Ice Pilots NWT

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 landings of their lives. Meanwhile, new arrival Alex Wagner, up north to learn to fly the Douglas DC-4, must prove himself when Buffalo's chief pilot gives him control of the 20-ton plane for the very first time. And long-suffering Mikey McBryan must redeem himself when a breakdown with his father's Douglas DC-3 forces Joe to call the backup plane into service but it's nowhere near ready.

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 Christmas food and goods. But when the landing gear on the backup C-46 gets stuck, captain Devan Brooks must turn back. Yet Joe presses Mikey in no uncertain terms; they've got to get the goods out somehow.

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' attitude impresses boss Joe, Jeremy realizes she may just jump the queue. And after the crew works all night to install gas tanks in the DC-4, hotshot new co-pilot Alex joins captain Justin Simle on a tricky fuel haul. Along the way, he grabs the chance to execute his first take-off, and get in some rare 'low flying' over the spectacular northern landscape.

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 nips at Buffalo Joe's heels, he organizes a $7-million sale of two Canadair CL-215 waterbombers to the Turkish government. A delegation arrives to seal the deal. With so much money on the line, will the contract close or will eccentric Joe say something to screw it up, as his son Mikey fears?

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 back to Yellowknife to see his wife Sonja for an important rendezvous before the dangerous journey that will keep them apart for months.

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 to the remote northern outpost of Paulatuk. But weather conditions are not cooperating and time is ticking to get Justin back and bound for Turkey. Meanwhile, Devan takes girlfriend Jynelle Glenn dog sledding for her birthday and to talk over his upcoming interview for a job flying for the UN in Africa, leaving them both uncertain what the offer might mean for their future.