The BEST episodes of Ice Pilots NWT
Every episode of Ice Pilots NWT ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Ice Pilots NWT!
This documentary series follows the pilots of the Yellowknife-based Buffalo Airways, which still flies Second World War airplanes to transport people around Northern Canada.
#1 - Big Boost
Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/16/2011
When a ferry breakdown causes a gasoline shortage in Yellowknife, new manager Duane begs Chuck to return and prepare the Electra for a fuel haul. Cory leads a clandestine rescue mission to retrieve an abandoned C-46 and Mikey escapes to Ottawa for a birthday joyride in a fighter jet.
#2 - Coming Home
Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/18/2012
Rookie waterbomber pilot Scott gets his first taste of action when Buffalo responds to an emergency callout to fight fires in Alberta. Mikey and Rod think they hit the jackpot when they buy a million dollar firefighting plane on eBay at a bargain price. Joe marks his 50 years of flying by returning to the place he grew up in his historic Norseman. And Arnie shows up in Yellowknife to cheer on daughter Caitlin in a cancer fundraiser.
#3 - On the Move
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/23/2009
A charter flight falls through the cracks after the McBryans attend a wild family wedding, and an irate Joe pulls captain Justin from the Turkey test flights to do the job. Justin's task is to move an impatient Brit, his dog and all his worldly possessions to a remote northern outpost, but the weather isn't cooperating. Meanwhile, Devan ponders a job offer in Africa - leaving girlfriend Jynelle to ponder their future.
#4 - Dambusters
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/19/2011
Buffalo gets into the stunt flying business when veteran pilot Arnie flies the DC-4 for the re-enactment scene of a famous WWII bombing raid. A routine C-46 flight becomes dangerous when a hole in the plane's aging exhaust system sets off the fire alarm, and Devan has to decide whether or not to shut down an engine mid-flight.
#5 - Power Struggle
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/23/2011
Duane lands a huge contract for the Electra and puts enormous pressure on mechanic Adam to prep the plane without the help of his mentor Chuck. Kelly plans her Mexican wedding, but Jynelle's sudden resignation leaves her in the lurch. The power goes out in Yellowknife, spurring Joe into crisis mode.
#6 - Expect the Unexpected
Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/11/2012
Engine troubles on the C-46 during the valley run force Devan to shut down an engine. High winds wreak havoc for Devan and his crew on another C-46 mission to help clean up an oil spill in the Northwest Territories. Scott trains on a CL-215 waterbomber and visits his mentor Arnie, then joins the waterbombing crews when Buffalo is called in to fight a massive fire in Alberta.
#7 - British Invasion
Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 3/30/2011
A potential Electra plane purchase in Coventry, England has Joe showing Mikey the ropes of international business. New dad Rod misses his daughter while away on a job.
#8 - Top of the World
Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/30/2011
The Electra flies to Alert, the northernmost settlement on Earth, forcing Adam and new senior manager Duane to work things out. Hay River rampie Tyler is on the fast track to a co-pilot seat, but first has to prove his flying ability to Buffalo's new chief pilot, Justin.
#9 - Arnie Calls It
Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 4/6/2011
While training pilots for the upcoming fire season, chief pilot Arnie makes an unexpected announcement. Joe and the whole McBryan family head to the Super Bowl of aviation - AirVenture Air Show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
#10 - Gear Up, Gear Down
Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/2/2011
Frustrated with her lack of flying and stuck in a rut as a courier driver, Audrey decides her time at Buffalo is over. Devan, Ian and Jimmy deal with a hydraulic fluid leak in the C-46 on the valley run, which forces Jimmy to crawl into the "hell hole" and crank down the landing gear by hand.
#11 - The Finish Line
Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/23/2011
A multi-stop mission to the Far North pits Devan, Scott and Adam in an ongoing battle for fuel and oil as they circuit their destinations. Audrey goes on a northern adventure escorting a team of dog mushers to the 2010 Arctic Winter Games.
#12 - Cold Start
Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/23/2013
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.
#13 - A Ball O'Snags
Season 6 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/29/2014
It’s Buffalo’s busiest winter yet, and they roll out the C-46, TXW, to fly all the freight up the Mackenzie Valley. But when one of TXW’s engines catches fire, Buffalo scrambles to find a backup plane in time for Christmas deliveries. They look to their newly purchased Electra, XFC, to fill the void, but Adam, Chuck, Brian and Mikey discover it has a cracked windshield and cannot be flown safely. Joe, Brian and Cory fly to meet Rod in Red Deer to grab a replacement windshield. When they arrive, Joe first reveals his other plans—he wants the second Electra ZFE dug out of the snowbank where it’s been sitting for months and get it up and running so that it can replace XFC on the Valley run. Rod’s upset that he wasn’t given more notice, and unloads on Mikey about Joe’s reactionary management style. Back in Yellowknife, Buffalo’s newest rampie, Prefkar Mony, is a determined young pilot from India who’s got his eyes on flying Joe’s prize planes. But first he has to adjust to life in the North—and purchasing proper winter gear is the first thing on his list
#14 - Shootout
Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/30/2013
Buffalo Airways is still reeling from the recent accident – especially mechanic Chuck. Mikey tries to lift spirits by setting up a hockey shootout against a squad of NHL players that the airline is transporting around the north. He drafts a team and Buffalo's best players – including Chuck – test their shots against Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson. Young DC-3 co-pilot David flies farther north than he's ever been, facing a mysterious landing gear problem on approach to a remote Arctic airstrip. When his captain gets flustered, the rookie has to keep his cool.
#15 - Snowplane
Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/6/2013
Joe preps for a race in an antique snowplane – a 1940s ancestor of the snowmobile, powered by an airplane engine and devoid of brakes. No one knows what will happen when he unleashes it on frozen Great Slave Lake. The water bomber crew, led by Justin and Cory, try to move their two fire-fighting planes from Turkey to a maintenance facility in Wales, but get tangled up in red tape, threatening to ruin their chance of meeting up with Iron Maiden front man Bruce Dickinson. Rampie and cocky aspiring pilot Chris Staples pushes his way onto a C-46 flight, where he makes a critical mistake. AJ makes a last-second overshoot.
#16 - Gear Lock
Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/13/2013
After a breakdown uses up the last of Joe's spare DC-3 engines, he enlists former Buffalo pilot Devan Brooks to ferry another plane all the way from Quebec. Flying 3,000 kilometres in a DC-3 that's been mothballed for 7 years, Devan faces a critical hydraulic leak at the worst possible moment. As a massive cold snap paralyzes the hangar, a major landing gear problem strikes the nightly passenger flight to Hay River. Captain Justin Simle has to make a snap decision with a full load of passengers on board – including his own newborn son.
#17 - Rock Stars and Rampies
Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/28/2013
Joe's stress over the state of his water bombers, currently being stored in Wales, sparks an angry blow up with Cory, pushing Cory and Rod to head to the UK for urgent repairs. A day of culture in London leaves the hosers cold until they hook up with their British host, Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson. But at Bruce's Welsh facility they run into snags that threaten the work. David flies with Devan in the C-46, hoping to show how much he's learned. But when David badly botches a takeoff, Devan threatens violence. Instead of flying, hotshot Aussie Will gets stuck working on the ramp in Hay River, pushing him to a harsh ultimatum.
#18 - Ice Camp
Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/4/2013
Mikey joins the Canadian Rangers for an extreme outdoor training experience farther north than he's ever been. While he's gone, a military Aurora takes refuge in Buffalo's hangar for important repairs – pushing Buffalo's own mechanics out into the bitter cold. What should be a simple fix turns into a multi-day ordeal and the Air Force has to go head-to-head with Chuck. Joe flies to California to bid on a fleet of firefighting planes that could revolutionize his company. But he discovers he has tougher competition than he ever expected.
#19 - Frozen Solid
Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/11/2013
It's Joe's 69th birthday and he's never flown a helicopter before. So Mikey plans a special gift of chopper flight lessons, complete with surprise pickup in front of the Buffalo hangar. Mikey jumps in for the ride as Joe struggles with the unfamiliar beast – and both McBryans will learn if they've finally found an aircraft that Joe can't master. Another cold snap has cut off heat and power in a small northern town. AJ and James battle a frozen engine before they can head up with a load of supplies. On the way home, an engine fire forces the crew into an emergency shutdown.
#20 - Power Crash
Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/18/2013
The Electra has become Buffalo's winter workhorse – the one plane they need to keep flying. During a High Arctic delivery mission, a 5,000-pound power unit tips off the forklift and crashes to the ground, smashing the fuselage – and sending Mikey into crisis management mode. With no backup Electras, Joe races to Atlantic Airways in Coventry, England on an urgent mission to scoop one up from other potential buyers while back at Buffalo, Mikey tries to prove he's really management material.
#21 - Target Practice
Season 5 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/15/2014
The Electra is still working around the clock and Buffalo is ready to pick up another, the second of its new British acquisitions. Joe and Mikey head across the Atlantic to fly home their new baby, ending an era of British aviation. Devan preps for fire season with some wild target practice in the DC-4 to see if his aim lives up to his cockiness. When James' son enters the local soapbox derby, James builds a Buffalo-style racer and finds out how his ugly green machine stacks up against the slick and pretty competition.
#22 - Five Seasons
Season 5 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/29/2014
It's been a wild five years for ICE PILOTS NWT. To celebrate the milestone, we pull back the curtain for an inside glimpse into the production of the TV show, and allow the cast of Buffalo characters to reflect on how it's affected their lives, for better or for worse. And we meet the cameramen who navigate prickly personalities and brave minus-forty conditions to capture the footage that has made ICE PILOTS NWT a cult phenomenon.
#23 - Ice Storm
Season 6 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/5/2014
Chief Pilot AJ Decoste is flying up the Mackenzie Valley with Buffalo’s newest Electra, XFC, for the first time. Mechanic Cory Dodd is along for the ride to do some training as a Flight Engineer. They try to make their deliveries before a storm rolls in but when they land in Norman Wells, they are faced with gale force winds. When their takeoff is delayed by two incoming planes, AJ is forced to shut down and wait out the storm in Norman Wells. Later, on their approach to Tulita, they face even stronger winds gusting over 40 knots. Over in Hay River, things go from bad to worse when a warm weather system brings the threat of a rare ice storm. Two daily skeds arrive from Yellowknife and the rampies have to batten down the DC-3s in preparation for a long, rough night—the worst storm in fifty years. And the newest rampie, CJ Asaf, just can’t seem to fit in. Rampie Prefkar is tasked with training CJ on the Hay River delivery route, but Prefkar can’t handle CJ or his attitude.
#24 - Checkflight
Season 6 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/19/2014
Buffalo Joe has been a captain on the daily sked for 34 years and his 70th birthday is next week. Joe might have to stop flying if he doesn’t pass his medical and that could spell the end of Buffalo. Before Joe leaves to undergo five days of medical tests at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona, he calls two rampies, Sam Storm and Jeff Tapper, into his office to greenlight their DC-3 checkflights. Both Jeff and Sam have slogged away for eight months waiting for this chance. But on flight day, Sam is sick to his stomach from eating bad eggs the night before. Sam is not about to let a bad egg beat him and he helps Jeff prep DC-3, LFR. Just before takeoff, nausea wins—Sam has no choice but to back out and there’s no telling when he’ll get another chance. Jeff, on the other hand, has to overcome the jitters that have haunted him ever since he was in a crash landing earlier in the year. Mikey, Rod and his family prepare to greet Joe with a birthday cake shaped like a DC-3. At the last minute, Mikey gets a call that Joe isn’t coming back today; instead he’s decided to celebrate his own way—going for a ride in a classic 1940 Boeing Stearman biplane.
#25 - Second Chances
Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/26/2014
Newly minted copilot Jeff Tapper is excited for his first revenue DC-3, but his inexperience shows when he botches the approach and bounces the landing three times, nearly running off the runway. Meanwhile, for new rampie Prefkar Mony to realize his dream of becoming a DC-3 pilot, he needs to first pass the written IATRA test. He’s been studying for months, but on his first attempt, he fails. With the help of pilot/mechanic Chris Staples, Prefkar retakes the test and passes, but his victory celebration is short-lived when he’s blamed for leaving an expensive shipment of medicine marked “Do Not Freeze” in a courier van during a minus 30 weekend. Later, Mikey and Katie decide to find Joe a new dog and choose Muffy, a three-year-old dog from the SPCA who is ready to leave her pups. They bring her back to the hangar for a test drive. Joe brings DC-3 CUE out of retirement to test fly the plane for Buffalo’s summer sked duty and he brings along Jeff—and Muffy—to see if they’re Buffalo material.