The Avro Arrow is incontestably an accomplishment of Canadian engineering, without having its intended Iroquois engine this sleek composite masterpiece was able to break the sound barrier and attain an impressive speed of Mach 1.98 (Gibson, n.d. p. 2). It is easy for me to say the Diefenbaker administration was short-sighted scrapping the arrow. In reality without the gift of clairvoyance or a time machine, how/why it was scrapped or if the possibilities of such an aircraft would be practical, affordable or capable are truly unknown.
The debate of the Avro Arrow, previously unknown to me, has through my research left me with a morose perspective. The theories surrounding the conclusion of the project range from the speculative i.e. budget concerns to full blown conspiracies. For example, the book Storms of Controversy: The Secret Avro Arrow Files Revealed suggests the possibility of a KGB spy who tried to steal the designs of the Avro Arrow (Compagna, 1992, p. 18). He even goes so far as to say that some of the people involved in the project were possibly murdered to keep quiet and those that are left strangely will not talk. The government’s decision to cancel the construction of the Avro based on monetary spending, whether or not that was the reason, was a fact. The original budget set for the construction of the aircraft was far exceeded amounting to a total cost of $347,669,537
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It is hard to know what information and advice the government was being given. It may have possibly been the right decision at the time. Even though selfishly I would have liked to see the project finished. Had the Avro finished, and it was everything they believed it could be, who knows maybe Canada might have been known as the turbo jet pioneers and industry leaders. That would be a nice change from being known for Tim Hortons, poutine and
The Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow was by far the most advanced craft of its time and would have definitely set the standard for aircraft for decades to come. The Arrow would have boosted the Canadian Aerospace industry in every way, and would have set the standard for aircraft this century. Its systems utilized groundbreaking design that could have been used earlier in Canadian aircraft. The Avro Arrow project should not have been shut down, but maintained for the benefit of the Canadian aeronautics industry of tomorrow. The Arrow also had the most advanced weaponry of its time, using technology that is still active today. The Sparrow II and III were some of the missiles to be used by the Arrow. They/The A.V. Roe utilized a system known as active homing radar, the ability to set in on a target automatically. This technology, as well as the Sparrow III itself, is still actively in use today. The Arrow also had the most advan...
By the end of World War I the world was beginning to realize the ability air combat presented. When World War II started planes became much more effective. Though still fabric covered, the aircraft were faster and more agile than the variants used in the Great War. In 1938, the first year of the Second World War, Curtiss unveiled their P-40 Warhawk. This aircraft was one of the best of its time and laid the foundation for modern aircraft engineering. But by 1940 the German Luftwaffe had begun to develop faster, long-ranged fighter-bombers. All current Allied aircraft could not keep up with the long range of the B-17 bombers who needed escort. In 1940, North American Aviation received an order from Britain requesting another shipment of
Taubman, Philip. “Death of a Spy Satellite Program.” Public Administration: Concepts and Cases. Stillman, Richard Joseph. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. 361-369.
After the Arrow was cancelled, the Canadian aerospace industry had a setback for a few years. Many people working with Avro had left. "Experts, such as Jim Floyd, left for projects in other countries...welcomed with open arms at aerospace companies in the United Sates and England."(Dixon Joan 36) Avro tried other projects like the Avrocar, which started the hovercraft technology, unfortunately Avro had to be shut down in 1962.
Following the conclusion of the Second World War, the United States and the Soviet Union made it a priority to outdo each other in every possible facet from arsenals of missiles to international alliances and spheres of influences. Yet when the Soviets launched Sputnik on October 4th, 1957, the world changed forever. The first manmade object was fired into space, and it appeared that American technology and science had fallen behind. Yet, the public feared that not only were they now technologically inferior to the Soviets, but also deduced that if a satellite could be launched into space, a nuclear missile could just as likely reach the mainland United States. Less than a month later, the Soviets pushed the bounds of technology yet again by
The Enola Gay Controversy was about putting the Enola Gay on display for a museum exhibit. Veterans groups wanted it on display. The Smithsonian had the bomber, but it was disassembled and many thieves ...
This blow to national pride along with the fear that the Soviets could potentially launch ICBMs from space led to “Rocket fever”. The sudden wave of nationalism and the desire to build a space program worthier to that of the Soviet Union led to the establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under President Eisenhower, the investment of billions of dollars in missile development, and the expansion of the National Academy of Science’s charter.... ... middle of paper ... ...
it was justified in my opinion, even if the experiment had succeeded. If I take the story
On May 1, 1960, a U-2 high altitude airplane was shot down while flying a spy mission over the Soviet Union. The U-2 incident made higher tensions between the United States and soviets through the duration of the cold war. Eisenhower had approved a plan to collect information about the Soviet Union’s capabilities. In 1956 u-2 spy planes were flying around getting visions of the soviet military facilities. One of the pilots always carried a small needle filled with poison in case he ever got captured he’d have a chance to live. Photographs taken by the spy planes were revealed that the Soviet nuclear capabilities were less advanced than there leader had claimed. The soviets new that our spy planes were in air over Russia because the planes appeared on radar. The planes were about 13 miles
The United States dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima was a decision with immense thought behind it. To this day there are arguments that support both sides of the decision. In the end dropping the bomb was the best option for the United States. Unfortunately there wasn’t an abundance of options and dropping the bomb was the most appealing in all aspects. In the end dropping the bomb was the best option for the United States. Unfortunately there wasn’t an abundance of options and dropping the bomb was the most appealing in all aspects.
On July 8th 1947 an unidentified flying object crashed at a ranch in Roswell, New Mexico. The owner of the ranch was Mr. W.W. Brazel, who did not see thecrash happen but found the wreckage. The only witnesses were Mr. and Mrs. Wilmot. Initially Mr. Wilmot decided not to let anyone know what he saw thinking that a sight like that was seen by someone else. He eventually told the officials at the RAAF (Roswell Army Air Field) of what he had seen. Eventually when word spread of the incident, conspiracies where formed about the wreckage. The most famous being that the ship was an alien UFO, and that it had been taken to Area 51, (another government operation surrounded
Most of the decisions that HP made regarding the Kittyhawk project were fundamentally sound. For instance, the senior management was in full support of this project, including the executive vice president of the computer products organization. This ultimately increased the success within the development stages of the drive and allowed the team to seamlessly achieve milestones within the projects timeline. Secondly, the team was comprised of talent that did not possess the traditional development process that a large firm like HP is accustom to. The group was also physically segregated from the company and was given the financial backing to achieve the projects critical objectives. All of these decisions by HP gave the project autonomy from the traditional HP development procedures. This approach help the development teams operate as a sma...
Alexander the Great is hailed, by most historians, as “The Great Conqueror” of the world in the days of ancient Mesopotamia. “Alexander III of Macedon, better known as Alexander the Great, single-handedly changed the nature of the ancient world in little more than a decade. Alexander was born in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia in July 356 BCE. His parents were Philip II of Macedon and his wife Olympias. Philip was assassinated in 336 BCE and Alexander inherited a powerful yet volatile kingdom. He quickly dealt with his enemies at home and reasserted Macedonian power within Greece. He then set out to conquer the massive Persian Empire” (Web, BBC History). It is important to note, which will maybe explain his brutal actions, that Alexander was only twenty years old when he became the king of Macedonia. “When he was 13, Philip hired the Greek philosopher Aristotle to be Alexander’s personal tutor. During the next three years Aristotle gave Alexander training in rhetoric and literature and stimulated his interest in science, medicine, and philosophy, all of which became of importance in Alexander’s later life” (Web, Project of History of Macedonia). “In, 340, when Philip assembled a large Macedonian army and invaded Thrace, he left his 16 years old son with the power to rule Macedonia in his absence as regent, but as the Macedonian army advanced deep into Thrace, the Thracian tribe of Maedi bordering north-eastern Macedonia rebelled and posed a danger to the country. Alexander assembled an army, led it against the rebels, and with swift action defeated the Maedi, captured their stronghold, and renamed it after himself to Alexandropolis. Two years later in 338 BC, Philip gave his son a commanding post among the senior gener...
The idea that a satellite could be put into orbit around the Earth was introduced to the scientific community in 1903. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky showed that this could be done, but his work was all mathematical. In 1948, another Russian named Mikhail Tikhonravov talked to the famed scientist Sergei Korolev about turning this theory into an actual working device. Tikhonravov presented his ideas to the Academy of Artillery Sciences, but they refused to support the project. The Academy president Anatoli Blagonravov, however, could not get the idea that the project would have huge value out of his head. Eventually he brought the p...
The United States felt threatened by the USSR’s unexpected technological advancement. Not only was Sputnik I 180.4 lbs heavier than Vanguard, but it was proven to be more successful when the Vanguard launch failed on December 6, 1957 while being broadcast worldwide. Although America’s first attempt at competing with the Soviet Union’s technology was an utter failure, the US government didn’t let this deter them from their goal to equalize the country with the Soviets and eventually surpass them. Right after Sputnik I was launched, the US Defense Department decided on funding for a new satellite project while Vanguard was still being worked on. This satellite was named the Explorer I and was successfully launched on January 31, 1958, officially