Harry Y.

The Avro Arrow

Harry Y.
Thames Valley Regional Heritage Fair
London, ON

The Avro Arrow project was made to create a new high-speed aircraft for the RCAF to compete with Soviet high-altitude bombers. In 1953, the project started at the Toronto Pearson International Airport in the Avro Canada Plant and would eventually take up around 20% of Canada's Defence Budget. The blueprints were finalized in 1955, and the workers at Avro Canada started creating the prototype for the Arrow. In 1957, a new Prime Minister, John Diefenbaker, was elected and ended a 22-year liberal reign over Canada. He was left a large mess of protesting and backlash from Canadian citizens to clean up. In the same year, the first complete Arrow was unveiled to the public and marked RL-201. The next year, the Avro Arrow went on its first test flight and broke 5 speed records on the same day, reaching Mach 2 (2 times the speed of sound). In late 1958, the Canadian Minister of Defence, George Pearkes, suggested that Canada stop the Avro Arrow program due to its large cost and time consumption and switch to American-made long-range missile systems. Pearkes eventually swayed the Prime Minister, causing the end of the Avro Arrow program in 1959. In conclusion, the Avro Arrow program was shut down purely due to the time and cost it took.

What sources and evidence did you consult for your project? What different perspectives did they provide on your topic?

Last year, I went to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, and they had a display of an Avro Arrow model. I talked to a staff member, and he told me the entire story of the Avro Arrow and its downfall. For this project, I referenced the Canadian Encyclopedia and a website based on the experiences of RCAF veterans called Vintage Wings of Canada.

What is the historical significance of your topic?

In the 1950s, the Avro Arrow was said to be 20 years more advanced than any other piece of technology. When the program was shut down, it cost a lot of Canadians their jobs and ended up being a large amount of our military budget wasted. The long-term consequences of shutting down the Avro Arrow project are that it signifi cantly weakened our Air Force. If Prime Minister Diefenbaker hadn’t gotten the job, it’s possible that the Minister of Defence wouldn’t have been able to sway the former Prime Minister, Lester B Pearson, into shutting down the program.

Why did you choose this topic? 

I chose the Avro Arrow because my Grandad has a love for it, and now I am an Air Cadet and share his love of Aviation. I also love Military history, most specifi cally military aircraft of the Royal Canadian Air Force.