The linear instability of the boundary layer flow formed along an archery arrow is investigated based on
the parallel flow approximation. The present study covers a Reynolds number range 1.0 × 104 ≤ Re ≤
2.0 × 104(diameter of the arrow shaft being used as the length scale) , whose highest value corresponds to
a typical arrow velocity shot from a recurve bow. Two types of points, i.e. streamlined point and bulge,
are attached to the arrow head and the axisymmetric basic flows are numerically computed by a stream
function-vorticity method. The linear disturbances are Fourier decomposed in the axial and azimuthal
directions. A Chebyshev collocation method is used in the radial discretization. The most quickly growing
mode has the azimuthal wave number m = 2 and the second and third modes are with m = 1 and m = 3,
respectively. We find that the axisymmetric mode with m = 0 never grows in the studied Reynolds number
range. These results are common to two types of points.