After it was restored, the Avro Arrow model found a home at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa. Here, the Canadian Conservation Institute will oversee the conservation and restoration of all models that are discovered.
Since the first prototype was discovered, five more have been found at the bottom of the lake. Some can be seen on display around Canada, as they’re often lent out to museums. Others were lent to Canadian, United States, and British aeronautical agencies for research purposes.
Restoring The Prototype
Once the prototype was removed from the water and dried out, it was carefully restored. Conservation expert Nancy Binnie described how they first removed the mussels from the aircraft’s exterior. It was done gently, eliminating them one-by-one using a scalpel.
Afterward, the surface of the prototype was sanded down with finely shaved dry ice. It was done carefully and precisely to preserve as much of the original color and details as possible.
Preserving History
After the Avro Arrow was pulled from Lake Ontario, the next step was to find it a permanent home. The commanding officer of the Flying Personnel Medical Establishment, Wing Commander Roy Stubbs, recalls a conversation that led to the perfect solution.
“One day after a change of government, the new RCAF Chief of the Air Staff came to inspect our facilities and programs, and after lunch, I asked if he would like to see something special. I showed him a piece of the Arrow, cockpit section, and engine nacelles and a few other bits. I asked him what we should do with it, and he said to keep it hidden until the climate in Ottawa was right, and then he would arrange to have it placed in the National Aeronautical Museum in Ottawa.”
Replicating The Arrow
In 1989, a Canadian man named Allan Jackson began building a full-scale replica of the Arrow. He was later approached by the producers of The Arrow, a miniseries that told the story of the Avro Arrow that first aired in 1996. When the model was almost ready, the producers made an offer to complete the construction if it could be used in the show.
Ultimately, the replica was featured on the miniseries and went on to make several public appearances at air shows. Jackson’s replica was later donated to the Reynolds-Alberta Museum in his home town of Wetaskiwin, Alberta. However, a recent update stated, “While in a temporary outdoor collection, it was damaged in a wind storm in 2009. It has since been repaired, but is no longer on public display.”
A Recent Discovery
CBC News announced on January 6, 2020, that would come as a shock to all of those involved in the Avro Arrow expedition. As it turns out, all evidence of the Arrow project hadn’t been destroyed as everyone thought. A copy of the aircraft’s blueprints was discovered at the home of someone who worked on the project.
Even though an order had been made to get rid of all evidence, Senior Draftsman Ken Barnes chose not to obey. Instead, he took the blueprints home where they remained untouched for years.