James C. Floyd is one the great figures in Canada's aviation history. As chief designer for Avro Canada, Mr. Floyd played a central role in the development of some of the greatest planes ever produced in Canada - including the C102 Jetliner, the CF 100 fighter and the Avro Arrow. Members of his design and engineering team later played key roles in America's Apollo project to put a man on the Moon.
After the cancellation of the Avro Arrow project, Mr. Floyd established his own international aviation consulting company and made contributions to a number of state-of-the art projects around the world.
Mr. Floyd was consultant to the British Ministry of Technology on the Concorde project from 1965 to 1972. In 1950, he became the first non-American recipient of the Wright Bros. Medal for his work on jet transport technology - specifically the design of the Avro Canada Jetliner, the world's first regional jet passenger aircraft.
Mr. Floyd was inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame in 1993.