Aerospace Technology

The hidden date for this stamp can be found along the bottom edge of the stamp.

Canada has many reasons to be proud of its presence on the international stage and, among these, few are so well known as our achievements in the fields of high technology. Four high-tech sectors have been particularly important to our economy, and each of these will be the subject of domestic-rate (45¢) stamp release scheduled for 15 February, 1996. Darrell Corriveau, Glenda Rissman and Peter Scott of Q30 Design Inc collaborated on the design of High Technology Industries. The Toronto firm's previous experience includes the design of The Holocaust commemorative stamp and the award-winning International Dinosaur album published in 1993. Each stamp in the set is a blend of images that illustrate segments of a technology or industry. While each stamp is distinctive, the set is unified by a creative visual style that balances photographs with line drawing representing specific and technical elements. And because the progress of technology is so dependent on the input and creativity of industry, this series takes care to recognize the contribution of particular industries to the health of the economy and the life of country. Before the Second World War the small Canadian aerospace industry was largely based on producing planes fur bush flying in the nation's remote areas. But with the outbreak of war, it transformed rapidly into a massive industry building huge numbers of British- and US-designed aircraft. Today several Canadian aerospace companies are global leaders in a wide range of aerospace sectors. The most broadly is Bombardier Inc. with its Canadair division in Montreal and the de Havilland division in Toronto. The Canadair Challenger twin-engine jets, including the 601-3R and the Regional Jet, are among the world's most successful business aircraft. Canada continues its space role as a partner in the multi-nation space station program and in satellite programs. Spar Aerospace Ltd. of Mississauga, Ontario built the famous Canadarm of the US space shuttle program. Similarly, CAE Inc. designs and builds flight simulators for airline, military and space program use while Canadian Marconi Company makes avionics, radar systems and ground-based navigational aids. The aerospace stamp highlights three major products of the industry: propulsion systems, integrated aircraft design and manufacturing, and avionics. The stars allude to space-related projects like satellites. The left side of this stamp features a photograph of the blade of the PW305 turbofan engine manufactured by Pratt & Whitney Canada of Longueuil, PQ for medium-sized jet aircraft produced by several manufacturers, including Learjet. The aircraft shown on the stamp is a Canadair Challenger 601-3R. The right side features an avionic screen display created by Canadian Marconi Company specifically for the stamp.