The Avro Canada C.102 Jetliner prototype lands after a test flight.
The Avro Canada C.102 Jetliner was a medium-range jet airliner built by Avro Canada in 1949. It was beaten to the air by only 13 days by the de Havilland Comet, thereby becoming the second jet airliner in the world. The prototype was powered by four Rolls-Royce Derwent turbojet engines while the production models were powered by engines developed by Orenda Aerospace.
The C.102 seated a maximum of 50 passengers and had a range of 1,086 nautical miles. It competed with the Vickers Viscount, which was slower but had slightly more capacity and range.
The C.102 entered service with Trans-Canada Airlines on October 30, 1952 as Flight 366 from Toronto to Thunder Bay. A grand total of 360 C.102 Jetliners were built between 1952 and 1960. Trans-Canada Airlines was the biggest customer, accounting for a third of the C.102's sales. After rebranding itselft to Air TransCanada, the airline began phasing the C.102 out in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with the last flight, Air TransCanada Flight 101 from Halifax to Montreal, taking place on October 30, 1982. As of 2017, 36 C.102s continue to operate in the Canadian Far North and in developing countries. The C.102 Jetliner's legacy endures as the term "Jetliner" is frequently used to refer to any jet-powered airliner.