LORIMER PUBLISHING [ MORE REVIEWS ] [ NEW STORIES ]

Book Review
The Avro Arrow
The story of the great Canadian cold war combat jet in pictures and documents.
  • move

by: HG Barnes [ HGBARNES ]

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.

Click here for additional images for this review.

SUMMARY
Highs: Excellent historical references, plenty of good quality photos, clever links to on-line video clips and pictures, sturdy hard cover and text paper stock, and very easy to read font size
Lows: Some people may not have internet access to enjoy the full experience.
Verdict: This is not only a 'must have' for Avro Arrow fans, it's a glimpse into Canadian history that all should be aware of. I would strongly recommend this book.
Percentage Rating
90%
  Scale: N/A
  Mfg. ID: ISBN-13: 978-1-4594-0727-5
  Suggested Retail: $34.95 CDN
  PUBLISHED: Jul 19, 2017
  NATIONALITY: Canada
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 86.05%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 90.00%

About HG Barnes (HGBARNES)
FROM: ALBERTA, CANADA

H.G. Barnes is a former voice artist and sales/marketing executive. Currently ghost writing, he's recently published the first of many Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, and Adventure novels. He's been building model kits of every genre since memory to go along with his short stories, yet aircraft h...

Copyright ©2021 text by HG Barnes [ HGBARNES ]. Images also by copyright holder unless otherwise noted. Opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AeroScale. All rights reserved.



   
ADVERTISEMENT


Photos
Click image to enlarge
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
ADVERTISEMENT