Bert Scott

Originally from Ireland, James Herbert Scott’s (1923 to 2012) passion for aviation began when he worked as an apprentice for Shorts Brothers aerospace company. He was involved with the construction of four-engine Sterling bombers and Short Sunderland flying boats. After arriving in Canada, he took his qualifying exams for the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario (OSPE), becoming a Mechanical Engineer in 1952. He was hired by Orenda Engines and worked as the Engine Test Equipment Design lead on the cells used to perform test runs on engines. The test cells were located on the current-day site of the International Centre.

Bert played a prominent role in the development of the most powerful jet engines in the world. After the AVRO Arrow Program was cancelled, Bert was offered a job at NASA as part of the space program. He declined and instead joined Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), working in the Nuclear Power Plant Division, located at Sheridan Park in Mississauga.

The Museums of Mississauga has a large collection of items related to the work of Bert Scott including Avro Arrow memorabilia, models, samples and training material for the test cell operations at Orenda.