Ice Pilots NWT

- Season 1

(2009)

A day in the life at Buffalo Airways, as a rookie co-pilot faces an emergency landing, a hot-shot young flyer gets thrown into the hot seat and the boss' son gets in hot water. Co-pilot Scott Blue slogs it out on the Buffalo ramp to prep the vintage Curtiss C-46 Commando for its daily supply run. He's anxious to build more flying time to get the experience he needs to become a captain. And finally, he gets to fly with captain AJ Decoste. But the trip turns into much more than either of them bargained for, when a faltering engine and low fog force one of the toughest ...

It's the Christmas season and the northern communities depend on Buffalo more than ever to fly in food and supplies. But the engine in the C-46 seizes up in the tiny town of Norman Wells, stranding Scott and AJ and causing a chain reaction that pushes the whole company to the breaking point. Crusty mechanic Chuck Adams faces the challenge of replacing the entire engine - bare-handed in the minus 30 deep freeze - on the remote tarmac. Back at the Yellowknife hangar, tempers flare as cargo manager Kelly Jurasevich is pushed to the breaking point to re-route the ...

It's chief pilot Arnie Schreder's birthday, and he and Scott take Kelly along for her first ride on the daily C-46 supply run. Kelly wants to meet Buffalo's clients - especially to soothe feelings after the Christmas cargo dustup. But a string of bad luck threatens to spoil the day - and the naughty birthday surprise Kelly has waiting back at the hangar. Ramp hand (or "rampie") Jeremy Dow is desperate to move up the ranks and out of the numbing grunt work he's had to endure for the past four months. But when new rampie Audrey Marchand's enthusiasm and "can-do" ...

To move up from "rampie" to co-pilot at Buffalo, you first need to become a flight attendant. And Jeremy is determined to make it onto the next course - and beat co-worker Audrey into the co-pilot's seat. But first he has to find a way to ensure his Delhi-born protégé, the underweight and homesick Raman, can stick it out in Hay River alone. When a power failure leaves Rankin Inlet exposed to the brutal northern elements, DC-4 captain Justin must pull out the stops to try to get two massive generators up to the remote community before sundown. And when the recession ...

Captain Devan and co-pilot Scott are best buddies and roommates. But when they encounter the menace of wind shear at notorious Bear Rock, the hair-raising experience tests their friendship. Engineer Adam Smith must gut it out in minus 40 when he and AJ find themselves with a broken engine push rod on a remote airstrip. And now that the Turkish waterbomber deal has gone through, it's up to lead mechanic Cory Dodd to turn two lightweight, summertime planes into aircraft able to withstand the rigours of a North Atlantic flight in the middle of winter. Then he has to get ...

Joe's daughter Kathy is getting married in Las Vegas and Mikey has persuaded his father to take time off for the first time in seven years. Mikey does his best to make sure everything is covered while they're away. But when Joe gets back he finds that a charter has slipped through the cracks. Arnie and Justin are in Red Deer doing test flights for the risky journey to Turkey, and there's no one to fly the job. Joe personally flies to Red Deer to vent his anger - and haul Justin back. Justin's task is to move an impatient Brit, his dog and all his worldly possessions ...

A bombshell hits "Buffalo" Joe. Because he fired his flight attendant manager, the feds serve him with a suspension for not having the proper supervision. The DC-3, which he's proudly flown for 20 years, cannot leave the ground with passengers on board. It's also a setback for Jeremy and the other rampies: no flight attendant manager means no training course and no chance for anyone to move up. Then an unexpected injury delivers an even worse twist of fate. But for the Turkey team, it's finally a go. After an emotional sendoff, Arnie, Justin and the waterbomber crew ...

After the Turkey crew arrives in Newfoundland, Cory discovers a potentially dangerous leak in the fuel lines. Anxious about their limited window to depart safely, he stays behind from the cold-water survival course to fix it, while Arnie, Justin and the other pilots press on. The course is sobering; the stark dangers of what they are about to do are sinking in. Then, tragedy. A helicopter crashes off the coast of Newfoundland. Ironically, the raging winds hampering rescue efforts give the Buffalo boys their long-awaited tailwind. Will they chance the treacherous North...

On the edge of the continent, the Turkey crew fights icing danger to make the critical jump over the North Atlantic to Santa Maria in the Azores. But the next day, en route to Portugal, crew #2's right engine fails. With a plane full of slopping fuel and no power on one engine, it will take all of their ingenuity and experience to get back into Santa Maria, where the airport is on full emergency alert. In Yellowknife, Mikey and Scott page through piles of resumes to search for another trained pilot willing to endure initiation as a Buffalo rampie. Jeremy's mood ...

Joe gets a lucrative late-season contract to fly mining equipment to an airstrip on a frozen lake, sending C-46 and DC-4 crews on a race against the spring melt. But conflict erupts between Devan and a senior pilot. And when the client reports an on-site incident, Joe goes on the warpath. Though Jeremy has missed a number of flight attendant classes, he's confident he can catch up to fellow rampies Audrey and Wilf. But too much confidence just may be a dangerous thing. And over the North Atlantic, Arnie, Justin and Cory press on to Turkey, even though they have only ...

Across the world in spectacular Izmir, after thousands of hours of painstaking preparation and life-risking flying, a terrible accident devastates the Turkey crew - and everyone at Buffalo Airways. In Yellowknife, the spring melt is well underway, and northerners are finding ways to celebrate, from checking out the melting waterfalls to racing jet boats onto the remaining river ice. It's also Wilf's first run as flight attendant on the DC-3 - for which he insists on wearing a shirt and tie to the consternation of the entire company. It's the final push Jeremy needs to...

Cargo manager (and unofficial Buffalo den mother) Kelly has problems enough when Jynelle's holiday leaves her shorthanded. But when her engineer husband Juan quits on the spot after a blowout with Joe, Kelly is left in a terrible position. Will Kelly stay - or will she go? Scott also gets bad news: he must stand down from flying so a rival co-pilot can be fast-tracked to captain. Scott pulls out all the stops to secure a new contract flying practically to the North Pole, which will get him back in the pilot's seat. But his rival is also interested in this new dream ...

After her husband's acrimonious departure from Buffalo, Kelly has a confrontation that decides whether she, too, will quit. Jeremy makes a mistake that could end his Buffalo career. An aviation gas shortage brings a sobering dose of reality to the McBryans. And after a visit from his mom, fate throws Scott an unexpected curve ball. When the dust settles, someone will be leaving Buffalo Airways.