A few clarifications to the Avro Arrow caption of Aug. 29 and the letter of Aug. 30.
Prime minister John Diefenbaker rose in the House at 9: 30 a.m. on Feb. 20, 1959 (Black Friday), praised the Arrow program, overtaken by events of a diminished bomber threat, development of the Bomarc missile and rising costs from $1.5 million to $2 million per aircraft to $7.8 million. (This was incorrect as A.V. Roe had offered a firm price of $3 million per aircraft.)
At 10: 15 a.m. a cease-and-desist order was sent to the Avro plant. At 4: 10 p.m.
Avro and Orenda employees were terminated. All employees left the plants.
The five assembled Arrows were cut up, not mothballed, and sold to a Hamilton company for $300,000. The Iroquois engines were also destroyed, together with all aircraft and engine drawings.
The nose section of Arrow No. 206 is in the Ottawa Aviation Museum.
Of the employees, 2,500 were recalled (including myself), 410 went to the U.K., 750 to the U.S. (25 to NASA).
Syd Waldron
Sidney
