Arrow.
This history of the Arrow project – a 2004 revision of the 1980 original – was a gift from a friend, who reasoned correctly that it would be right up my alley. The narrative follows the story of the Avro delta from first concepts to test flights, and to its abrupt cancellation in 1958.
Or as the subtitle accurately describes it, ‘Extinction’, for the project was dismantled and its work destroyed with alarming determination, on the orders of the Diefenbaker government. It has since been determined that this may have been in response to fears that a Soviet mole had infiltrated the project, although this was only the last of many ways in which politics had shaped the Arrow story. As with the TSR-2, its downfall was hastened by cost escalations and by the threat of missiles rendering manned fighters obsolete.
Other books explore the political angles, but the account compiled here by the four ‘Arrowheads’ focuses on the project itself, detailing the plane’s design and testing in admirable, but still accessible, depth. The ambitious performance requirements of the Arrow and its Iroquois engines led to a demanding specification that in turn spawned remarkable technical innovations, some of which would apparently not be matched for more than a decade in a jet that reached active service.
Although chronological and extremely measured in tone, the text avoids becoming a dry list of events – in part to occasional interventions from test pilots, but especially because the picture-heavy, text-light format holds your attention. The photography (often in colour) is superb, augmented by technical drawings.
I enjoyed being taken back to an era that long predates my time in Canada. I found myself slightly in awe of the Arrow project’s ambition and achievement, despite how it ended. My lasting impression was of an opportunity missed, especially since many key figures subsequently re-emerged at the heart of milestone aerospace programs in the USA.
Avro Arrow
by The Arrowheads (Richard Organ, Ron Page, Don Watson and Les Wilkinson)
Revised edition, Boston Mills Press, 2004.
Find it on eBay