Buffalo again

[C.W.E.]

Would learning to fly a DC3 proficiently be of any value to you if you got a job flying a big jet?

Or is that kind of airplane stone age as far as flying is concerned and being able to fly one would be of no value to a jet pilot?

[lownslow]

Would learning to fly a DC3 proficiently be of any value to you if you got a job flying a big jet?

Or is that kind of airplane stone age as far as flying is concerned and being able to fly one would be of no value to a jet pilot?

Proficiency on any type will be valuable experience on any other type. Variety makes a good pilot.

[Donald]

Would learning to fly a DC3 proficiently be of any value to you if you got a job flying a big jet?

Or is that kind of airplane stone age as far as flying is concerned and being able to fly one would be of no value to a jet pilot?

Hey ., what does the W stand for?

[godsrcrazy]

No one is holding a gun to anyones head. If you don't like it then don't apply and quit complaining.

[Piston_Pounder]

Those all seem like reasonable tasks for a right seat meat bag. Unless of course they are a whiny millennial? Perhaps the addition of a line saying. "Stand around breathing threw mouth while looking at phone, or stand with hands in pockets with dorky backpack on around coffee machine, telling glory day stories about Flying College/University days."
Like I said. Not a pilot shortage, just a shortage of useful ones. My condolences to Joe.

I worked at Buffalo for three years. It definitely was work but I agree with this statement completely. I decided to go to Buffalo to work hard and have an awesome experience in extreme conditions. There were lots of "whiny millenials" that came through and would only last a few weeks because it was hard work and long hours when they expected they'd only come to work to fly.
Looking back, it was the most fun three years I've had flying. I was given the opportunity to do the kinds of flying I'll never be given again. From here on out its all IFR and auto-pilot. Buffalo has a the bad stigma of treating their pilots like crap but those days are long over. I was there during the transition and it was a big difference. You won't work more hours than any other airline in Canada, Joe doesn't do favorites anymore, and they have hired non-pilot ground personnel so the pilots don't hold all the responsibility of the grunt work. After their OC was pulled, they really improved the operation. No more cutting corners.
All this being said, it's a young man's game and you do need to have a bit of a backbone to work there. The work is still hard, the hours are still long but the flying makes it worth it. The pay isn't bad either. Plus, Yellowknife is a nice place to live.
I definitely think there are less pilots willing to do this kind of work anymore which is too bad since it is such a valuable life experience.

[parallel60]

I agree with Piston Pounder. I spent 4 winters in Yellowknife, some of the best years of my life and I am still friends with the people I met up there today. I feel as if an aviation career is an adventure/journey and the Magic of the Northwest Territories fulfilled that. But thats just my opinion. At the end of the day every person everywhere is going to do what they want in the end.

[Eric Janson]

Would learning to fly a DC3 proficiently be of any value to you if you got a job flying a big jet?

Or is that kind of airplane stone age as far as flying is concerned and being able to fly one would be of no value to a jet pilot?

The answer is yes.

Things I learned flying the DC-3 at Buffalo have kept me out of trouble flying large jets all over the globe.

As a bonus I have a CV that stands out from that of almost everyone else.

"Ice Pilots" has really put Buffalo on the map globally. The reactions I get when people find out I've actually worked there are amazing.

[Donald]

It's great to hear some changes may have finally been made to the Buffalo operation.

When I operated for a competitor out of Yellowknife, the majority of mining outfits would use Buffalo to haul freight but had strict policies that no passengers were ever to be on board their aircraft.

Draw your own conclusions.

[HansDietrich]

Have you guys seen that article when Mikey "Fatty" McBryan went to CBC with a sob story about how northern carriers were in peril due to pilot shortage? If these "Swoops" would pay a little more and treated their employees better, they might have someone actually wanting to work for them. I personally would have a hard time choosing between diabetes or working for Buffalo. I would seriously have to sit and consider the pros and cons of each scenario.

[flyinhigh]

removed

[Cat Driver]

That made my morning, wow. hahaha

Laughing at someones physical size says a lot more about your character than it does about Mikes.

This industry is actually quite small in Canada and a little searching by employers may go a long way to affecting your careers.

[godsrcrazy]

Have you guys seen that article when Mikey "Fatty" McBryan went to CBC with a sob story about how northern carriers were in peril due to pilot shortage? If these "Swoops" would pay a little more and treated their employees better, they might have someone actually wanting to work for them. I personally would have a hard time choosing between diabetes or working for Buffalo. I would seriously have to sit and consider the pros and cons of each scenario.

Wow who $hit on your plate.

[SuperchargedRS]

Per that job "offer"
Uhh how about

[Black_Tusk]

Per that job "offer"
Uhh how about

Great game.

[toelessjoe]

Has anyone ever worked for Buffalo that was happy they went to work there?

Yes. Very happy, actually.

- Toeless.

[C.W.E.]

Thanks for the reply Toeless.

Of course I know there are many people who worked for Joe that were glad they did for many reasons.

[square]

Yeah don't work there. You can work anywhere. Arctic Sunwest and Air Tindi are I think great companies with a really good safety culture and upgrade opportunities.

Joe is a goddamn lunatic. I used to work out of the NWT and my boss had been partners with him long before and said, one time Joe vapour locked a Baron in Lutselke/Snowdrift and couldnt get the second engine started so he just departed with the one. I used to fly to YK same time as he would arrive, managed to pass him due to upper winds on the way in, he taxied by giving the finger out the cockpit window to me and all my passengers and crew. Then went and balled out the controllers, who then had to give us S turns to make sure he won the next race. LOL.

Another time we went in there IFR, shot the ILS for, I think it's 34? down to minimums, had nothing and did a missed approach, he was right behind us VFR, controller asked him what he wanted to do traffic ahead did a missed approach, he went in for the other runway! No precision approach. Said he would go to the beacon and hook it in visual, made it in.

Another friend of mine used to work there, loved it! Going to all these ice strips you know with buckets of oil to get back, lol which is fine, til he got to be the senior copilot and had do to the sched, Hay River to YK in the AM then back in the PM, with Joe. He said anytime he would ask him a question about what he wanted to do going into YK or anything about the flight, Joe would switch on the pilot isolation (intercom off.)

The guy is not a good place to be around

[Piston_Pounder]

Yeah don't work there. You can work anywhere. Arctic Sunwest and Air Tindi are I think great companies with a really good safety culture and upgrade opportunities.

Joe is a goddamn lunatic. I used to work out of the NWT and my boss had been partners with him long before and said, one time Joe vapour locked a Baron in Lutselke/Snowdrift and couldnt get the second engine started so he just departed with the one. I used to fly to YK same time as he would arrive, managed to pass him due to upper winds on the way in, he taxied by giving the finger out the cockpit window to me and all my passengers and crew. Then went and balled out the controllers, who then had to give us S turns to make sure he won the next race. LOL.

Another time we went in there IFR, shot the ILS for, I think it's 34? down to minimums, had nothing and did a missed approach, he was right behind us VFR, controller asked him what he wanted to do traffic ahead did a missed approach, he went in for the other runway! No precision approach. Said he would go to the beacon and hook it in visual, made it in.

Another friend of mine used to work there, loved it! Going to all these ice strips you know with buckets of oil to get back, lol which is fine, til he got to be the senior copilot and had do to the sched, Hay River to YK in the AM then back in the PM, with Joe. He said anytime he would ask him a question about what he wanted to do going into YK or anything about the flight, Joe would switch on the pilot isolation (intercom off.)


The guy is not a good place to be around

I guess you haven't read the previous posts. The topic of this post is speculation on what it's like working for Buffalo. As previously stated, Joe doesn't have a say in what goes on there and he hardly flies at all anymore. Anyways, takes a minute to read some post. Again, Buffalo has gone through some major changes and their operation is completely legit these days. Conditions and responsibilities for the pilots have changed for the better and nobody works any more than any other company as per duty time regs. Plus once you start flying, which is only a matter of months now since they hire ground personnel who aren't pilots waiting to fly, the pay is great.

On top of that, safety records? How many fatalities do those companies that you mention have on their records? How many does Buffalo have? I know this is a controversial subject and depending what aspect you are looking at to determine what's safe could make you think one way or another but saying Buffalo is unsafe is just an uneducated statement.

Edited for spelling

[Piston_Pounder]

I think a pretty accurate comment I could add would be that if you are in aviation because you figured it would be an interesting job and the market is hot, maybe Buffalo isn't for you.
If you are in aviation because you truly love to fly and you have a passion for aviation and aircraft, and you feel that you were "born to fly" then Buffalo is the perfect job. It's an awesome place to work. The only people who say otherwise are people who have never worked there or people who expected to show up to a fuelled, heated, already loaded airplane with no other jobs besides flying.

[infiniteregulus]

"Stand around breathing threw mouth while looking at phone, or stand with hands in pockets with dorky backpack on around coffee machine, telling glory day stories about Flying College/University days."

Laughed pretty hard reading this hahaha