Introduction

The Avro Arrow, The Story Of The Great Canadian Cold War Combat Jet - In Pictures And Documents by Lawrence Miller and put together by James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Publishers give us a look into the before, during, and after with respect to this well loved Canadian Icon of the skies.

When it first flew in 1957, Canada's CF-105 Avro Arrow promised to be the world's best supersonic combat aircraft.

"It was the proudest achievement of the engineers and designers who worked in Canada's world-leading aircraft industry. The Arrow was designed to protect Canada against the military threat posed by the Soviet Union and its long-range bombers loaded with nuclear weapons. It did everything it was supposed to... and more.

Yet, after only six airplanes were built, the Arrow was killed. It was cancelled by the federal government. Overnight, thousands lost their jobs. Its builder, Avro Canada, was ruined, and with it went an important high-tech industry. Astonishingly, the government ordered the finished airplanes cup up and destroyed. Nothing was to remain... and not much did. Using photos and original documents, Lawrence Miller tells the compelling story of how the Arrow was built. He provides information that lets readers decide what best explains the untimely end of this aircraft." ~ Excerpt from back cover ~

Lawrence Miller is a licences glider pilot and former Flight Instructor who also authored the Amazing Stories series title, The Avro Arrow: A Picture History.

Content

While spanning a mere 112 pages, Lawrence Miller has packed this book with a very well laid-out insight into the history of the Avro Arrow. That said, don't let the page count fool you. Colorful blue tabs with links to many references, both literary and internet, appear at the end of certain sections so you can do a more in depth investigation of a subject adored by countless Canadians, along with many others, over the decades.

Within this volume you'll find roughly 54 colors photos and about 98 black and white pictures. What make these interesting is the unique context they provide for what was happening in a Geopolitical sense and how Lawrence Miller leaves the reader with a big "what if?" scenario. It can be said, with confidence, that bringing up the Avro Arrow topic in conversation among people of that generation, and the next, will cause irate voices to raise an go on for an hour. While the Arrow may be all but a dim memory to most, the legacy of many who were involved in its development, testing, and construction live on in the hearts of people around the globe with their involvement in NASA's launching of the Apollo Moon missions.
James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Publishers have put together a marvelous hard cover 8 1/2" by 10 1/2" book with thick gloss paper, an easy to read font size, and a beautiful cover designed by Meredith Bangay.
Here's a list of what you'll see inside:

• The Earliest Jet Airplanes
  
• Canada's Pioneering Jetliner
  
• The Avro CF-100 Jet Fighter
  
• Developing The Arrow
  
• The Unveilings
  
• The Arrows Fly
  
• Sudden Death
  
• Destroying The Dream
  
• All That Remains
  
• Timeline
  
• Select Bibliography
  
• Photo Credits
  
• Index

Once again, it's important to note the abundant links to online video clips, photos and more that are indicated throughout the book.

This is a subject of interest for me, having known someone who worked on the massively powerful Iroquois engine. Yet, for modelers lucky enough to find one, or patient enough to wait for the next batch, this will be another important reference tool to build a CF-105 Avro Arrow replica. I would strongly recommend this book.