The head of the “Raise the Arrow” project says they will be back in the water next spring, searching for Avro Arrow test models from the 1950s.
John Burzynski of Osisko Mining had a goal of resurrecting all the booster rockets and the Avro Arrow Test models that were shot out at Point Petre in Prince Edward County, between 1952 and 1957.
For the past three summers, a diving team, researchers, archaeologists, and sonar equipment have swept the water floor, hoping to find models of the controversial aviation program.
Burzynski says last August they pulled the first model to the surface. They took it to CFB Trenton, where they stabilized it, then transferred it to the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum. Last winter they completed the restoration work and put in on display this past Canada Day.
They are searching about 100 square kilometres of lake bottom, and have found almost all of the nike booster rockets. So far they have 80 kilometres covered and have identified about 1,200 items they are combing through.
If/when a second model is recovered, Burzynski says they will be gifting it to the National Air Force Museum of Canada in Trenton.
As far as other items pulled up, Burzynski says they found toboggans, ship parts, and even tree stumps that could be 10,000 to 20,000 years old, when some of the water bottom would have been land.
They will be back in the water in May to search the remainder of the grid
Our interview with John Burzynski can be heard below. More photos are also below.
Jim Johnson, a member of the Avro Arrow test program (1952-57) and John Burzynski, the man behind the Raise the Arrow Project (Photo: Raise the Arrow Facebook)
The first test model of the Avro Arrow free-flight program is cleaned up at CFB Trenton (Photo: Raise the Arrow Facebook)
The first test model of the Avro Arrow free-flight program is brought up from the depths of Lake Ontario off the southern shores of Prince Edward County (Photo: Raise the Arrow Facebook)
Sonar equipment for the Raise the Arrow project (Photo: Raise the Arrow Facebook)
