The Avrocar: Canada's Flying Saucer

The flying saucer streaks across the page from top right to bottom left, angled for quick entry into Earth's atmosphere.

  Project 1794  Final Development Summary Report

A companion ship can be seen in the distance, both are trailing vapour in their wake. The crafts exhibit the classic "saucer" shape: a bubble on the crown with multiple portholes ringing the circumference below.

Strangely, the letters "USAF" are clearly visible across the leading edge of the flying saucer. Equally odd and centred across the bottom of the page, is the caption “USAF Project 1794”. Below that, the word "SECRET" is crossed-out. Printed in the top left corner of the document is the name of the iconically Canadian aerospace company, "Avro Aircraft Limited".

This extraordinary illustration is attached to a type-written report entitled "Project 1794 - Final Development Summary Report" and is dated "2 April 1955 - 31 May 1956". Typed below the date is "USAF Contract AF33(600)30161"

A secret report. A flying saucer. The United States Air Force...and the Canadian company responsible for creating the legendary Avro Arrow...

This once-secret report was issued by Avro Aircraft Limited of Malton, Ontario, Canada and presented to the United States Air Force (USAF) on June 1, 1956. This is the story of the first working flying saucer, The Avrocar.


CANADA WANTS A NEW FIGHTER BOMBER
In the early 1950's, the Canadian government quietly put out the word that they wanted to develop a supersonic, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) fighter-bomber. 

A.V. Roe Canada Ltd. was both interested and qualified. Since 1945, "Avro Canada" had been repairing and servicing Second World War-era aircraft, including the Hawker Sea Fury fighter and the Avro Lancaster bomber. The company was also investing heavily into research and development and had embarked on an ambitious design program, with a jet engine and a jet-powered fighter and airliner already on the drawing board.

The Legendary Avro Lancaster of WW II 

Thirteen years later, Avro Canada employed over 50,000 people, becoming the third largest company in Canada and one of the largest 100 companies in the world. They earned a stellar reputation, particularly for innovation, imagination and technical know how. Avro was an obvious choice to produce Canada's new supersonic fighter-bomber.

The government of Canada agreed and in 1952 Avro was chosen to construct a VTOL aircraft that would reach a top speed of Mach 4, with a ceiling of over 100,000 feet, and a range of over 1,000 nautical miles. The government of Canada provided $400,000 to launch the project.

A CIRCULAR WING
Avro began to study designs for a supersonic circular-winged fighter-bomber. They envisioned using the exhaust from turbojet engines to drive a circular “turborotor” to produce thrust. By directing this thrust downward, the turborotor would create a cushion of air (also known as “ground effect”) upon which the aircraft would float at low altitude. When the thrust was directed toward the rear, the aircraft would accelerate and gain altitude.

After the $400,000 ran out, the Canadian government abandoned the project as being too costly, however enough progress had been made to spark the interest of the U.S. government.

When presented with the details - as described in the paper "Project 1794", the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force accepted Avro's proposal and took over the project in 1954.

THE ARROW
Throughout the development of the Avrocar, Avro Canada was also working on another advanced aerospace project. Although the Canadian government had given up the Avrocar concept, they still wanted a new all-Canadian supersonic fighter-bomber. Avro was awarded that contract which would soon result in the cteation of the world's most advanced aircraft, the Avro Arrow.

 The Avro Arrow

THE P.B. 704
Avro's research for the VTOL suggested that their circular wing design might satisfy the American's requirements, so they built two small test vehicles to prove their concept. 

In July 1954, the first of two U.S. Air Force contracts totalling $1.9 million were awarded to Avro for further study. Avro chipped-in an additional $2.5 million. The resulting design was designated the P.V. 704 (U.S. designation, System 606A).

THE VZ-9AV AVROCAR
In 1958, the U.S. Army joined the project, feeling that the circular wing could fit in with its plans for a "flying jeep", and the P.B. 704 was given the Army designation VZ-9AV (VZ for vertical take-off reseach aircraft, 9 as it was the ninth in a series and AV for Avro) or as it became known, The Avrocar.

Overhead view of the Avrocar. (U.S. Air Force)

The Avrocar was a saucer-shaped disk, 18 feet in diameter and 3 feet thick. It was designed to go 300 mph and be able to fly to an altitude of 10,000 ft. It weighed 5,650 lbs and had separate cockpits for two crew members.Three Continental J-69 turbojet engines powered a centrally located fan with a diameter of 5 feet.

Two prototypes rolled out of the factory in May and August of 1959 just months after the Avro Arrow project had been cancelled.

The first Avrocar (58-7055) was sent to NASA Ames, Moffett Field in California where it first flew on 17 May 1961 and was used for wind-tunnel testing. The second Avrocar took it's first tethered flight on 29 September 1959, lasting only 12 seconds. The first untethered flight occured on 12 November 1959.

Formal Air Force flight evaluations occured at Avro in Malton, Ontario in April 1960 and June 1961. The Malton tests showed that the maximum speed reached only 35 mph while research at NASA showed that the Avrocar "quickly became unstable above a few feet above the ground": Avro engineers called it “hubcapping". "The craft experienced uncontrollable rolling during flight tests above three feet and couldn’t go faster than 35 mph.
Although the Avrocar program was terminated in December 1961 after a total of $10 million had been spent, it was "once regarded as the most advanced and most promising project in the application of ground-effect to development of a pure jet VTOL vehicle." SOURCE: Aircraft Magazine - October 1962

Avrocar in the R&D Gallery - USAF Ntl Museum

(USAF photo by Ty Greenlees)

"The prototype of the vehicle which at one stage gave the Canadian aircraft industry good promise of a major breakthrough in VTOL is today collecting dust in a hangar of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Ames Research Centre at Moffett Field, Calif." SOURCE: Aircraft Magazine - October 1962

TRIVIA
The registered owner of the Avrocar was the U.S. Government and it's registration was CF-LWV-X.

IMAGES:

(1) Project 1794 - Final Development Summary Report

(2) Overhead view of the Avrocar. (U.S. Air Force photo)

(3) DAYTON, Ohio -- Avro Canada VZ-9AV Avrocar in the Research & Development Gallery at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Ty Greenlees)

VIDEO:

AV Roe Canada VZ-9 Avrocar Flying Disc Progress Report "#3 - 1961

https://youtu.be/s8ISX_6FoKk


Sources

Declassification Archives 
https://declassification.blogs.archives.gov/2012/09/20/how-to-build-a-flying-saucer/

Design Engineering
https://www.design-engineering.com/canadian-designed-flying-saucer-declassified-80862/

National Military Museum
https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/195801/avro-canada-vz-9av-avrocar/

Avroland

http://www.avroland.ca/al-vz9.html

☆☆☆☆☆

WRITTEN ON THE COVER OF "PROJECT 1794" REPORT

Project 1794
Final Development Summary Report
2 April 1955 - 31 May 1956
USAF Contract AF33(600)30161

Issued by:
Avro Aircraft Limited
Malton, ON Canada

June 1, 1956