Ice Pilots Started

[godsrcrazy]

Just my thoughts.

I second your thoughts.

Ice pilots is a TV show, the show and reality are not always the same.

For all the pilots here who bring up the " Get killed card "

How many pilots have been killed working for Buffalo Airways since they started many decades ago?

Cat i have to say i totally disagree with you on this one. Just because no one has been killed in many buffalo crashes over the years does not make them any safer then any other northern operator.
I know of a few crashes that should have claimed lives.
1. The DC3 that crashed short of the Fort Simpson airport into the trees. No fire because there was no fuel left.
2. DC4 that crashed in ULU. Hear say is there were more people on board then seats.
3. DC4 that crashed in Diavik.
4. DC4 that lost breaking and went over the end of the strip in Jericko with Fuel that poorer through that cockpit from the interior tanks.

Now all that being said i would have to say this show really does paint Joe in a bad light. For those of us that know of Joe we all know the truth. Joe is probably one of the most giving person you could meet. Joe has donated countless hours on the DC3 to kids hockey teams etc over the years and all he asked for was gas money and crew costs. The list is long of things Joe has donated over the years all while staying under the lime light before Ice Pilots.

Is this show hurting buffalo that is hard to say. Most large exploration and mining companies in the North quit using Buffalo years ago for various reasons. The biggest being their fleet is not modern enough for most of these companies. They probably make more profit selling tea shirts and hats because of Ice pilots then they do flying them old birds.

[Beefitarian]

Most large exploration and mining companies in the North quit using Buffalo years ago for various reasons. The biggest being their fleet is not modern enough for most of these companies. They probably make more profit selling tea shirts and hats because of Ice pilots then they do flying them old birds.

Some suggest they make a good amount of money delivering food and supplies when it gets too cold for the modern aircraft to fly.

[CpnCrunch]

Didn't . say "Boeing have a solution for this problem...it's called the 737" when they had an electrical problem on the Electra a while back? You can buy a new Hercules for $65m, but the government would have to cough up more cash to transport the pop+chips in it.

[shitdisturber]

Hard work builds character, and it earns respect. Even from fellas like Joe.

I'm sure Kelly would beg to differ.

[skymarc]

So your saying a modern turbine aircraft wont handle the cold? This is absurd.
They could run an old 737 cheaper than a lot of these old DC3-4s.
At least it wont need to be preheated a lot of the time as those piston ponders needs.

Most large exploration and mining companies in the North quit using Buffalo years ago for various reasons. The biggest being their fleet is not modern enough for most of these companies. They probably make more profit selling tea shirts and hats because of Ice pilots then they do flying them old birds.

Some suggest they make a good amount of money delivering food and supplies when it gets too cold for the modern aircraft to fly.

[FICU]

If the northern Boeing operators cancel the MacKenzie valley Sked it is 99% due to runway RFIs and crosswind limitations. It seems Buffalo would have you believe otherwise after watching the show. The cold is never a factor for the 737.

[Canoehead]

Hard work builds character, and it earns respect. Even from fellas like Joe.

I'm sure Kelly would beg to differ.

Well I'm talking about it from a pilots point of view. There seems to be a little bit of excessive "drama" there in the warehouse at Buffalo (if you catch my drift). I don't know what the career aspirations are of those non-pilot types there, but if I was an expediter/shipper/receiver type, I can think of several other places I'd rather work than at an airline like Buffalo, simply based on economics (yes even in Yellowknife!)

As pilots, we don't always have the luxury of being so selective of entry level employment. But what you can do is make the best of what is handed to you, work your ass off and keep off the radar...

[wan2fly99]

Saw last nights show. Joe seemed different

Wasn't yelling.

In the cockpit with the new FO, he seemed to be thinking what the hell am I doing here with this kid

I think his personality leaves to be desired or he is just an old sourer puss

[Human Factor]

Almost peed myself when Cory walked into his hotel room in South Korea and saw the round bed. Too funny.

[LuckyPilot]

I was feeling Cory's pain, anyone who has ever had to deal with the Korean's will understand.

[TheCheez]

Nice episode tonight, got to show the wife a bit of what we do on the C130!

[wan2fly99]

Quit interesting. You can see the different societies how they work.

Interesting show. Mikie good on loosing weight Just keep it up

[oldyellr]

So when is Buffalo going to get a C-130?

[Diadem]

Did anyone else guffaw when Mikey commented on having a metaphorical carrot dangled in front of him for motivation?

[Human Factor]

So when is Buffalo going to get a C-130?

Likely when someone develops a decent round engine conversion for them.

[Driving Rain]

http://www.turbinedc3.com/

Joe ever the bargin hunter tried one of these at about 1/2 the price of a Basler but not approved by transport.

[MikeGolfEcho]

Curious when a DC3 becomes a C47 and vice versa? I thought the DC3 was the civilian airliner, and the C47 Skytrain was the military version? Mikey said that (at least one) DC3 was used to drop paratroops during WW2... so why isn't it a C47?

Maybe it's because they now use it to carry pax whereas the C46 Commando (also used as an airliner after the war) they have is just for freight??

Just curious

MGE

[Cap'n Tripps]

Curious when a DC3 becomes a C47 and vice versa? I thought the DC3 was the civilian airliner, and the C47 Skytrain was the military version? Mikey said that (at least one) DC3 was used to drop paratroops during WW2... so why isn't it a C47?

Maybe it's because they now use it to carry pax whereas the C46 Commando (also used as an airliner after the war) they have is just for freight??

Just curious

MGE

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_DC-3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_C-46_Commando

[MikeGolfEcho]

Curious when a DC3 becomes a C47 and vice versa? I thought the DC3 was the civilian airliner, and the C47 Skytrain was the military version? Mikey said that (at least one) DC3 was used to drop paratroops during WW2... so why isn't it a C47?

Maybe it's because they now use it to carry pax whereas the C46 Commando (also used as an airliner after the war) they have is just for freight??

Just curious

MGE

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_DC-3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_C-46_Commando

I read those first (not a complete noob believe it or not), and they didn't answer my question. Hence I asked it here. Thank you for your response nonetheless.

[GyvAir]

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_DC-3:

"DC-3C: Designation for ex-military C-47, C-53 and R4D aircraft rebuilt by Douglas Aircraft in 1946, given new manufacturers numbers and sold on the civil market"

A search on the Canadian Civil Aircraft registry for DC-3 shows that the majority - all but 3 - are DC-3Cs.
Search for C-47 and there are only two, both registered to Buffalo.
Same basis for eligibility for registration listed for the DC-3 and the C-47.

Some info on civilian DC-3s converted for military use:

http://www.uswarplanes.net/c47.html

I found it interesting that so many were built under licence in Russia and Japan.

[Moose47]

G'day

C-47 was a U.S.A.A.F designation. Commonwalth air forces called the aircraft Dakota. You will not see any official R.C.A.F. paperwork using the designation C-47 although it was common practice to call it that On the 26th of June 1970, the Canadian Armed Forces re-designated the aircraft as the CC-129 Dakota.

Cheers...Chris

[MikeGolfEcho]

G'day

C-47 was a U.S.A.A.F designation. Commonwalth air forces called the aircraft Dakota. You will not see any official R.C.A.F. paperwork using the designation C-47 although it was common practice to call it that On the 26th of June 1970, the Canadian Armed Forces re-designated the aircraft as the CC-129 Dakota.

Cheers...Chris

That's interesting Chris, was there a similar deal with the C46 Commando? I see that fewer of those were used for civil services due to the massive surplus of DC3s.

[Driving Rain]

thought the DC3 was the civilian airliner?

Correct DC 3 is civilian version and the original.

Mikey could be correct. Way more C47/ Dakota aircraft were produced than DC3. As the U.S. enters the war they conscript civil aircraft to its defense. Some of the changes made to the aircraft were heavy duty cargo floor, paratroop and cargo door, and more squared off tail.
Dec 7, 1941 changed a lot of things.

[Moose47]

"That's interesting Chris, was there a similar deal with the C46 Commando? I see that fewer of those were used for civil services due to the massive surplus of DC3s."

There was only one Curtiss-Wright Commando used by the Commonwealth during the Second World War, It was the prototype of the C-46 (Curtiss Model CW-20A) operated by the U.S..A.A.F and given the s/n 41-21041. The aircraft was returned to Curtiss-Wright and then purchased in September, 1941 by British Overseas Airways Corporation (Lend-Lease Requisition No. 2991 / Contract No. AC15082) for $361.556.00 It was designated the C-55 and registered as G-AGDI. The aircraft was nicknamed St. Louis. It was operated between the U.K. and Ireland prior to being scrapped in the U.K. on the 29th of October, 1943.

The name Commando stuck and was used on civvy CW-20's (C-46). And yes, with literally thousands of C-47 's availabe, it was favored over the C-46 for a variety of reasons. Maintenance and cost of operation being two.

A bit of trvia for you. The C-46 Commando made its mark in the Pacific Theatre of War and in particular, flying in the China-Burma-India Theatre and crossing the Himilaya Mountains affectionately reffered to as the 'Hump'. The Commando did not see service in Europe until taking part in the Rhine River Crossing in March, 1945 when it dropped airborne troops.

The C-46 Commando saw service in Viet Nam with the U.S.A.F.'s Air Commandos and later with Air America.

Cheers...Chris

[Meatservo]

I think either DC-3c or C-47 is interchangeable on the ex-military DC-3s. If you want to call it a C-47 I guess it's just as correct to call it a DC-3 but not necessarily vice-versa. Might just be a matter of pride, really, because of the history of some of these aircraft, wartime artifacts as well as working aeroplanes after all. There are many DeHavilland Beavers out there that used to be "L-21"s or "U-6"s or "C-127"s or whatever, but no-one ever calls them that. The DC-3, however, wel whether it's a C-47 or not, everybody knows what one of THOSE is. What a wonderful aeroplane. I almost feel emotional whenever I think about them. Even the Baslers.