Avro Arrow: The Story of the Avro Arrow From Its Evolution To Its Extinction (Paperback)

by Arrowheads (Author) "Before the story of the Arrow can be told, we must step back into history to see why there was a need for such an..." (more)
Key Phrases: speed taxi trials, flying control system, chase aircraft, Air Force, Jan Zurakowski, Spud Potocki (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The illustrated memoir of the most advanced fighter jet of the 1950s.

At its creation in the mid-1950s, the Avro Arrow was a fighter jet without equal. This Cold War aircraft was twenty years ahead of its time. Unfortunately, political realities resulted in the complete termination of the Arrow project. Cancellation of the Arrow called for the destruction of all photos, drawings, models, specifications and tooling. Even the aircraft themselves were disassembled and destroyed.

Avro Arrow is a fascinating historical record with an extensive collection of rare and highly prized photos, drawings and diagrams. Using two hundred images, the book traces the story of the Arrow from its inception to roll out and flight test, including advanced proposals for the development of future version.

Primary sources include: - Taped interviews, test pilots' firsthand impressions, Avro officials and many plant personnel - Surviving company records - Declassified government documents.

Diagrams offer stunning details such as the North American strategic defense zones and interception tactics proposed for bomber attacks. This book concentrates solely on the vision, design and technical excellence of the airplane itself rather than the politics of its demise.

About the Author
The Arrowheads are Richard Organ, Ron Page, Don Watson and Les Wilkinson.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Boston Mills Press; Revised edition (July 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550460471
• ISBN-13: 978-1550460476
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #550,055 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #47 in	Books > History > Americas > Canada > 20th Century
  #86 in	Books > History > Military > Canada

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing, June 29, 2000

By	Claudio Bompadre (Rome Italy) - See all my reviews

An exhaustive book on one of great "mystery" of jet fighter history.The aircraft program is fully narrated from the enthusiastic "go ahead" to the painfull termination.Direct testimonies of executives,engineers and test pilots make the plot really vivid showing the feelings behind this endeavour:the epilog still looks like the end of a dream. Illustrations,pictures,factory drawings are truly intriguing,since few were previously available.Particularly impressive is the "log",where significant figures are released on aircraft data and performances. Finally some light on a cold war aicraft that "might have been"!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars truly engrossing, July 30, 2000

By	Claudio Bompadre (Rome Italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Avro Arrow: The Story of the Auro Arrow from Its Evolution to Its Extinction (180p) (Paperback)

One of the finest book dedicated to this controversial program! Being interested in technical details and aircraft perfomances,I found many factory drawings about structures, internal systems arrangements, armament layout and cutaway views. Important performance figures are available from tables and charts. But the most interesting feature is the the description of the development and testing phase that shows all the potential of this doomed plane. Finally some basic facts on an aircraft still surrounded by an halo of mistery about its birth and its death!

5.0 out of 5 stars Avro Arrow - Book, August 13, 2008

By	David King "littlebrit" (Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

An informative summary of the wonderful Avro Arrow aircraft which was way ahead of its time but killed off by stupidity, politically motivated interference from the US and Canadian governments and deliberate misinformation from all sides. A fascinating but sad and familiar chapter in the history of western aviation. See also the BAC TSR-2 aircraft and the Decca Secondary Surveillance Radar system.