The Avro Canada Flying Saucer

The Avrocar, a top-secret man-made flying saucer .


The following article appeared in a magazine called "Canadian Armed Forces and Procurement Review", created and edited by my father George Shaw:

 CN TELTEX OTT
UNITEDAIR MTL

7/19/68  Montreal - What happened to the only flying saucer in captivity? There is a brief glimpse of the saucer, flying about four feet off the ground, in a film devoted to Canadian aviation history in the "Man the Producer" pavilion of MAN AND HIS WORLD.  The exhibition, Expo's encore, continues until October 14.

     The saucer that actually flew was the last project of the A.V. Roe Company of Toronto, the builders of the famous Avro Arrow Jet Interceptor.  The saucer was an experimental step in the development of vertical takeoff and landing craft.

     In research for the film, it was discovered that the Avro Flying Saucer is now a museum piece. It is located in a museum at Fort Eustis, Virginia.

     The flight of the saucer is one scene in the 12-minute film, which is part of the United Aircraft of Canada Limited exhibit in the "Man and His Progress" section of the theme pavilion.

     The exhibit, marking the 40th anniversary of the company in Canada, depicts the development of aviation in Canada; two famous engines are on display: The PT6 Gas Turbine (applications such as turbotrains, turbocars at the Indianapolis 500; more than 20 types of aircraft) and the R-1340 radial piston.

     Other scenes in the film include kite experiments at the turn of the century by Alexander Graham Bell in Baddeck, Nova Scotia. It was there that J.A.D. McCurdy learned to fly and made the first flight in the British Commonwealth of a heavier-than-air machine in 1909. The film also shows the re-enactment of that epic flight on its 50th anniversary in 1959.

     The film was produced by United Aircraft of Canada largely from rare footage collected by C.H. (Punch) Dickins, Pioneer Canadian pilot and retired Vice-President of de Havilland Aircraft of Canada.  Mr. Dickens collected the footage as a centennial project and as a contribution to the preservation of aviation history.

     Some segments of the film, shown continuously at the Exhibition, are taken from early documentaries.  The clips include the first flight by the Wright brothers; Igor Sikorsky's four-engined aircaft built in Russia; and Charles Lindbergh's triumphant arrival in Paris.

Article by Norman R. Avery

(Note: I have a reel-to-reel, 7 minute Lockheed California film from the 1960's, that my Dad gave me. The movie has to be formatted differently, so that I can post it on this blog.)