Over the years, the “Raise The Arrow” team has identified at least 200 objects that were potential targets. Burzynski explained the identification process saying, “… the only way we can tell [for sure what they are] is to get divers on them.”
The team has received help from the Royal Canadian Navy’s Fleet Diving Unit to determine if the items they’re targeting are the Avro Arrow prototypes or something else. They look closely at the targets, determine what they are, and help prepare the artifact to be brought to land.
Littered With Treasure
Even though only one Avro Arrow model has been discovered, the expedition team continues to search for them regularly. Burzynski has explained in the past that the bottom of Lake Ontario is full of treasures, many of which can be confused for the prototypes.
Often covered in muscles and other gunk, it’s challenging to decipher precisely what most objects are before they’re taken out of the waters. For this reason, the expedition team will often pull out other treasures, however not quite as valuable as what they’re looking for.
An Artillery Range
Starting in the year 1938, Point Petre served as an artillery range. It continued to serve this purpose once the Royal Canadian School of Artillery was formed in the area. Additionally, Point Petre was used for testing missiles like “Sparrow” and “Velvet Glove” through the 1950s.
This was in addition to the testing of the Avro Arrow prototypes, so you can only imagine what the expedition team has found in Lake Ontario. With so many foreign objects in the lake, finding the airplane models has proven to be more complicated than they first thought.
Preparing The Prototype For Excavation
The discovered prototype was identified using a similar process. After the divers identified the target as an Avro Arrow model, they brought in archaeologist Scarlett Janusas. To ensure the aircraft wasn’t damaged during excavation, it was prepared underwater by putting plastic tubing and a layer of coroplast sheets beneath it.
Under Janusas’ supervision, the model was slowly and carefully moved inch by inch until it was fully loaded into a specially designed crib. It was preserved in the cradle by a cover, and then further protected with a special foam designed to keep it stable. “The preloading of the artifact and the lift to the surface could not have been more textbook,” admitted Janusas.
Drying It Off
The prototype model couldn’t just be taken out of the water and aired out. It would first have to be thoroughly assessed and go through rigorous testing. Senior conservation scientist from the CCI Nancy Binnie explains, “We need to keep the artifact wet until we can do a controlled ‘dry’ and have full condition assessment.”
Many tests and water samples were taken from the vicinity of the aircraft to test them for salinity. If salt had been found in the water, the artifact would have had to be desalinated before it could adequately dry.