Avro Canada C102 Jetliner

Background and early work In 1945, Trans-Canada Airlines (TCA) started exploring a number of aircraft developments under the direction of Jim Bain, at that time superintendent of engineering and maintenance. Avro of England, which had recently taken over the Victory Aircraft "shadow factory" in Toronto, jointly with TCA, came up with a layout for an aircraft powered by four Armstrong-Siddeley turboprop engines later known as the Armstrong Siddeley Mamba. Design changes In 1947, Fred Smye, president of Avro, advised Herbert James Symington of TCA that they could not meet the fixed price contract. Symington's response was to pull out of the project. C. D. Howe stepped in and offered $1.5 million to continue the project, at a slower pace. At about the same time, Rolls-Royce informed Avro that the civil certification of the Avon could not be guaranteed in time for the Jetliner's rollout. This, in turn, would lead to higher operational and maintenance costs. Nevertheless, Avro continued with its plan to build the jet, selecting four Rolls-Royce Derwents to replace the two Avons. by this point, the aircraft was reportedly scheduled to begin deliveries in May 1952, and enter service in October, which would have given it a full six years headstart on the 707, which did not enter service until October 1958, Both the United States Air Force and United States Navy were viewed as prospective operators of the militarised type. The USAF was interested in the Jetliner, inviting Avro's team to Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio, to discuss the type's potential for crew training. Possessing both a relatively high speed and cruise altitude, the Jetliner was considered to be comparable to the service's new strategic bombers; at one point, the USAF had reportedly allocated funds for the purchase of 20 Jetliners that it intended to train both pilots and bombardiers upon. Furthermore, it was even suggested that the aircraft could be adapted into an aerial refuelling tanker. ==Operational history==

Flight testing During the first half of 1949, taxiing trails commenced using the first prototype, CF-EJD (-X). Numerous burst tires were experienced during the high-speed taxi trials, which included braking tests and steering control checks; this was attributed to the intended anti-skid braking system having not yet been fitted. Additionally, these high speed runs had to be performed on a shorter runway than had been planned as the Department of Transport had taken the longer runway out of service for rework at the last minute. Regardless, this caused delays to the type's maiden flight, which took place on 10 August 1949, only 25 months after work on the design had started, and only 13 days after the first flight of the de Havilland Comet. On its second flight, on 16 August, the landing gear failed to extend, necessitating the Jetliner to perform a belly landing. However, the damage incurred was relatively minor, permitting the aircraft to return to the air only three weeks later. Despite this incident, the rest of the flight testing programme proceeded relatively smoothly. Around this time, Delos W. Rentzel of the United States Aeronautics Administration publicly declared that the American market was keen to accommodate the Jetliner. The flight was highly publicized and the crew was greeted by a group of officials and a crowd of several hundred onlookers. During mid 1951, the CF-100 programme was placed on indefinite hold following the loss of the second prototype, and senior politicians expressed their concerns over the project and Avro's endeavours. Seeking to increase the pace of the CF-100's development, Cabinet Minister C. D. Howe instructed Avro to suspend work on its other projects, including the Jetliner, to focus its resources on completing work on the CF-100. Although the Jetliner had garnered considerable public attention, this had not immediately translated into orders. Amid the project's unestablished sales prospects, C.D. Howe ordered the program's termination in December 1951. The second prototype Jetliner, nearly completed in the main assembly hangar, was broken up at that time. Nevertheless, only a few months later, the enigmatic Howard Hughes first learned of the design and leased the Jetliner prototype for testing, flying it for a few circuits when it arrived in Culver City, California. The Jetliner was later used for taking in-flight photographs of CF-100 development trials such as canopy jettison and rocket firing. Legacy Canada Post issued a stamp to commemorate the development of the Jetliner. Jetliner Road in Mississauga, Ontario is named for the airliner at Toronto Pearson International Airport. The "Avro Jetliner Private" street name also commemorates the aircraft at Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport. ==Specifications Avro C102 Jetliner==