Sept 1956, PS-13 engine achieves 1,000 hours of run time.
The Iroquois engine was unveiled on 22 July 1957.
While the Iroquois
Rollout ceremony was not as grand as the Arrow Rollout ceremony in Oct, there
were VIPs in attendance:
George R. Pearkes, V.C., Minister of National Defence; Air Marshall C.R.Sleman,
Chief of Air Staff, RCAF; John Tory, QC, Member of the Board, A.V. Roe Canada
Ltd.; Fred Syme, Executive Vice President, A,V. Roe Canada Ltd.; Wilf Curtis,
Vice Chairman, Board of Directors, A.V. Roe Canada Ltd.; Walter R. McLachan,
President, Orenda Engines Ltd.
John Pallett, MP for Peel; Nathan Phillips, Mayor of Toronto; Roland Michener,
MP for St. Paul; Ozzie Waffle, Reeve of Etobicoke Township; John B. Hamilton, MP
for York West; Reeve Mary Fix of Toronto Township;
A/C B.J.R Roberts, Air Attache UK; Col R.H. Jones, Air Attache USA; Major C.
Orhun, Air Attache Turkey; Col F.C. Schlichting, Air Attache Germany; Col A.R.
Deperrois, Air Attache France;
Speeches at the Iroquois Rollout were given by:
Walter R. McLachan, President, Orenda Engines Ltd.
Air Marshall C.R.Sleman, Chief of Air Staff, RCAF
George R. Pearkes, V.C., Minister of National Defence, who then unveiled the
Iroquois, the cover being lifted by Marg Fry and Dolly Ford.
An Iroquois engine was fitted in a nacelle on the starboard (right) rear of a
B-47 Stratojet that was on loan to the RCAF and AVRO from the USAF. This was the
first time that foreign non-USAF personnel, especially civilians were trained on
an American only bomber. In flight full thrust had to be set on the port
(left) outer engine in order to keep the aircraft flying straight to counteract
the thrust from the single Iroquois mounted just off the centreline!
In Sept 1958 Orenda noticed that since the end of 1957 the letters of
authorization had been amended to limit the government's liability only to
authorized amounts leaving Orenda on the hook for any costs above that amount
and termination costs if the programme was scrapped.
To the end of Mar 1959, the financial limitation was $116,976,614 for
development, tooling, prototype and pre-production. Orenda's termination costs
would amount to $150,646,745.
Engine X-116 on AVRO dolly and test fitted in RL206 for taxi trials.
Engines X-117 and X-118 were the first Iroquois engines that were to fly in an
Arrow, RL206 and were being fitted when the programme was scrapped.
After the cancellation of the Arrow Programme:
Who got to scrap the engines and related tooling?
Engine X-104 which had been fitted to the B-47 for engine tests went to the NRC
for icing trials. It is now in the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum,
Mount Hope, Ontario.
Engine X-116 went to Bristol Siddeley, where it helped in evolution of the
Olympus for the TSR2 (also cancelled) and the Concord. X-116 then went to
Cranfield College as a teaching aid and then tostorage in pieces at the RAF
Hendon Museum, UK.
Orenda sells the manufacturing rights for the Iroquois engine to Curtis-Wright
Corp. of the U.S. on 30 Sept 1957. Along with manufacturing rights was
permission to sell and further develop the engine.
During the competition to replace the F-86 Sabre in Europe, Republic was
offering Canada the F-105 Thunderchief with the Iroquois engine. However, the
cost of producing it in Canada with the Canadian Iroquois engine proved to be
prohibitive, therefore it was eliminated as a contender.