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Welcome to my web site!
My name is Gerry Barbour and I have written a book entitled
FUN AND GAMES AND AIRPLANES; a book in which I describe my experiences
in the aircraft industry during the years 1936 to the early 1970's. All
at the same locale-the aircraft plant situated at the north end of present-day
Pearson Airport, Malton Ontario, Canada.
Instead of dry-as-dust specifications, the book not only gives an in-depth
description of the build of the aircraft, it also provides the reader
with a look at the daily lives of people who actually built those marvellous
flying machines. Altogether they make the book an informative and amusing
read
The asking price for the book is a modest $35.00(tax included)
and may be obtained by contacting me at 1-705-533-3348 or by e-mail at
gbarb@csolve.net.
The book is also available on disc.
Here are a few historical facts.
THE AVRO CANADA C-102 JETLINER
________________________________
The wheels of the Avro Jetliner, piloted by Don Rogers and James Orrell,lifted
from the runway on August 10, 1949, The aircraft completed a circuit of
the airfield and made a perfect landing.The world's first jet-propelled
transport aircraft to fly.
Designer Jim Floyd coined the name, "THE AVRO JETLINER."
Jetliner is the word still in use to describe today's jet propelled transport
aircraft.
THE AVRO
CANADA CF-100 CANUCK
________________________________
The Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck,a twin-engined, all-weather fighter powered
by the Orenda jet engine, an engine designed and built in Canada by Canadians,
took to the skies on January19 1950. This aircraft at one stage of development,
was the most heavily armed fighting airplane in the world. Some 692 CF-100's
were built.
THE AVRO
CANADA CF-105 ARROW
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The now-famous Avro Arrow, RL 20I, rolled out onto the tarmac on October
4, 1957 and was greeted enthusiastically by members of the press and government
officials.The Arrow, piloted by Avro's superlative test pilot, Jan Zurakowski,
flew on March 25,1958. The Arrow was to be powered by the Iroquois engine;
an engine designed and built by Canadians.The design of the Iroquois made
it the most powerful jet engine in the world. The Iroquois, being still
under test, two Pratt and Whitney J-75 engines were installed in RL 20I
and four subsequent aircraft.The Iroquois engine would then power all
future Arrows.
These
airplanes. and many others, are described in;
FUN
AND GAMES AND AIRPLANES.
The book begins in the year 1936 with my awakening interest in aviation,
a schooling period and employment at National Steel Car, Aircraft Division
based in Malton, Ontario. The plant's name was changed to Victory Aircraft
during WW II. After the cessation of hostilities, the plant became A.V.Roe
and finally Avro Aircraft.
Included in the book is a section describing a period spent in the Canadian
Navy prior to my return to the aircraft industry.
The book is designed to appeal to all who like a good story. It describes
incidents which took place during those turbulent times, prior to, during,
and after WW II and is written in a light-hearted manner.
Here are a few excerpts from chapters in the book.
An excerpt from Chapter 91, entitled "The Avro Jetliner" on
the occasion of the second flight of the airplane.
" The Jetliner looked beautiful sitting there in the bright sinshine.
The design of her paint job was striking. The dorsal fin and the rudder
were painted a bright yellow and a stripe of the same colour ran along
the side of the fuselage. The underside of the nacelles was the same bright
yellow colour, the words "Avro Jetliner" proudly displayed on
her nose. She looked like the lady she was, the "Queen Of The Airways."
An excerpt from Chapter 93 entitled "The CF-100 Canuck"
"There was a conviction at the end of WW II that Canada's Defense
Industry should supply our needs with Canadian-developed products. The
need for an all-weather jet interceptor became apparent and, with due
regard for Canada's diverse weather conditions and huge land mass, the
Royal Canadian Air Force released the specifications for such an aircraft.
It fell to Avro's lot to design and produce this new type jet fighter
An excerpt from Chapter 104 entitled "The Delta Winged Avro Arrow."
(a lurid, fanciful tale of a flight in the Arrow with John Diefenbaker,
the Prime Minister directly responsible for the cancellation of the Arrow
contract)
"Keep your eye on the altimeter,John. It's that gauge with the needle
spinning like crazy. We're at 10-20-30-40,000 feet- and George Pearkes
said the Arrow wasn't capable of flying to 20,000 feet! Tsk! Tsk! And
him the Minister of Defense! Take another look, John. There's 50,000 on
the clock. Not bad,eh!"
FUN AND GAMES AND AIRPLANES is fun to read and it was
fun to write.I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Two other books are available.
RIB-TICKLER TALES-SUPER SPORT SHORTS is a collection
of golf,hockey,baseball and flying stories, and is certain to appeal to
the sport-minded as well as the casual reader. Included is "Basic
Justice" a story that details a novel method of dispensing punishment
for wrong-doing. The price of the book is $15.00(tax included)
HURONIA THE BEAUTIFUL is a whimsical expose of my "growing-up"
years in the Town of Penetanguishene, my birthplace. The price is $35.00(tax
included) and all proceeds from the sale of this book will be funneled
to the Cancer Society to help stamp out this dreadful disease.
Have a nice day!
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