Sunken Avro Arrow model recovered from Lake Ontario

An iconic piece of Canada's aviation history has been pulled from the depths of Lake Ontario, and now the team that recovered it is hoping to find morebeneath the waves.

Divers brought what is believed to be a scale model of the Avro Arrow to the surface last week off Prince Edward, and deliveredit to the CanadaAviation andSpaceMuseum on Tuesday.

Since last September, a series of models has beenfound at the bottom of Lake Ontario.

The recoveredmodel is about three metres long a 1/8 scale of the actual plane, according to Erin Gregory, an assistant curator at the museum.

"It looks like a rocket with large triangular wings," she said.

TheCanadian Conservation Institute and the museumwill oversee conservation and restoration of themodels.

What they found last weekisn't the fullreplica of the Arrowthe search group was hoping to find. Instead they believe the smaller model was meant to test the delta wing design the triangular shape the plane was known for.

Several different models were flown for testing over Lake Ontario between 1954 and 1957as the plane was being developed.

"The delta wing was a relatively new concept at that point, so it required a lot of testing to determine whether or not it would perform well, particularlyat supersonic speeds," Gregory said.

The test was conducted at such a high speed the nose of the model was likely bent when it hit the water, Gregory said.

John Burzynski, the leader of the search group, said he's happy they recovered themodel and planto recover anything theyfind,but thatthe real prize would beone of the last five versions tested before a fully functional jet was built.

"The original object of the survey was to find one of those last five. It's very identifiable as an exact replica of the flying plane," Bruzynski said.

The greatest plane that never was

The AvroArrow was the first and only supersonic interceptor built in Canada, developedto respond to Soviet bombers that could attack North America by flying over the Arctic.

In 1959, the Arrow program was suddenly cancelled. Six completed planes and related construction material weredestroyed.

The Arrow's maiden flight

67 years ago

Duration 4:04

Canada's first supersonic fighter plane makes its triumphant first flight.

Finding the models and being able to see the progression of the program highlightsCanadian ingenuity, Gregory said.

"[It] speaks to the science, technology and engineering that went into the production of the greatest plane that never was."

Four other models have been located on the bottom of the lake, andBurzynskisaid his team plans to bring them up next summerand hopefully locate more.

"The Avrohas been in the forefront of a lot of Canadians' minds over the years. It's really more of a piece of living history."