Chasing Arrows: An Avro Arrow Story

Chasing Arrows Pilot Episode:

Log-line:

In a hanger in Strathmore, Alberta, volunteers are building a flying supersonic Jet, the Arrow II. They’re doing it to answer one big question: Can Canadians still do big things?

Story:

2025 is a year of change for Canadians. Old alliances fade, new alliances form, and Canada will rise or fall by what we do next. Once again we protect our waters, our Arctic, our skies from Russia, China, even the United States. Meanwhile in a hangar in Strathmore, Alberta, a group of intrepid volunteers are recreating one of Canada’s greatest national symbols: The Avro Arrow.

The Arrow II is a 60% size flying replica of the original Avro Arrow, the legendary plane from the golden years of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Volunteers have been rebuilding this Canadian symbol for over 25 years. Much like the builders of the original plane, they’ve had to invent new methods and tech to accomplish their goal. This year, however, is a year of challenge: money is running out, and advanced airplane systems make the final years of the construction the most difficult yet. However, in the face of Alberta separatism and threats to our sovereignty from our closest neighbour mean that we need Canadian symbols more than ever. We follow this group of passionate Canadians as they sacrifice everything to make their dream a reality, and right a historical wrong. It’s 2025, but the roots of this story go much deeper.

Flashback: 1945 was also a year of change: the Second World War ended, Canada was left with a defence industry many times its own size. As the Soviet threat arose in Europe, the nuclear age brought many dangers to our skies, and it fell to Canada to defend North America fom the menace of bombers from Russia.

The Avro Arrow was the most advanced interceptor of its time, a plane that was faster and more high-tech than anything in the world, demanded by the RCAF to intercept Russian planes carrying Nuclear bombs. It existed, and Canadian engineering was briefly the best on the planet. But like so many Canadian stories, this one ends in tragedy. All the Arrows were destroyed, the engineers and craftsmen moved to other countries, and a chapter closed on Canadian sovereignty. With the beginning of the Defence Procurement Agreement with the United States, the dream of building our own fighter planes was lost.

…Back to the hanger in Strathmore, AB: in a project spanning a generation, beginning with a model built by Doug Hyslop for the CBC TV movie in 1997, and ending with the first flight of the Arrow II sometime around 2027, dedicated volunteers will have given decades of their lives to the dream of flight. When finished, the Arrow II will be the fastest home-built plane ever created.

This is NOT a story about a plane. This is a story about the people who build it. It’s a story about Mike Ward, who on his deathbed begged the doctor for three more years to see the Arrow II fly. It’s about Steve Rose, who will be the first to risk his life flying a plane that’s only been proven in the simulator. It’s about Coralee and Mackenzie Hilton, who were sucked into the story of the Arrow and who run the Avro Museum in Strathmore, dedicated to the stories of the genius people who made the original Arrow fly.

All this takes place against the background of today’s Canada, a nation that sometimes forgets itself: that we are a nation who can and has done great things, and are doing them again, everyday.

Why must I make this film? I’m a Calgary native who resides in Quebec, I’m often a skip away from Strathmore. This story of the redemption of a Canadian icon captured my imagination immediately, like so many others, after I saw the 1997 CBC film about the Arrow. This led me to the Arrow Museum. As a fan of the Avro Museum there, I’ve become friends either many of the volunteers as I visit and shoot every time I’m down. I have travelled this beautiful country from coast-to-coast, learned both official languages, and bleed Canadian. We need to celebrate and remember the great things we’ve done, and believe in the great things we do every day. Previous films I’ve done have covered nostalgia topics with care and love, and I know that deep down what’s most important is not the Arrow itself, but the people building it, both then (in history) and now (Noah Leon, DOP-Editor).

Interviewees/Subjects

The film features interviews with real volunteers Stephen Rose, Coralee Hilton, Rob Pyle, and many many others, and with Arrow experts such as Russell Isinger BA, MA (University of Saskatchewan), Erin Gregory (Canadian Air and Space Museum, Ottawa), authors Palmiro Campagna and Marc-André Valiquette, Lieutenant-General Joseph Aimé Jean Yvan Blondin CMM, CD (retired commander of the RCAF), Carolyn Parrish (Mayor of Mississauga and former MP) and others. It blends the story of the original Arrow with the story of the Arrow II, and above all tells the stories of the people who work to see her fly again.

Episodes Synopses

• Chapter 1: Jet Engines in a Fibreglass Body. In this pilot episode, we meet two of the volunteers and first see the Arrow II. Unfortunately, it ends in tragedy as one of the members passes away unexpectedly. This is also a brief intro to the historical environment that the original Arrow was born into (to be delved into more detail later).
• Chapter 2: Waiting with Cutting Torches. Why were all copies of the Arrow destroyed? And why are fans still scarred by this violence today. If Canada was a person, this would be our PTSD. Volunteers explain the most difficult part of the Arrow’s story to come to terms with, her destruction. The volunteers keep working, building fuel tanks and musing about how great it will be to fly in the Arrow II.
• Chapter 3: Dream Simulator: The Arrow II guys are building their plane first on the simulator, just like the original Avro engineers did. In this episode a sceptic is converted, and we learn that the first Arrow flew first in a a computer, except that computer was the size of a warehouse.
• Chapter 4: Missing the (Bo)marc. The government of the day declared the Arrow obsolete, then it replaced it with an obsolete American missile system. Today defence procurement follows this same pattern, right up until the (almost) procurement of the Boeing SuperHornet. Meanwhile, the guys and girls at the museum struggle with a materials issue when attaching the plane’s tail.
• Chapter 5: ORENDA is the Magic Word. The Avro Museum gets two jet engines from an old Learjet, and then is gifted two more. These engines are related to the legendary ORENDA engine which was an accidental casualty of the Arrow’s cancellation. We dive into what made these engines so great.
• Chapter 6: Declassified. Thanks to Palmiro Campagna and others, documents of record are now finally open to scrutiny. At the Avro Museum, too, there are boxes of files lifted from Avro Canada that were presumed destroyed by the government. However, this new knowledge has shed light on the real reasons for the cancellation and destruction of the OG Arrow.
• Chapter 7: The Vale of Eden. There are other Arrow replicas, like the one in Edenvale, Ontario, or Wetaskawin, Alberta. They don’t fly, but a visit there gives an idea of the immensity of the Arrow project, and the sheer beauty of the plane. Following musician Gord as he visits hallowed ground and can only respond in song.
• Chapter 8: Paul Coffey’s New Bling. Aldrwoman Carolyn Parrish has a pet project, and it’s going to cost millions. But, Paul Coffey park with have an Avro Arrow replica to stand beside its existing CF100. What could the guys in Springfield do with that kind of money? In fact, money woes are starting to become a problem to the continuation of work at the museum. Will they make it to 2027?
• Chapter 9: Diefenbaker’s Comuppance. Diefenbaker is often raked over the coals for his decision to cancel the original Arrow. But not everyone blames the Dief’ for what turns out to be a controversial game of blame. Can we let the Chief off the hook?
• Chapter 10: Parallel Dreams. There is one casualty of the cancellation of the Arrow who is insufficiently mourned: The Avro Jetliner. Paul Davies and (insert name here) argue that the most bitter pill for Canadian aviation is the loss of the Avro Jetliner, arguably the first and finest jet passenger plane in the world which, like the Arrow, survives only in pieces at the Canadian Air and Space museum. What lessons does this hold for how we deal with Bombardier, among others in 2025 and beyond.
• Chapter 11: Tailspin. The Arrow II team struggle with materials and challenges in attaching the tail of the plane. We learn more about the incredible forces that the final aircraft will come under, and how much of a risk the team is actually taking.
• Chapter 12: Gearing up. The Arrow II team struggles to get the landing gear for the Arrow II manufactured and installed. Will it safely hold the behemoth plane when full of fuel?
• Chapter 13: Trials and Tribulations. Taxi-trials begin for the Arrow II, as the date for the launch gets closer, tears are shed as the plane takes to the runway, engines running, wheels turning.
• Chapter 14: Dreams Take Flight. This is the moment the team has been waiting for, when dreams fly, or don’t. Which will it be? The riskiest part of the entire enterprise takes place.
• Chapter 15: Paint the Clouds. The Arrow II gets painted and attends its first airshow.

Production Stills:

Promotional Materials:

Demo episode:

Social media posts:

Crowdfunding attempts:

Branding and logos:

Crew Bios:

Noah Leon (DOP-Editor) grew up in Calgary, Alberta, with a brief interlude overseas with his family, and moved to Montreal, Quebec in 2004. He always loved making films. The technical aspects are thrilling to him, but what really hooked him was the way people respond to good films. His first films were for his classmates, using his dad’s video camera and editing with a VCR. They included special effects, animation, sound and music, and motion graphics. Over the years the technology has improved, and Noah still loves what he does. In 2018 he screened his first feature film, Love Notes to Newton before a packed audience in Silicon Valley. The screening was attended by Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple. It was a great moment for Noah, one that he hopes to achieve again one day. Recently, he has DOP-edited three acclaimed feature documentaries for CBC’s Absolutely Canadian stream with his good friend, Director Evan Beloff. His guiding principle is “Make Meaningful Media.” Stories have to be worth telling, celebrating, joyful, challenging. They also have to be told in a way that is enjoyable to watch and make you glad you did.

Creative Director Frank Orlando is often referred to as a, “jack-of-all-creative trades, a veritable renaissance man of imagination“. At least that’s what I told them to call me. 

With with three decades of experience, I specialize in design and marketing consultancy for small business and non-profit organizations. I’ve collaborated with clients across diverse sectors, all while championing the idea that creativity and innovative solutions should be accessible to everyone. Gather like minds, spread joy. 

My guiding philosophy, “Gather like minds, spread joy,” is a call to unite individuals who share similar values, ideas, and passions, fostering a supportive and collaborative environment.

Together, we create a space where we can exchange ideas and inspire one another. By connecting like-minded individuals, we cultivate creativity, innovation, and support, leading to stronger relationships and a safer atmosphere for growth.

Through this collaboration and shared creativity, a positive and uplifting environment can flourish. “Spread Joy” emphasizes making meaningful contributions to each other’s lives, enhancing well-being, one person at a time.

Altogether, “Gather like minds, spread joy“, aspires to be a vision of collaboration that not only focuses on achieving goals but also highlights the positive impact and fulfillment that comes from working together joyfully and supportively.