::: In CANADA, in 1955…the FUTURE was WIDE-OPEN! ..::.:.

…and don't let anyone EVER tell you otherwise.

And ALTHOUGH these men gave us the C-102 Jetliner, the CF-100 Canuck, the Avrocar, the CF-105 Arrow and the Orenda jet engine line-up including the mythological Iroquois…although these men gave us their all, their everything…one man would throw it all away!

Hey, these folks could take the hint.

When the, then Prime Minister of Canada, John G. Diefenbaker (I can't even bear to repeat his name), cancelled the Avro Arrow Interceptor and Orenda Iroquois engine programmes only four years later in 1959, these guys took it all in stride.

They knew it. They weren't wanted.

And what did these aeronautical engineers do? Where would they go?

Fall back into obscurity?

Flip burgers somewhere?

Lie down, and die?

Are? You? KIDDING? Me?

The Brits and the Americans knew what these ex-Avro guys were capable of!

And British and American aviation firms came right to the parking lots at Avro Aircraft Ltd. in Toronto, and hired these guys on the spot…as they wrapped up their last few days of employment at Avro. Jim Floyd, Vice-President of Avro Aircraft of Canada Ltd. even placed some of these designers, his own team, himself… with the explicit intention to woo them back when the Diefenbaker nightmare finally ended.

It didn't end.

But justice is always sweet. So we threw away these guys in 1959…but by 1969, they had their ominous revenge.

In 1969, the Concorde flew with well-documented contributions towards that Anglo-French SST achievement coming from Mr. Jim Floyd, himself.

And again in 1969, Ex-Avro engineers, in only a few months after the 10th anniversary of the demise of the Arrow and the Iroquois…were watching deep within the confines of NASA, from their command posts, as their newest creation, Apollo 11 landed on the moon. Then for the very first time in world history a man descended down a ladder on the lunar module, and proceeded to walk on the moon.

These extraordinary aviation and aerospace feats, made possible, because of SIGNIFICANT contributions from our ex-Avroites (ex-Avro employees)!

Just 10 years previous these guys were at Avro in Toronto!

Arrows to the moon, baby…Arrows…to the moon!

If you don't understand that last quip, back to sleep, Canada.

And I, am, outta', here!

Good night, Canada!

TORONTO! You'll NEVER…have a finer hour~



(This version of the photo: © Paul Cardin - Special Projects in Research)