Supersonic jet replica may land in its Mississauga home sooner than later

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Published March 20, 2023 at 10:27 am

Avro Arrow Mississauga

New technology may get a near full-size replica of a ground-breaking supersonic aircraft once mass produced in Mississauga erected at a park near Pearson Airport sooner than initially expected.

The Avro Arrow, designed and built in Malton in the late 1950s before production was unceremoniously halted by the Canadian government in 1959, will return to the city later this year–in replica form.

In a nod to the significant place the 1950s’-era twin-engine supersonic jet has staked out in Mississauga’s history, the City of Mississauga is paying to have the near full-size replica Avro Arrow built and installed at Paul Coffey Park in Malton.

In a social media post this past Thursday, Ward 5 Councillor Carolyn Parrish, who represents the Malton area, wrote that a new laser welding process being used to create the replica will significantly speed up the manufacturing time.

It was in Malton where the jet, widely thought of as the ultimate in Canadian aerospace achievement and one of the most advanced jets in the world at the time, was designed and built before production was stopped by the federal government in 1959.

While initial plans called for a full-size replica to be constructed, rising cost of materials prompted City officials to scale things back by about 20 per cent in order to stay on budget, Parrish said earlier.

She added that what promises to be an impressive replica of the jet is being partially built in a large warehouse in Barrie. It will then be brought to Mississauga in pieces by flatbed later this year for assembly and installation at the Malton park.

Parrish said via Twitter that once the pieces are on site in Malton, it should take about a month to assemble and paint the replica.

The halt of the $470-million Arrow program put some 15,000 employees, many of whom lived in Malton, out of work at the time.

When completed, the replica Arrow will sit next to the restored CF-100 aircraft that’s been on display for decades at the Derry Rd.-area park.

Together, they’ll be visible to those flying into and out of nearby Pearson Airport in Mississauga, City officials have noted.

The replica Arrow project was approved several years ago by City council at a total cost of $3.6 million. The City is picking up $2.2 million, with the rest coming from community donations and other sources.

The installation of the replica Arrow is part of a larger, ongoing redevelopment of the 112-acre Paul Coffey Park, a multi-use destination formerly known as Wildwood Park that opened in 1968.

Check out more photos of the Avro Arrow and the Malton plant where it was built.

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