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In 1959 the Diefenbaker government cancelled the Avro Arrow (CF-105) supersonic fighter jet program and tried to destroy all evidence of the project’s existence.
January 22, 2009 By Wings Magazine
1. In 1959 the Diefenbaker government cancelled the Avro Arrow (CF-105) supersonic fighter jet program and tried to destroy all evidence of the project’s existence. Aside from bits and pieces in private hands, what parts of the plane survive in the Canadian Aviation Museum in Ottawa?
a) one working prototype
b) the test pilot’s briefs
c) landing gear
d) two outer wing sections/one cockpit
Answer: (d) – They rate space in the far back corner of the museum.
2. Canadian-made airplanes have been given charming names such as Harbinger, Silver Dart, Aurora and Canuck. Which of the following aircraft types is not one of ours?
a) Chipmunk
b) Otter
c) Warthog
d) Beaver
Answer: (c) – Formally known as the A-10 Thunderbolt II, this American aircraft entered service in the USAF around 1977.
3. For which feat was the CL-84-1 Dynavert known.
a) first inverted flight
b) fixed-wing/VTOL
c) first averted flight
d) wing-warping technology
Answer: (b) – This Canadair experimental aircraft had a tilt-wing design that would allow it to fly like regular planes and like a helicopter too. It first flew in 1965, but the design was shelved before any production contracts were signed.
4. Thirty three Canadair CP-107 Argus anti-submarine aircraft were built, and entered service in 1958 (one source dates it 1957). Where were they stationed?
a) CFB Greenwood
b) CFB Shearwater
c) CFB Goose Bay
d) CFB Wawa
5. In 1941 Wilbur Franks invented the anti-gravity suit. For what kind of aviator was this device designed?
a) parachutists
b) balloonists
c) bombardiers
d) fighter pilots
Answer: (d) – The Franks Flying Suit Mark II (FFS Mk II) was the first workable “G” suit that would prevent blackouts under high acceleration and G-forces.
6. Wallace Rupert Turnbull invented, then in 1927 tested something that every aspiring pilot learns to manipulate.
a) rudder
b) choke
c) variable-pitch propeller
d) two-way radio
Answer: (c) – He also built Canada’s first wind tunnel, in 1902, at his private laboratory in Rothsay, New Brunswick.
7. Spar, CAE and DSMA Atcon, under the project management of the National Research Council, developed the Canadarm for the Space Shuttle. When was the Canadarm’s first flight and what was the flight number?
a) STS-41G, Oct/84
b) STS-27, Dec/88
c) STS-39, Apr/91
d) STS-2, Nov/81
Answer: (d) – Richard Truly made the first deployment from Columbia, saying, “The arm is out and works beautifully.” The Canadarm was also used on STS-41G, -27 and -39, by the way.
8. On June 25, 1944, David Hornell, born in Mimco, Ontario, ditched his Canso in the North Atlantic north of the Hebrides after sinking the German U-boat U1125. He died shortly after he and his surviving crew were rescued. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross later that year. A Canadian museum has something of his. What was it?
a) one flying boot
b) the Canso’s dingy
c) flight bag
d) wooden leg
Answer: (c) – Go see it in the Greenwood Aviation Museum.
9. An aeronautical engineer names John Hamilton Parkin joined the National Research Council in 1929 and was its director of mechanical engineering from 1936-1957. His staff perfected which of the following safety systems?
a) way to keep ice off aircraft propellors
b) controlled flight into terrain warning
c) instrument landing system
d) hydrogen wetting sprinkler
Answer: (a) – It was adopted around the world in 1945.
10. Which of the following aircraft was the first commercial aircraft built to a Canadian specification for Canadian conditions?
a) DHC-6 Twin Otter
b) Fairey Firefly
c) Silver Dart
d) Vickers Vedette flying boat
Answer: (d) – The RCAF bought 44 in 1925. The plane was also widely used as a bush plane.
