Two major anniversaries in Canadian aviation are taking place this month. It was one hundred years ago that the first powered Canadian aircraft, the Silver Dart took flight in Nova Scotia on February 23rd, 1909, and fifty years ago that the Avro Arrow project was canceled and all related materials were destroyed. Marking both occasions, the newly launched Canadian Air & Space Museum sent 25 planes out from various flight clubs to fly around the Canadian Stock Exchange and the C.N. Tower today. They displayed a video message from actor Harrison Ford (see below), and held a small ceremony next to their Avro Arrow replica that included a presentation on a new commemorative coin from the Canadian Mint and a proclamation by Toronto Mayor David Miller that February 23rd be officially known as “Aerospace Day”.

The focus of all these events is the museum itself and its efforts to preserve the industry’s historic artifacts. It is situated within Canada’s oldest-surviving aircraft factory, a building that is both the birthplace of the Canadian space technology company SPAR and before that as the de Havilland operation that gave birth to many famous aircraft.

One such plane that was born within the walls occupied by the museum today is the Beaver and actor Harrison Ford, himself a well-known owner and enthusiast of the Canada DHC-2 Beaver, sent this congratulatory message for the event.

If there is a centerpiece to the museum, it’s the full-scale replica of the Avro Arrow, the first museum-quality piece of its kind in existence. A massive eighty-foot long structure that shocked many of today’s visitors with its size, a hole in the ceiling had to be made to accommodate its tail and the nose pokes out from one hall into the other. When the Avro Arrow project was cancelled fifty years ago, the news was delivered with the additional shock that all materials and documents on the supersonic interceptor, considered by many to mark the height of Canadian aviation design, were to be destroyed. This was later followed by the revelation that the five Arrows in existence had been turned into ingots to be melted down for the manufacture of pots and pans.

The existence of the full-scale replica serves to show the resilience of Canadians within the aviation industry towards preserving that achievement and as a point of reference for the museum to use towards showing how the talent that was let go from that project went on to deliver other major advancements the world over including taking lead positions on the American Gemini and Apollo Lunar programs for NASA.

Museum CEO Claude Sherwood, himself one of the people who worked on the Avro Arrow spoke about the model’s significance.

“I was a young draftsman at the time, on the Avro Arrow project, right out of High School. It was a dream job, I was really excited about a career in aviation and I’ve never lost that love for aviation. But on that particular day, those words (the Arrow Cancellation announcement) were heard by a thousand ears and they affected lives forever. Not only those that were working directly on the project, but sub-contractors throughout Canada and subsequently their families. I pursued some academic work after Avro chucked me out, and I became a civil engineer, had a lot of good experiences, and then retired. And would you know it? It’s Déjà’s-vu, I got back, working on an Avro Arrow. “

“What you see here is the result of not very much money and a whole lot of heart. We had dedicated volunteers over a period of eight years. Over 170 volunteers worked on the model and more than fifty corporations that provided materials, supplies, and services.”

The museum also unveiled plans for a major expansion to better house their massive exhibits and offer more detailed programs for visitors and school classes. A $2 million capital campaign along with public donations will go towards created a separate gallery for the Avro Arrow, a better space for the Lancaster Mark X Bomber currently undergoing restoration, and new halls including a Space and Discovery gallery, theatre, and planetarium dedicated to Canadian achievements in Space. Other exhibits include “hands-on” workshops and an area where visitors can restoration and fabric demonstration projects, a gallery dedicated to the history of de Havilland, and an entire section devoted to accomplishments in the commercial airline industry.

The museum is open today and offers guided tours (including electronic audio guides) for both public visitors and students. There are several aircraft and materials to explore, including a Tiger Moth, a 1943 Stinson Gullwing, Beechcraft Musketeer, and many other craft.

Visit their website to find out more and take in their virtual museum at:

http://casmuseum.org

and you can explore Canada Mint's 100th Anniversary of Flight Comemorative Coin Set here

Tiger Moth

Beechcraft CT-134 Musketeer

Iroquois Engine Mock-up used in the Avro Arrow movie

Avro Arrow Ejector Seat

1943 Stinson V-77 Gullwing