Ice Pilots NWT

DocumentaryReality2009TV-PG73 episodes6 seasonsDocumentary

First aired: 2009-11-18

Synopsis

Ice Pilots NWT is a reality television series broadcast on History Canada that portrays Buffalo Airways, an airline based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. Buffalo mainly flies WWII-era propeller planes year-round in the Canadian North. It premiered on November 18, 2009. The show was renewed for a second season with filming completed on August 2nd, 2010. The season premiere was aired on History Television January 12th, 2011. Season 3 was greenlit on August 18th, 2010 and began airing on October 12, 2011. In the UK, season 2 was shown on Quest commencing May 2011. The episodes in season 4 have been shown on the Discovery Channel in the UK. Season 1 of Ice Pilots began airing on the National Geographic Channel in the US on April 22, 2011. Both Season 1 and 2 have aired in Australia on National Geographic Channel and National Geographic Channel HD and currently air on the digital channel 7 Mate.

Creators

David Gullason

Casting

  • Michael Daingerfield
    Narrator
  • Joe McBryan
    Himself, Buffalo Joe
  • Mikey McBryan
    Himself
Ice Pilots NWT Season 1 Poster

Season 1

It’s the last frontier. And these are the last of the true Arctic aviators. Young pilots with a taste for adventure have come here to earn their wings, flying vintage steel built for war. But it’s a different war now: a war against bitter cold and constant breakdowns, a war to get the job done, a war to stay alive flying in the toughest conditions on the planet. The job: to haul people and vital fuel and supplies to far flung outposts in the Canadian North. Piloting sturdy old warbirds built for punishment, they’re learning with every hard knock, pulling together even as they compete to rise up the ranks. It’s an impossible job with antique equipment in a merciless place.

Number of episodes 13

Ice Pilots NWT Season 2 Poster

Season 2

Ice Pilots NWT is back. The hit docu-series following the adventures of renegade Buffalo Airways returns for a second season of nail-biting challenges and compelling stories, featuring the pilots and crew who put it all on the line flying vintage warplanes across the Arctic. Our favourite faces and some new rookies show up for another season of thrills, chills, laughter and their most personal stories yet.

Number of episodes 13

Ice Pilots NWT Season 3 Poster

Season 3

The immensely popular docu-series following the adventures of the maverick Arctic airline, Buffalo Airways, returns for a third season. Full of white-knuckle missions and in-your-face personal stories, Season Three will enthrall viewers with tales of Buffalo's extraordinary vintage warplanes servicing remote communities in the extreme conditions of Canada's North.

Number of episodes 13

Ice Pilots NWT Season 4 Poster

Season 4

Ice Pilots NWT is back and better than ever. The hugely popular docu-series following the adventures of the maverick arctic airline Buffalo Airways returns for an action-packed fourth season. Visually stunning and emotionally gripping, Season Four takes viewers to places they - and Buffalo - have never gone before.

Number of episodes 13

Ice Pilots NWT Season 5 Poster

Season 5

This season opens with a meltdown when the C-46 suffers a major gear collapse on the runway, sending the entire Buffalo crew scrambling. As the coldest winter in decades grips Yellowknife, every pilot and mechanic in the company faces the huge challenge of keeping the aging fleet in the air. Buffalo's livelihood falls heavily on Joe's Lockheed Electra until a freak accident threatens to ground the plane. Hearing of an Electra up for sale, Joe heads on an urgent mission across the Atlantic. As the record-cold winter stretches on, a young hotshot pilot journeys all the way from Australia to earn a place in Buffalo's DC-3. And a longtime member of the Buffalo family leaves for good.

Number of episodes 13

Ice Pilots NWT Season 6 Poster

Season 6

Ice Pilots NWT is back. The hugely popular docu-series following the adventures of the renegade Arctic airline Buffalo Airways returns for a soaring sixth season. Visually stunning and emotionally gripping, Season Six takes viewers through the toughest ice storm Buffalo has ever faced. This season opens with a meltdown when the C-46 suffers an engine fire on the runway, sending the entire Buffalo crew scrambling for a back-up plane. As the coldest winter in decades grips the Northwest Territories, every rampie and rookie pilot in the company faces huge challenges, including de-icing frozen up planes. Joe’s new Electra from England isn’t faring well either, as everything from its engines to instruments fail. Aspiring DC-3 pilot Prefkar Mony from India learns about northern living the cold, cruel way and later faces the wrath of Joe when he makes a serious mistake. Greenhorn rampies Jeff Tapper and Sam Storm are put to the test with their DC-3 checkflights, as they struggle with flight plan changes, food poisoning and plain old nerves. Down in California, it’s Buffalo’s top guns vs the rookies as they challenge each other in real fighter plane dogfights. Plus, there are new adventures for the McBryan clan. It’s a crazy year, as Joe goes from celebrating his 70th birthday with a flight in an old Sterman biplane to being forced to relinquish official control of the company. Mikey sets up a big D-Day tribute jump with Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry to celebrate the 70th anniversary of D-Day.

Number of episodes 8