Dauntless Aviation - Software for Canadian Pilots

We were recently asked by a visitor to our website as to why our CanadaPilot.com logo includes a jet aeroplane when our products are mostly for people mostly flying propeller planes.

For a moment, we were a bit surprised at this question, but then it occurred to us that as time goes on, there may be others, especially young people perhaps, who also might not be familar with the legendary Canadian aircraft that our authors mutually decided would well represent us. That aircraft is the Avro Arrow.

As you can see, it is an exceptionally beautiful aircraft and its delta shape, the planform (top view) of which is integrated into the CanadaPilot logo, was in many ways a revoluationary work of aeronautical genius, designed and built in Canada at a time in the mid 1950s when few outsiders would have guessed that Canada was capable of such innovative and cutting edge work.

In Canada, more has been written about the Arrow than perhaps about any other aircraft. The reasons for this are numerous but much of them stem to "what-ifs" associated with the the abrupt cancellation of the Arrow project. Indeed, the Arrow was cancelled by the Diefenbacker government on "Black Friday", 20 February, 1959. Some attribute the cancellation to dirty politics and/or the strong-arming of the government by the US defense industry and an unustified switch to unproven alternatives such as the BOMARC missile-based defense system and what would eventually become the CF-101 Voodoo. Others view the cancellation as tragic but sensible, given the program's high costs, lack of foreign orders, and other technical factors.

Whatever the reasons for its cancellation, the fact remains that the Arrow is a beautiful and potent symbol of Canada's aviation heritage, which is why we are proud to adopt it as our symbol. We hope to continue the legacy of excellence embodied by the dedication of skill of the Avro's designers, builders, support staff, and pilots. At the same time time, we hope to be able to share the history of the Arrow through our use of its image.

The images below come from the excellent Avro Arrow model by XTreme Prototypes which you can purchase for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This is as close as any of us will ever come to actually flying an Avro Arrow, and, we must say--for a simulator, it is very close indeed! Highly recommended.




Images ©XTreme Prototypes. Click thumbnails for larger images.

We have a small secret. In addition to being pilots and flight instructors, we are borderline maniacal collectors of diecast aircraft. We were thrilled, therefore, when the Canadaian Warplane Heritage Museum (CWHM) recently released the Avro Arrow in 1/72 in diecast metal. These are EXCELLENT diecast models but are getting hard to find. If you want one (and please understand we have nothing to do with the sale of these - we're just fans), I suggset you google "1/72 diecast Avro Arrow." As of this writing, two arrows (203 and 201) have been released (it is unclear if there will be many more, so by all means, don't pass this by if you are a fan. Trust us you will not regret it!). Reputable retailers include the (highly recommended) Spit Crazy / Spitfire Emporium in Kichener, ON and The Flying Mule for our American visitors. Additionally, these can be sourced directly from the CWHM directly.

For more information, please see the links below.

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