Avro Canada Jetliner

Avro Canada Jetliner (C-102), North America's first jet airliner, designed in Canada by James Floyd. It first flew on 10 August 1949, exceeding 800 km/h, the first flight of a jet transport in North America, second in the world. (The de Havilland Comet flew on 27 July 1949.) In April 1950 it made the first international jet-transport flight in North America, from Toronto to New York. It aroused much interest in the US and was one of the outstanding aeronautical achievements of its day, but it never saw production. Trans-Canada Airlines lost interest even before the first flight, and in the Cold War atmosphere the federal government stopped its further development in 1951 in order to force the company to concentrate on the CF-100 jet fighter. C.D. Howe had no choice but to insist that Avro concentrate on the CF-100 Canuck. The RCAF, the first air force to operate jet transports, ordered 2 Comets in November 1951. The Jetliner was offered to the National Research Council but only its nose was saved, due to lack of space. It was sold for scrap in 1956. The nose section is on display in the Canada Aviation Museum.