Some local businesses stepped up to get Barry’s Bay’s Avro Arrow back up in the air.
The large model airplane was re-installed at Zurakowski Park on Monday, after it was grounded for repairs weeks ago.
Zurakowski Park Committee member Beth Hildebrandt says contracting company Zuracon managed the tricky feat of transporting the model to and from a warehouse in Combermere.
There, Matt Cherry of Nature of Design, did the repair work, which involved filling holes in the fiberglass body, which were making the insides subject to water damage.
Hildebrandt says the public has already noticed, and is thrilled, with the work on the restored model.
“You wouldn’t believe how many people are happy and have been commenting on it,” she says. “It’s unbelievable. Let’s face it, Zurakowski Park is the focal point of Barry’s Bay. Everyone comes here to see that.”
The CF-105 Avro Arrow is a Canadian-made aircraft, that was a symbol of pride for the nation in the 1950s. The model pays home to Janusz Zurakowski, a pilot who flew the airplane and later settled in the Barry’s Bay area.