In Yellowknife, Arctic Air, a new TV show takes wing
For decades, TV shows have been tuned into the North’s mystery and romance. Think: North of 60, Ice Road Truckers, Ice Pilots NWT, Northern Exposure, and so on. Now there’s Arctic Air, a new CBC drama series debuting in January. It’s about a daring, dashing pilot-turned-businessman who returns home to Yellowknife to run Arctic Air, a small airline founded by his late father. Ian Weir, the show’s lead writer, gave Up Here a sneak preview.
UH: So give us the scoop. What’s the show’s plot?
IW: The story deals with the return of Bobby Martin, played by Adam Beach. It’s very much a story about a homecoming and a man rediscovering who he is. He’s not one of the primary pilots because his background is business, but by Episode Two he’s flying. He’s not the world’s greatest pilot and he’s rusty as hell. He’s a guy who believes in taking risks.
UH: What sort of risks?
IW: Virtually all the episodes contain an action/adventure component, whether it’s the perils of flying in the conditions you can get into in the North, the huge distances involved, the isolation, or the massive challenge of flying at 40 below, when things start going wrong at a daunting rate.
UH: After Ice Pilots NWT, why another show about Northern flying?
IW: I think when Canadians close their eyes and imagine what it is to be Canadian, the image of the North factors very powerfully. We’re an Arctic country. So much of our history has to do with exploring, with dealing with the elements and the kinds of challenges the North embodies.
UH: Think you could hack it as a bush pilot?
IW: Not in a million years. I admire them all to hell. I can’t imagine attempting it myself.
