(Image credit: Vintage Aviation News)
In December 1945, the British company AV Roe acquired the Canadian company Victory Aircraft. Victory’s factory in Malton, Ontario, had built Avro Lancaster bombers during the war. The purchase resulted in the formation of AV Roe Canada, which was known as Avro Canada after 1954. One of the new company’s first jobs in 1946 was to develop a medium-range passenger plane with a pressurized cabin for Trans-Canada Airlines (TCA). The company designated it Avro Canada C102 Jetliner. In April 1946, Trans-Canada Airlines issued a request for a two-engine plane capable of carrying at least 36 passengers over a distance of 1,200 miles, and Avro Canada won the contract. However, in 1947, TCA backed out because it was worried about whether the project would work. CD Howe, a Canadian politician and engineer, came to the rescue of the aircraft’s development, helping it through early difficulties. The Avro Canada C-102 Jetliner was similar in size to the British Avro Tudor airliner. However, it had a different nose landing gear design, a new tail unit, and four turbojet engines for power. The C102 was initially designed to use four Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet engines. However, production delays led Avro to use four Rolls-Royce Derwent 5 engines, each producing 3,600 pounds of thrust, on the prototype.
Design of Avro Canada C102 Jetliner
The prototype of Avro Canada C102 Jetliner flew for the first time on August 10, 1949. It was the first jet aircraft to fly in North America and the second in the world, just 13 days after the de Havilland 106 Comet. Seven days later, the Jetliner had serious damage because its landing gear collapsed. The team made repairs, and a few weeks later, it flew again. The team replaced its four Derwent 5 turbojets with two Derwent 8 turbojets in the right outer and left inner nacelles, and added two Derwent 9 turbojets for testing. On April 18, 1950, the Avro Canada C102 Jetliner made the world’s first jet airmail flight. It traveled 365 miles (587 km) from Malton Airport in Toronto to Idlewild Airport in New York City in fifty-nine minutes and fifty-six seconds, half the time of regular commercial flights. The flight received a lot of attention, and the crew was welcomed by officials and a crowd of several hundred people. Since jet power was so new, the Jetliner had to park far from the terminal, and pans were placed under the engines to catch any leaking fuel. The next day, the Jetliner flew back to Toronto via Montreal. The US-based National Airlines was also in talks with Avro about possibly buying four Avro Canada C102 Jetliners, with an option for six more. To meet National’s needs, the second prototype Jetliner was designed with several new features. These included a longer fuselage to fit up to 60 passengers, double-slotted flaps for better lift, increased range, and the ability to install different engine models.
The Cancellation
In the early 1950s, Avro faced pressure from Canadian officials who wanted to strengthen the military as the Cold War began. At that time, Avro was developing the CF-100 Canuck, the first all-weather jet fighter for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).In mid-1951, the CF-100 program was put on hold after the second prototype was lost. Politicians raised concerns about the project and Avro’s work. To speed up the CF-100’s development, Cabinet Minister Howe ordered Avro to stop its other projects, including the Jetliner, to focus on the fighter. Although the Avro Canada C102 Jetliner attracted public interest, it did not generate immediate orders. Due to uncertain sales, Howe ended the Jetliner program in December 1951. The nearly finished second prototype Jetliner was taken apart at that time. However, a few months later, Howard Hughes learned about the Avro Canada C102 Jetliner design and leased the prototype for testing. He flew it around Culver City, California. Hughes wanted to buy 30 Jetliners for TWA, but Avro repeatedly turned him down because they were busy with the CF-100 project. Hughes then looked for US companies to build the Jetliner. Convair was very interested and even studied how to set up its own production line. However, Howe reportedly stepped in to block this deal to ensure Avro focused on its Orenda turbojet and CF-100 jet fighter programs. Additionally, the US government decided that Convair’s military projects took priority over any new civil projects.
A Failed Revival
In 1953, there was an attempt to restart the Avro Canada C102 Jetliner project after the CF-100 had entered production, but the plan did not proceed. In 1955, TCA ordered 51 Vickers Viscount turboprop aircraft from Vickers-Armstrong. These were the first turbine-powered planes to operate regularly in North America and remained in service until 1974. The Jetliner later served to take in-flight photos of CF-100 development trials, including tests for canopy jettison and rocket firing. On December 10, 1956, the Avro Canada C102 Jetliner was grounded and prohibited from flying again. It was given to the National Research Council, but they had no place to store it and only took the nose section for cockpit design. The rest of the Jetliner was cut up and sold for scrap on December 13, 1956. The only remaining parts are the nose and cockpit section, which are now in the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa, Ontario. In the Grounded Dreams series, the Avro Canada C102 Jetliner was a good plane that was left behind to focus on increasing military capabilities and also due to flawed policies. Read more Grounded Dreams articles HERE.
