Microsoft VISTA

[Renegade 13]

Thermodyne said:
Naa, don’t worry about it. I guess that’s what comes from sharing the largest open border in the world. The only thing you all need to worry about is global warming. First the killer bees and fire ants will crossover, followed by 40 million hard working Central Americans looking for the good life

It's odd...there's actually very little distinction nowadays between Canadians and Americans. We essentially share...everything. Culture, technology, trade, language, religions, basic political systems, etc. We may as well just amalgamate and be done with it Actually, bad idea. Seeing as how Canada is larger than the US, but with only 1/10 the population, it'd be a little difficult to get fair representation in federal government. More likely is having Western Canada (Manitoba and all provinces west) separating from the rest of Canada.

Wow, I've really managed to get off topic. Sorry!

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Canada as part of the US would be a blip on the map.

Canada as it's own country is actually something to notice.

[Baron Munchausen]

Renegade 13 said:
It's odd...there's actually very little distinction nowadays between Canadians and Americans. We essentially share...everything. Culture, technology, trade, language, religions, basic political systems, etc. We may as well just amalgamate and be done with it Actually, bad idea. Seeing as how Canada is larger than the US, but with only 1/10 the population, it'd be a little difficult to get fair representation in federal government. More likely is having Western Canada (Manitoba and all provinces west) separating from the rest of Canada.

Wow, I've really managed to get off topic. Sorry!

No, Canadians would tip the narrowly balanced system to the left and we could finally have some things that other civilized countries in the world have had for decades, like national health care.

[NullAshton]

Is this topic still on technology, or have we completly abandoned the topic?

[narf poit chez BOOM]

To-pic? What is this 'To-pic' of which you speak?

[NullAshton]

The 'To-pic' is what's above and to the right of your cartoony head.

[El_Phil]

Well we've never stayed on topic before. I don't see why we should start now.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

No, no, no, that's the corner of the post border.

[Renegade 13]

There are unfortunately many examples of great aircraft that were scrapped due to politics.

A classic example is the Avro Arrow (CF-105). In the '50's, Canada commissioned the creation of a new fighter-interceptor to counter the threat of new Soviet long-range bombers. It was feared the Soviets would send their bombers the short way to North America, over the North Pole. These fighters were designed to intercept, and destroy the bombers before they reached inhabited areas.

In 1958 after 4 years of production, the first Arrow was completed. However, shortly thereafter, the current government was voted out. The new government, for some inexplicable reason, killed the project, even after a few prototypes had been constructed. All prototypes, blueprints, everything the gov't could get their hands on was destroyed. If the Arrow was allowed to enter service in the Canadian Airforce, they'd in some ways be more advanced than the aircraft of the Canadian military today.

I've left a lot out of the story, but it was simply tragic what happened to the project, if you are familiar with it's history.

If you're curious about the aviation "firsts" that the Avro Arrow incorporated, take a look at This List , it shows the many innovations the Arrow had (remember the year was 1958!)

Some more interesting info on thrust:weight ratios:

At a combined 60,000-Ib thrust for an approximate 60,000-Ib aircraft, the Iroquois would have provided a 1:1 thrust to weight ratio. This would have given the Arrow a better than Mach 2 speed and perhaps Mach 3, limitations due to structural heating, not lack of power.

Another webpage with historical, political, and technical information

[El_Phil]

Wouldn't have been as fast the Lightning And that was a design prototype not the production model.

Still the Lightning was an achingly fast plane, by any standards. Some of the stuff that plane did was ridiculous, for a plane designed in 1954 to climb, out speed and out accelerate every other NATO fighter for most of its career.