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Airline based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Buffalo Airways is a family-run airline based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, established in 1970. Buffalo Airways was launched by Bob Gauchie[5][6] and later sold to one of his pilots, Joe McBryan (aka "Buffalo Joe"). It operates charter passenger, charter cargo, firefighting, and fuel services, and formerly operated scheduled passenger service. Its main base is at Yellowknife Airport. It has two other bases at Hay River/Merlyn Carter Airport and Red Deer Regional Airport. The Red Deer base is the main storage and maintenance facility.[7] The airline is also the subject of the History television reality series Ice Pilots NWT.
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Yellowknife base of Buffalo Air | |||||||
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| Founded | 13 May 1970 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AOC # | 5319[2] | ||||||
| Hubs | Yellowknife Airport | ||||||
| Secondary hubs | Hay River/Merlyn Carter Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 55 + 2,[3] + 1[4] | ||||||
| Parent company | Buffalo Airways Limited | ||||||
| Headquarters | Hay River, Northwest Territories, Canada | ||||||
| Key people | Joe McBryan (President) | ||||||
| Website | http://www.buffaloairways.com/ | ||||||
In 2007, Buffalo Airways began producing a clothing line that included T-shirts, hoodies, and hats. With the introduction of the Canwest Global (now Shaw Media) television show Ice Pilots NWT, Buffalo has expanded its clothing company to feature over 30 products and launched a full-service product website called BuffaloAirWear.com. The show, which is produced by Omnifilm Entertainment and shown on History, features the day-to-day operations at Buffalo Airways.[8][9]
In 2011, Buffalo Airways was involved in a recreation of the historic Dam Busters raids of World War II, flying the mission, with their own plane and pilots. Buffalo dropped an inert reproduction of the 'Upkeep' bouncing bomb from their Douglas DC-4. The project was documented in the television show Dambusters Fly Again in Canada, Dambusters: Building the Bouncing Bomb in the United Kingdom, and Nova season 39 episode "Bombing Hitler's Dams" in the United States. A behind-the-scenes look was also filmed in the Ice Pilots NWT season 3 episode 2 show "Dambusters".[10][11][12][13][14][15]
In 2012, Arctic Air, a Canadian aviation drama, used Buffalo Airways hangar as a backdrop for scenes in the show. During a tour of Buffalo Airways' hangar, given by Director of Operations, Mikey McBryan, he explained how the TV show used tarps to cover the Buffalo Airways insignia.[16]
On 27 July 2012, Bruce Dickinson, lead singer of Iron Maiden, flew up from Edmonton to Yellowknife with Buffalo Airways. On 28 July, Dickinson, who holds an airline transport pilot licence, flew a Douglas DC-3 to Yellowknife and spent a day as a guest star for a season five episode.[17]
In August 2019, owner Joe McBryan was made a member of the Order of the Northwest Territories to honour his work in aviation.[18][19]
Buffalo operates a courier service as Buffalo Air Express which started in 1982–1983 by shipping cargo by truck to Hay River and flown into Yellowknife. It offers service throughout the Northwest Territories (NWT) and Northern Alberta. In association with Global Interline Network it can ship around the world from bases in Yellowknife, Edmonton and Hay River.[20][21] In 2023, it launched the first dedicated direct cargo route between Edmonton and Yellowknife on its newly acquired Boeing 737-300SF to meet the demands of next-day freight delivery.[22][23]
Under contract for the NWT Government, Buffalo Airways operate and maintain aircraft used in the aerial firefighting program. Aircraft include both bird dog and waterbombers. The waterbombers are assisted by smaller aircraft known as "bird dogs" which are used to help spot wildfires as well as guide waterbombers during operations
Current water bomber aircraft include eight amphibious Air Tractor 802 Fireboss and two specially converted Lockheed L-188 Electra. Bird Dog aircraft include the Gulfstream/Rockwell 690, and the Beech King Air.[21][24][25][26]
Former aircraft used include the amphibious Canadair CL-215, the Douglas C-54/DC-4, and the Canso PBY-5.
Buffalo's aviation school offers an aircraft maintenance engineer program and several other courses. According to Transport Canada listings, the school has three aircraft: two are single-engine fixed wing airplanes, an Aeronca Champion and a Fleet Canuck, and the third is a Robinson R22 helicopter. The Buffalo website also lists a Bell 206 helicopter and a Beech 90 King Air.[3][24]
The airline operated scheduled passenger services between Hay River and Yellowknife from August 1986 until November 2015. However, due to the suspension of its Air Operator Certificate, scheduled service was replaced in December 2015, when the company chartered aircraft to make the run. The charter service was cancelled on December 24.[25][26]
As of Spring 2019, Buffalo has not resumed passenger service and currently does not have trained flight attendants, making passenger service unlikely in the near future. The airline carried over 186,000 passengers from 1986 to 2015.[25][26]
Scheduled cargo services transport supplies from Yellowknife to Deline, Fort Good Hope, Norman Wells, and Tulita under contract with the Government of the Northwest Territories. The service also includes an airport shuttle and a medical transfer bus. Buffalo also offers charters on their passenger aircraft across Canada in addition to cargo charters.[27]
As of March 2024, according to Transport Canada, Buffalo Airways' fleet numbered 55, with two more aircraft registered to the Buffalo School of Aviation.[3] In addition, the United States Federal Aviation Administration had one aircraft registered to Buffalo Airways USA.[4]
| Aircraft | No. of aircraft | Variants | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Tractor | 8 | AT-802 | ||
| Beechcraft Baron | 2 | 95-C55, 95-D55 | Bird dog, used to spot fires and guide waterbombers[28] | |
| Beechcraft 1900 | 1 | 1900D | ||
| Beechcraft King Air | 5 | 100 & A100 | Bird dog | |
| Boeing 737 | 1 | 737-300 | Freighter B737-301SF, first flight 1 October 1986, manufacturer serial number 23512, last registered as EC-LJI, not in active service since 2016.[29] Bought by Buffalo Airways from Swiftair.[30] This will be the first jet aircraft operated by Buffalo since their founding in 1970. Registration C-FBAE. | |
| Canadair CL-215 | 4 | Waterbombers | ||
| Cessna 185 Skywagon | 1 | 185E | ||
| Cessna 310 | 1 | 310Q | ||
| Convair CV-340 | 1 | CV-340 | ||
| Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando | 2 | C-46D, C-46F | Cargo | |
| de Havilland Twin Otter | 1 | DHC-6 Series 200 | ||
| Douglas C-47 Skytrain | 1 | C-47A | Passenger / cargo / combi, wheels and wheel skis, not listed at Buffalo web site | |
| Douglas C-54 Skymaster | 11 | C-54A, C-54E, C-54G | Formerly used for cargo and aerial firefighting. Retired in favour of using Electras.[31] As of March 2024, eleven were listed for sale by Buffalo.[32] | |
| Douglas DC-3 | 5 | DC-3C, DC3C-S1C3G | Passenger / cargo / combi. Wheels and wheel skis. | |
| Fleet 80 Canuck | 1 | Buffalo School of Aviation, aircraft returned to flying condition in the summer of 2020. | ||
| Gulfstream 690/Rockwell 690 | 2 | 690C | Bird Dog. Not listed at Buffalo web site | |
| Lockheed L-188 Electra | 9 | L-188A, L-188C | Cargo and bulk fuel transport as well as aerial firefighting (waterbombers) | |
| Lockheed P-3 Orion | 1 | P-3A | Waterbomber; Buffalo Airways USA Inc - N922AU.[4][33] As of May 2019 operated by AirSpray in California.[34] | |
| Robinson R22 | 1 | R22 Beta | Buffalo School of Aviation, helicopter | |
| Total | 58 | |||
Reports show that Buffalo owns a Douglas DC-6, a Swingtail DC-6, and the only one of the two made that still survives. It was bought by Buffalo Airways[35][36][37] and ferried to Hay River on 20 June 2013[38] As of August 2019 the aircraft has not been registered in Canada - (formerly N434TA) - stored Hay River.
This Buffalo Airways DC-3 flew on D-Day dropping paratroopers over Normandy as part of 512 Squadron. KG330 left RAF Broadwell for Operation Tonga at precisely 23:15. It would have been part of 'C' flight as it crossed the English Channel towards its drop zone. The exact location for the drop was 4.8 km (3 mi) inland between Cabourg and Ouistreham, just north of the heavily-defended city of Caen. It would be dropping the 9th Parachute Battalion as part of the 6th Airborne Division. The paratroopers the plane dropped were sent to destroy a heavy coastal battery and to position themselves on the canal between Caen and the port at Ouistreham. The coastal defence had earlier been successfully bombed by 100 Avro Lancaster bombers of RAF Bomber Command. No casualties were reported, and the aircraft returned to base at 03:35.[39][40][41]
On 30 November 2015, Transport Canada suspended Buffalo Airways' Air Operator Certificate, citing the airline's poor safety record. This prohibited Buffalo Airways from operating commercial air services until it could prove that it is capable of meeting all safety regulations on a consistent basis.[42] Service was maintained using chartered aircraft.[43] On 12 January 2016, the license was reinstated.[44]
Buffalo Airways has nine accidents listed by the Aviation Safety Network, none of which had any fatalities.[45] In addition to the Aviation Safety Network, there are two more reported incidents that were investigated by the Transportation Board of Canada. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is an independent agency that advances transportation safety by investigating occurrences in the marine, pipeline, rail, and air modes of transportation.
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