You can look around the Argus cockpit by clicking on the picture, and dragging the mouse left or right. You can also zoom in by pressing "Shift" and zoom out by pressing "Ctrl". If you can not see the picture, make sure you have downloaded and installed the Live Picture Viewer available by clicking on the icon below: |
Development of the Argus began in 1954 as Canadair was contracted to convert old Bristol Britannias into anti-submarine patrol and maritime reconnaissance planes. The challenge was to redesign a fast, high-flying turboprop into a slow and low-flying unpressurized piston-engined patrol plane.
The result was one of the most sophisticated planes to be flown and navigated. Equipped with state-of-the-art radar and electronic instruments, it was the first Canadian aircraft with a fully parallel A/C electrical system. It was also the first Canadian plane to use a titanium-aluminum alloy in construction.
Named after the the all-seeing monster of Greek mythology, the Argus first flew in 1957, and remained in service until 1981, when the Lockheed Aurora superceded it. Even after it was retired from Canadian patrol service, it was considered to good to "get away". In 1982, 24 of the remaining CL-28's were purchased and melted down to prevent them from being purchased for military use by other nations.
The last Argus ever made was given to the National Aviation Museum in May of 1982, and is the largest aircraft in their collection.
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