Explore the Avro Arrow: A Dream Denied Exhibition!

The story of the Avro Arrow is well-known, and a tribute to what could have been for Canada’s aerospace industry. The supersonic jet was designed to intercept missiles but the project was eventually cancelled on February 20, 1959.

On April 18, 1958, Jan Zurakowski took RL-201 on its seventh flight. He flew over Tobermory then back towards Peterborough and Kingston. The aircraft reached a height of 50,000 feet and speed of mach 1.52 (approximately 1000 miles or 1,600 km per hour). The Royal Canadian Air Force did not release any more data on the test program after that flight, but engineers noted that the plane was still climbing and still accelerating. Fitted with Iroquois engines, the Arrow would undoubtedly have broken speed records.

Nobody ever admitted to giving the order to destroy everything related to the Arrow and Iroquois projects. The impact of its cancellation on both the social and economic life of the factory towns that aided in its construction, such as Nobel and Malton, was devestating . Over 200 employees worked testing Orenda engine parts that were to be used in the Arrow, but on that somber Friday afternoon, the facility closed and all production stopped. The destruction of the planes, parts, drawings, documents and photographs was carried out quickly, but many items survived. Some people kept their tools as souvenirs, some kept Arrow and Iroquois parts or drawings but many left on Black Friday with only their memories.

Collecting A Communities History

The Museum is gathering oral history on the Avro Arrow, Orenda Engines and the people who worked there.

Did you work at the Orenda Engines facility in Nobel? Do you have a family member who worked on the Avro Arrow project? Can you remember when the project was cancelled? We want to hear your stories!

If you would like to share your memories, stories or a family history please email Karen Albrecht at communications@museumontowerhill.com. If you are unsure where to begin, we have provided a list of starter questions below. Please feel free to answer any of the following questions. However, you may also send us an email with any story, experience or memory.

1. What connects you with the Avro Arrow?

2. How did you learn about the Avro Arrow project cancellation?

3. Do you have a family member who worked at Orenda Engines in Nobel?

4. Did you work for Orenda Engines? What was your job?

5. Do you have any photographs of the Orenda Engines facility?

6. Can you remember the “Avro News” magazines that were published for the community of Nobel?

7. What was life like in the community of Nobel?

8. Can you remember any accidents that happened at the Orenda facility?

9. What accidents occurred at Orenda Engines during the Avro Arrow project?

10. What can you remember about the Orenda Engines facility closure in Nobel?

11. Where were you on February 20, 1959, also known as “Black Friday”?

We look forward to hearing from you!