| Genre: | Reality |
| Creator: | David Gullason |
| Director: | Lionel Goddard Brad Quenville John Driftmier |
| Starring: | Chuck Adams Jeff Schroeder Sean Barry Scott Blue Devan Brooks Gord Cooling Corey Dodd Jynelle Glenn Duane Hicks Joe McBryan Mikey McBryan Justin Simle Arnie Schreder Kelly Jurasevich AJ Decoste Jeremy Dow Audrey Marchand Wilf Darr Ray Weber |
| Narrated: | Michael Daingerfield |
| Opentheme: | "Fly Away" - Lenny Kravitz (Canadian broadcast) "Airplanes" - David Usher (American broadcast) |
| Country: | Canada |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 6 |
| Num Episodes: | 65 |
| List Episodes: | List of Ice Pilots NWT episodes |
| Executive Producer: | Gabriela Schonbach Michael Chechik David Gullason |
| Producer: | David Gullason |
| Editor: | Diana Bodnar Larry Raskin Peter Steel Deane Bennet Al Flett |
| Location: | Yellowknife, NWT Hay River, NWT |
| Runtime: | Approximately 45 minutes |
| Company: | Omni Film Productions |
| Channel: | History Television |
| Related: | Ice Road Truckers |
Ice Pilots NWT (known in the UK and the US as Ice Pilots[1]) is a reality television series broadcast on History Television that portrayed Buffalo Airways, an airline based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada.[2] Buffalo mainly flies WWII-era piston powered propeller planes as well as Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprop aircraft year-round in northern Canada. The show ran from November 18, 2009, to December 17, 2014, comprising six seasons.
Ice Pilots premiered on November 18, 2009.[3] The show was renewed for a second season with filming completed on August 2, 2010. The season premiere was aired on History Television January 12, 2011. Season 3 was greenlit on August 18, 2010, and began airing on October 12, 2011.[4] In the UK, series 2 was shown on Quest commencing May 2011. The episodes in season 4 have been shown on the Discovery Channel in the UK.[1] 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.[5]
On February 2, 2012 The Weather Channel announced that it was adding Ice Pilots to its primetime lineup. On March 5, 2012, the show started airing on The Weather Channel, starting with seasons 1 and 2.[6]
The National Geographic Channel no longer airs the show regularly, though it does occasionally broadcast episodes.
Ice Pilots NWT has been recognized with two Gemini Awards in 2011 for Best Original Music for a Lifestyle/Practical Information or Reality Program or Series and Best Photography in an Information Program or Series.[7]
On July 27, 2012, Bruce Dickinson, lead singer of Iron Maiden, flew up from Edmonton to Yellowknife with Buffalo Airways. On July 28, Dickinson, who holds an airline transport pilot's license, flew a Douglas DC3 to Yellowknife and spent a day being filmed as a guest star for a season four episode.[8]
On September 24, 2013, the Ice Pilots NWT Facebook page aired the first season 5 trailer, as well as the season 5 premiere date of October 23, 2013.
On January 15, 2014, the season 6 production was announced. Promos for season six stated that it would be the final season. It premiered on October 29, 2014. The final episode aired on December 17, 2014. The final episode covered a parachute jump over the D-Day remembrance period of June 2014.[9]
As of June 2023, it can be watched on Pluto TV.[10]
The cast/crew of Ice Pilots NWT consists of the following people:[11]
| Person | Role | Seasons | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanic/in-flight engineer | Resigned from Buffalo early in season 3 but returned in season 4 | ||
| First Officer | DC-3, C-46 and Electra Co-Pilot | ||
| First Officer | Resigned from Buffalo in season 4 to work for First Air. Electra and DC-4 Co-Pilot | ||
| First Officer | C-46 and CL215 Co-Pilot, Electra Flight Engineer | ||
| Captain | DC-3 Captain, C-46 Co-Pilot | ||
| Captain | Resigned from Buffalo after season 4 for farm work in Ontario, but returned to Buffalo in season 5 for contracted operations. C-46, DC-3, and DC-4 Captain | ||
| Captain | Resigned from Buffalo and joined First Air. DC-3 and C-46 Captain. | ||
| Chief Pilot | Succeeded Justin Simle as Chief Pilot in season 6. DC-3, C-46, DC-4 and Electra Captain. | ||
| CL-215 lead engineer | Trained to become an Electra flight engineer in season 6 | ||
| Ramp hand | Laid off after season 1 taping | ||
| Ramp hand | Resigned late in season 3 and joined Wabusk Air | ||
| Ramp hand and co-pilot | C-46 Co-Pilot | ||
| Aircraft engineer AME | |||
| Mechanic/in-flight engineer | |||
| Mechanic | Featured in season 3 episode 11. Died on September 1, 2012, in a drowning accident[12] | ||
| Ramp hand and co-pilot | DC-3, DC-4 and Electra Co-Pilot | ||
| Courier manager | Married to Devan Brooks (have a child in season 4), resigned early in season 3; made an appearance in season 5 visiting Yellowknife with their son | ||
| Captain | Electra Captain | ||
| Senior manager | Finished at Buffalo late in season 3; assisted Mike McBryan in season 4 during an auction. | ||
| Cargo manager | Resigned from Buffalo in season 4. Died on January 10, 2017.[13] | ||
| Ramp hand and co-pilot | Resigned early in season 3 to work as a Westjet cabin crew member (eventually worked at Air Creebec); co-piloted a DC-3 with Devan Brooks to Buffalo's maintenance facility in Red Deer, Alberta in season 5 after getting a few days off her job | ||
| President of Buffalo Airways and captain | |||
| Hay River manager | Middle child of Joe McBryan | ||
| General manager | Youngest child of Joe McBryan | ||
| Director of maintenance/ Accountable Executive | Oldest child of Joe McBryan; became Buffalo's accountable executive (in charge of ensuring the airline adheres to all Transport Canada regulations), taking over from his father | ||
| Co-pilot and Ramp hand | Trialed at Buffalo in season 4 after quitting her job as a dental assistant back in Toronto; returned to Buffalo on a full-time basis in season 5 | ||
| Former Chief Pilot | Retired late in season 2, but returned in seasons 3 and 4. Died on May 5, 2012, of small-cell lung cancer[14] | ||
| Chief Pilot | Became Chief Pilot in season 3 after Arnie Schreder's retirement; left Buffalo after season 5 to start his own airline. DC-3, DC-4 and CL215 Captain. | ||
| Ramp hand | Resigned from Buffalo in season 5 to fly for Air Georgian | ||
| Mechanic/in-flight engineer | |||
| Mascot and co-pilot | Died in season 6 | ||
| Ramp hand | Resigned during season 1 to return home to India | ||
| Cargo Manager / Apprenticing Mechanic / First Officer | 4 - 6 | C-46 First Officer. Appeared in several episodes. | |
| Co-pilot, bird dog pilot | DC-4 and Beech Baron Co-pilot | ||
| Captain | Retired in season 4. Electra Captain. | ||
| Ramp hand and co-pilot | Resigned in season 4 to fly for Cathay Pacific | ||
See main article: List of Ice Pilots NWT episodes.
Seasons 1 through 5 each have 13 episodes. Season 6 only has 8. It was explained that season 6 has fewer episodes than other seasons because the filming decision for a season 6 was made later than the others, leading to less footage and materials being available.[15]
| Season | Episodes | Channel | Airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | History Television | November 18, 2009 - February 13, 2010 | |
| 2 | 13 | History Television | January 12, 2011 - April 6, 2011 | |
| 3 | 13 | History Television | October 12, 2011 - January 19, 2012 | |
| 4 | 13 | History Television | November 7, 2012 - February 6, 2013 | |
| 5 | 13 | History Television | October 23, 2013 - January 29, 2014 | |
| 6 | 8 | History Television | October 29, 2014 - December 17, 2014 |
Ice Pilots NWT won several Leo Awards, Gemini Awards, and was nominated for the Canadian Screen Awards.
| List of accolades | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Award | Category | Episode | Result |
| Gemini Awards (2010) | Best Sound in an Information/Documentary Program or Series | "The Crash" | |
| Leo Awards (2010) | Best Cinematography in a Documentary Program or Series | "Transatlantic Crossing" | |
| Best Direction in a Documentary Program or Series | "Transatlantic Crossing" | ||
| Best Documentary Series | |||
| Best Overall Sound in a Documentary Program or Series | "Suspension" | ||
| Best Picture Editing in a Documentary Program or Series | "The Crash" | ||
| Best Screenwriting in a Documentary Program or Series | "Transatlantic Crossing" | ||
| Best Screenwriting in a Documentary Program or Series | "Thin Ice" | ||
| Best Sound Editing in a Documentary Program or Series | "Suspension" | ||
| Gemini Awards (2011)[16] | Best Direction in a Lifestyle/Practical Information Program or Series | ||
| Best Original Music for a Lifestyle/Practical Information or Series | |||
| Best Photography Lifestyle/Practical Information Program or Series | |||
| Best Sound in an Information/Documentary Program or Series | "Under Pressure" | ||
| Leo Awards (2012) | Best Screenwriting in a Documentary Program or Series | ||
| Best Short Documentary Program | |||
| Canadian Cinema Editors Awards (2013) | Best Editing in Lifestyle/Reality | "Crash Landing" | |
| 2nd Canadian Screen Awards (2014) | Best Documentary Series | ||
| 3rd Canadian Screen Awards (2015)[17] | Best Factual Program or Series | ||
| 4th Canadian Screen Awards (2016)[18] | Best Factual Program or Series | ||
| Best Direction in a Documentary or Factual Series | "D-Day" | ||
| Best Writing in a Factual Program or Series | "D-Day" |