JPG' alt='Downsview Drivers Test Centre' title='Downsview Drivers Test Centre' />CIIA Collision Industry Information Assistance. Canadas source of information for the Collision Repair Industry and the Automotive Industry. Avro Arrow remains what if National. Fifty five years ago today, on March 2. Avro Arrow made its very first test flight. The plane was the crown jewel of Canadian aircraft manufacturer A. V. Roe Canada, better known as Avro, then the third largest company in Canada. The hypersonic fighter was on the cutting edge of aerospace technology at the time it could reach a speed nearly three times the speed of sound, travelling at an altitude of 6. The first flight of the Arrow should have been a crowning moment for the Canadian aerospace industry. Music Maker Hip Hop Edition 6 Serial Number. Yet the plane was scrapped by the federal government just a few months later, in a decision that remains controversial to this day. For many Canadians, the Avro Arrow has come to symbolize both the potential, and the unfulfilled promise, of Canadian innovation. The Arrow represents a period when Canada stood up on its own and did its own thing, Paul Squires, a historian with the Canadian Aeronautical Preservation Association, told Global News. In many ways, its become a symbol of the country. At the time, we were in the top three of the largest producers of aeronautical parts in the world. But the cancellation of the Arrow absolutely devastated the Canadian aerospace industry. When it comes to the Avro Arrow, the true regret is what might have been Flying saucers. Hover cars. A Lunar rover and even the possibility of a Canadian using it. If the company had been left alone to continue the development process, Canada would have had a man on the moon, Rob Cohen, CEO of the Canadian Air and Space Museum, told Global News. Pictured above Avros concept for a lunar rover. Ford Sync Hacking For Other Makes. The fall of the Avro Arrow. So why was the Avro Arrow cancelled by the Canadian government in 1. The official reason given by the Diefenbaker government at that time was that the Arrow was too expensive, and it was no longer worth the money, Cohen said. Avro as a company was going through millions of taxpayer dollars. The government had an agenda to destroy it. Fiftyfive years ago today, on March 25, 1958, the infamous Avro Arrow made its very first test flight. The plane was the crown jewel of Canadian aircraft. They wanted the money for other things, so they came up with all kinds of reasons why they didnt need it, Squires said. The reasons for the cancellation of the Arrow were a mix of politics, timing, and bad luck. The CF 1. 05 as the Arrow was officially known was originally designed as a long range interceptor, meant to meet and destroy Soviet bombers. But on October 4, 1. Avro Arrow rolled off the production line the Soviets launched the satellite Sputnik, becoming the first nation to put a man made object into orbit. And just like that, everything changed. It really was a case of the worst timing, Squires said. The same day as Avro rolls out their aircraft, you had millions of people around the world looking up at the stars, trying to look for Sputnik. That development changed the focus for militaries on both sides of the Cold War, away from conventional bombers and towards atmospheric weapons like intercontinental ballistic missiles. Pictured above One of Avros stranger projects, the Avro. Car flying saucer courtesy wikicommons. Downsview Drivers Test Centre' title='Downsview Drivers Test Centre' />Then there was the often contentious relationship between conservative Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, and Avro Canada president Crawford Gordon, Jr. Diefenbaker didnt drink, didnt smoke, he was a complete teetotaler, Squires said. And in walks Crawford Gordon with his hip flask, a cigarette in his hand, pounding on Diefenbakers desk. They were complete polar opposites. There was also the changing politics surrounding the creation of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD. Gallery.jpeg' alt='Downsview Drivers Test Centre' title='Downsview Drivers Test Centre' />One of the specifics of this deal was the purchase by the U. S. Air Force of the new Avro Arrow fighter. When we were negotiating NORAD under the St. Laurent government, the U. S. would send a note, and the government would haggle over specifics and send one back, Squires explained. Well Mr. St. Laurent lost the 1. Mr. Diefenbaker came in, and the newest U. S. paper now says they no longer wish to purchase the Arrow. Diefenbaker just looked at it, said looks good and signed it. Even Americans were shocked, because they expected some pushback. The cancellation of the CF 1. Arrow was a deathblow for Avro. It was also a serious setback for the Canadian aerospace industry as a whole. Fifteen thousand people lost their jobs at Avro as a result of the Arrows cancellation, but many more people outside of the company lost their jobs too, Cohen said. Downsview Drivers Test Centre' title='Downsview Drivers Test Centre' />People in the supply chain, parts manufacturers, the support network. Within six months, thousands more were out of work. What might have been. To many Canadian aerospace experts, the real loss in the cancellation of the Avro Arrow wasnt just in the plane itself, but the possibilities for what Avro may have done in the future. For instance, SPAR Aerospace, the company which designed the Canada. Arm, was originally the Special Projects and Research branch hence the acronym SPAR of Avro Canada. Avro had a top secret design department with the brightest and most innovative thinkers. Total out of the box thinking, Cohen said. Some of the special projects at Avro were right out of science fiction. Others were years ahead of their time. The company had plans for a lunar rover pictured, a flying saucer the Avro. Car, and even a hovering truck. Cohen notes other plans, such as a monorail system for Toronto from Union Station to what is now Lester B. Pearson airport, cameras that could capture and airplane travelling 1,3. For Squires, the connection to Avro Canada is particularly personal his father helped worked on the Avro jetliner, the C1. It broke four different records during first flight to New York, Squires said. If they had built the jetliner, they would have jumped 1. Avro another leg to stand on. Today, the legacy of the Avro Arrow is one of both pride and frustration for most Canadians. This is especially true for Cohen. Two years ago, the Canadian Air and Space Museum was evicted from its home in the old de Havilland building in Torontos Downsview Park. The museum is currently trying to find a new home while most of its planes including a full size replica of an Avro Arrow sit in storage at Pearson airport. Cohen acknowledges that while funding was a problem, the main issue was a change in direction from above. Downsview Park has a whole host of new goals, and its obvious that the rich aviation history that once existed there is not part of their plans, Cohen said. A gun was to our head, and we had to do what we needed to do. All photos courtesy of the Canadian Air and Space Museum. Toronto York Spadina Subway Extension scheduled to open in mid December Toronto. The Toronto Transit Commissions six stop, 8. Line 1 is on schedule to open before the end of the year, the transit agencys CEO said Tuesday. As of today, we are 1. Toronto York Spadina Subway Extension TYSSE, Andy Byford said during a board meeting. However, there was an important caveat in Byfords announcement on the Dec. READ MORE Behind the scenes look at the Toronto York Spadina Subway ExtensionThere is a huge amount to do before then, he said, adding work is still continuing on the new Finch West station. We then have literally hundreds of thousands of pieces of equipment to test and commission individually and then as a system, including systems checking back at the control centre. The TYSSE will see the extension of subway service to the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre from Sheppard West station. It includes stops at Downsview Park, York University and Highway 4. READ MORE TTCs Downsview station to be renamed Sheppard West, Line 1 subway extension work continues. Byford said work continues on outfitting the stations with fare equipment and trial operations are being scheduled. The final approval involves a complete safety case for the entire section of the new extension, which Byford said will likely be signed off on the day before the opening. He also said the first phase of automatic train control ATC, a new signalling system that allows subway trains to run closer together and aims to reduce wait times, is scheduled to launch between Dupont and Wilson stations within a couple of weeks. Phase two of the project will see the connection of the TYSSE to the new signalling system. There have been several weekend closures along Line 1 throughout recent years for the installation of ATC related equipment. Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.