And We Certainly Mean No Disrespect!

It was a labor of love, and it is finally completed.  Under the auspices of the Base Borden Military Museum and with technical support from 16 Wing Borden, a small group of dedicated volunteers have contributed more than 4,000 hours to the restoration of one of the most significant aircraft in the history of Canadian military aviation: the Avro CF-100 Canuck.

The aircraft that was restored in Borden is a Mk4A, serial number 18194.  It entered service with the Royal Canadian Air Force on 17 February 1954 and flew mostly with 428 “Ghost” Squadron in Uplands, Ontario.  It was struck off strength on 14 February 1964, after which it was reassigned the training aid number 646B.  For more than three decades, it was used to teach aircraft decontamination procedures at the School of Nuclear Biological and Chemical Defence in Borden.  Finally, on 18 August 2000 it was transferred to the Base Museum and converted to museum artefact status.

Thanks to the efforts of our group of dedicated volunteers, the aircraft was restored to static display conditions and unveiled on the occasion of the RCAF 80th Anniversary celebrations in Borden, on April 2, 2004.  For that reason, it was chosen as this year's theme aircraft for the RCAF anniversary celebrations.  Canuck number 18194 is possibly the only restored Mk.4A in Canada, as most of its type were either scrapped or converted to Mk.4B during the mid-Fifties.

The Avro CF-100 Canuck was the first all-Canadian jet fighter.  During the 1950’s, the Royal Canadian Air Force bought 639 Canucks from Avro Ltd, in Malton, for the defence of Canada's air space.  Powered by Orenda engines, the CF-100 was the first straight wing aircraft to break the sound barrier. Its armament included eight .50 calibre machine-guns and fifty-eight 2.75 inch rockets.

First introduced in 1953, this all-weather fighter excelled in its primary role of air defence of Canada for ten years.  Some also served as all-weather complement to the Canadian Sabres in Europe.  Many of the remaining CF-100's were eventually converted to an electronic countermeasures role and flew with 414 Squadron until the Canuck was finally phased out in 1981.

FMI: www.airforce.gc.ca