The record-breaking jet which still haunts a country

news article on Avro Arrow, 1950s Canadian aircraft

www.bbc.com...

A third longer and broader than today’s Eurofighter Typhoon, the Arrow could fly close to Mach 2.0 (1,500 mph, or the maximum speed of Concorde), and had the potential to fly even faster. It was Canada’s Can$250m (US$1,58bn today) bid to become an aviation superpower.

The project was genuinely ground-breaking. Avro’s engineers had been allowed to build a record-breaker without compromise. But Canadians would soon discover that the supersonic age had made aviation projects so expensive that only a handful of countries could carry them out – and Canada, unfortunately, wasn’t one of them.

a forgotten bit of history (I at least had never heard of), a cutting-edge fighter made by and for Canada.

sounds like a heck of a plane.

readers of this site will probly be familiar with this product by the Avro company the 'Avrocar' was an experimental earth-made flying saucer. didn't work out too well.

Underpowerd and suffered from unstability issues.Always tied in with UFO stories..Had potential though.

I want to know more about the "Lost Arrow" RL 202 that a test pilot may have smuggled to safety. That's really interesting.
Great article about a fascinating project. If anyone finds the lost arrow, I'll take it. I need a fast plane.

very much the 'gold-plated' solution

Unfortunately unaffordable.

a reply to: ElGoobero
A pal of mine has been heavily involved with the search and recovery efforts on the test models...that's a fascinating story in and of itself!
Raise the Arrow
The Arrow Legend

Sounds and looks a little like the English TSR2 story.

a reply to: Forensick
In other words see how a Government single handily destroys its aviation manufacturing capabilities..?

originally posted by: Blackfinger
a reply to: Forensick
In other words see how a Government single handily destroys its aviation manufacturing capabilities..?

Well I wouldnt go that far, I mean if the UK was capable of purchasing enough jets to warrant an indigenous design and build we could do it, BAES, RR and MBUK and we only sold avionics to leonardo, wouldnt be beyond out knowledge and IP to build our own Avionics and DASS.

Our Formula 1 designs some of the best heat ex changers and carbon composites.

They sold out to the Americans definately but UK could still design, build and manufacture their own.

You said this Arrow was under powered? What is the Canadian engine capabilities?

This is why Canada should join Team UK in the Commonwealth Rapid Aircraft Project (CRAP) to design the Commonwealth Unmanned Nextgen Tempest.....

originally posted by: Blackfinger
a reply to: Forensick
You said this Arrow was under powered? What is the Canadian engine capabilities?

It was the Avrocar that was underpowered and unstable. Essentially a hovercraft. The Arrow apparently outperformed anything else going at the time.

The English Electric Lightning first flew a prototype in 1954 and could hit 1.7 mach and later 2.0 mach. The Lockheed F104 was a single engine capable of twice the speed of sound and first flew a prototype in 1955.