James C. Floyd
From The Space Library
| Birth Name | James Charles Floyd |
|---|---|
| Birth Date | October 14 1914 |
| Birth Place | Prestwich Lancashire England |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Nationality | United Kingdom - Canada |
| Notable Works | Avro Jetliner, Avro Arrow |
Jim Floyd came to Canada as one of the large group of Avro engineers imported after World War II to establish A.V. Roe Canada. He arrived in New York City aboard the Armstrong-Whitworth constructed ship MS Gripsholm on June 21st 1946 with his wife Irene and two small children.
In 1949 the family were settled in a home near the Humber River in western Toronto while James worked at the Avro factory in Malton Ontario.
By 1948 James Floyd was heading up the project as chief designer of the the C-102 Jetliner. The aircraft flew for the first time in August 1949 becoming the first civilian jet airliner in North America. It later set a new speed record flying from Toronto to New York.
He followed up this success with the CF-100 Canada's first jet fighter which sold in substantial numbers to NATO air forces around the world. The CF-100 flew for the first time on January 19th 1950.
In 1954 Floyd took on the role of Chief Engineer for Canada's proposed supersonic fighter interceptor. For the next five years he supervised the team which created the CF-105 Avro Arrow, still considered by many aviation experts as one of the finest aircraft ever built.
Unfortunately the CF-105 was cancelled in February 1959 and many of Floyd's colleagues at Avro Canada were laid off. Disillusioned Floyd returned to England in June 1959. He worked on the proposals for a supersonic transport aircraft which eventually became Concorde.
In February 1961 Floyd was chief engineer of the Hawker Siddeley Advanced Projects Group when he headed a team proposal for a communications satellite. The satellite would have been solar powered and would weigh about 550 lbs and carry up to 100 voice channels. Flight stabilization would come from propane thrusters.
In February 1962 Floyd decided to retire from the aircraft industry. At that time he was the only non-American to have won the Wright Brothers Medal. He had also won the Canadian McCurdy Award in 1958 and in March 1962 the Australian George Taylor Gold Medal for his paper Some Current Problems Facing the Aircraft Designer.
James Floyd returned to Canada where he frequently assisted with affairs at the Downsview Air and Space Museum. In 2009 the Canadian Air and Space Museum gave him the Canadian Air and Space Pioneer Award.
James C. Floyd receiving the Canadian Air and Space Pioneer Award from Robert Godwin of the Canadian Air and Space Museum, Downsview Ontario - 2010.
