Janusz
Zurakowski was born, 1914, Ryzawka, in once Polish territory that had come
under control of Russia. When his family moved to independent Poland, Janusz
after completing high school, joined the Polish Air Force, 1934.
At the outbreak of World War II, Jan was a flying instructor and when Poland
fell to enemy forces, Jan escaped to England, joined the Royal Air Force
and during the Battle of Britain was credited with destroying three enemy
aircraft. Later, he joined Polish Squadrons, serving as Flight Commander
and Squadron Leader. For his wartime services he was awarded the Polish
Virtuti Militari Cross and the Polish Cross of Valour with three Bars.
At the end of the war, Jan graduated from the Empire Test Pilot’s School
and began testing airplanes in England, including one of the world’s first
jet fighters, the Vampire. He also worked in the development of the Meteor
and the Javelin fighter aircraft. By 1950, he established a new air speed
record between London-Copenhagen-London. In 1952, he immigrated to Canada
to join Avro Aircraft in Malton, Ontario, as chief development pilot. That
same year he became the first to break the sound barrier, in Canada, flying
a CF-100 fighter aircraft. When the Avro Arrow, Canada’s pride in aeronautical
engineering and design achievement, was ready for testing, Jan Zurakowski,
March 25, 1958, completed the much heralded first flight of this supersonic
aircraft. In recognition for his many experimental achievements in the
air, Jan was awarded the prestigious McKee Trophy and became a member of
Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame. In 1960, he retired to the heart of the
19th century Polish community in Renfrew County, near Barry’s Bay, where
he and his wife Anna established a tourist business. In this double view,
Jan, background, boards the Avro Arrow, 1958, and, inset, is viewed receiving
the J.C. Floyd Award from Jim Floyd, whose acclaimed design of the Avro
Arrow afforded Jan Zurakowski, as a test pilot, an opportunity to showcase
Canada’s world leadership in both aircraft design and aeronautical engineering.
[Photos, courtesy J.C. Floyd]
