The AVRO Arrow Comes Home Again to Mississauga
/
Photo by Modern Mississauga Media
The AVRO Arrow – the plane, the story, the legend, the myth – has come back to where it all began more than 70 years ago. The scale replica of the famed jet now graces Mississauga a short distance away from where the plane was originally created, flown, and ultimately destroyed.
Roll-out of the CF-105 AVRO Arrow RL-201, Oct 4, 1957, Heritage Mississauga.
The CF-105 “AVRO Arrow” was a supersonic delta-wing jet interceptor aircraft, designed and built by A.V. Roe Canada Ltd. in Malton, Ontario (now part of the City of Mississauga) as the culmination of a design study that began in 1953. Go-ahead for production was given in 1955. The first CF-105 “AVRO Arrow”, RL-201, was rolled-out for public view on October 4, 1957. The first test flight took place on March 25, 1958.
Roll-out of the first Avro Arrow, RL-201 on Oct 4, 1957, image courtesty of Dave Cook.
The CF-105 marked a major advance in aircraft design. The first five flying prototype aircraft were powered by Pratt & Whitney J75 engines, which produced 80% of the thrust of the engines intended for the “Arrow”, but even with these engines the aircraft exceeded RCAF requirements and expectations. The CF-105 never flew with its intended engines, the Orenda PS-13 “Iroquois”.
Avro Arrow in flight, Alex Anderson Collection, Region of Peel Archives.
The CF-105 program was beset by political and financial concerns, and the changing nature of potential threats. Escalating costs associated with the development program were also a major concern. Despite its promising technological capabilities, the CF-105 program was abruptly cancelled by the Federal Government on Friday, February 20, 1959 – what became known as “Black Friday”. About 13,800 employees at the Malton facility lost their jobs. Impacts of the cancellation were felt across Canada.
Photo by Modern Mississauga Media.
In the weeks that followed, all five flying “Arrows” were ordered destroyed, along with all drawings, specifications, reports, tooling, parts and associated materials. Disposal began on March 18, 1959. A number of component parts escaped destruction and many pieces of the “Arrow” have found their way, over time, into museums.
(Gallery photos by Photo by Modern Mississauga Media.)
The dramatic scale replica of the “AVRO Arrow” represents the culmination of a multi-year community effort led by the Malton Business Improvement Area (BIA), the City of Mississauga, corporate partners, and private donors. The idea was born with interim city councillor Dave Cook, and led by the vision of Malton BIA Chair Sam Kohli, Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish and City of Mississauga Ward 5 Councillor Natalie Hart. The project grew through a collaborative partnership that guided it from the initial idea to a permanent landmark. The replica was built by Stainless Outfitters Inc. in Barrie and was installed in July. As an extension of the project, the former Legion Memorial Gardens (now the Flight Garden) has undergone a major rejuvenation, including a relocation of the Malton Cenotaph. The AVRO Arrow replica joins the CF-100 “AVRO Canuck”, which was installed here in 1972 and underwent restoration in 2017.
The AVRO Arrow replica will be officially unveiled on Thursday, August 27, 7:30 pm at the Flight Garden in Paul Coffey Park in Malton (6990 Goreway Drive)
The AVRO Arrow replica celebrates one of Canada’s greatest aeronautical achievements – and the local legacy that inspired it – right back where it all began: in Malton in Mississauga!
