qui_j This series is like many of the other airline/airport based reality series one sees on TV. What sets it apart is the fact that the airline in question flies vintage aircraft, and operates in one of the more hostile climate regions of the world. The characters all say they are there because this is what appeals to them, but after a while their constant reaffirmation of why they do what they do, becomes annoying. They are not always there for altruistic reasons. Some are seemingly there because it makes them feel all important in their positions. Most seem to live in fear of the company's owner.There are now more modern aircraft that can do this job in the far Canadian North, and there seems to be little point in maintaining a fleet of old war-birds that constantly break down, impacting the flow of traffic and cargo,and which must impact the viability of any business. While the series does provide entertainment for an aviation buff like myself, researching the company's history on the net was also equally entertaining. It would appear as if they have been grounded numerous times by the Air Transport Board of Canada for safety violations, and crashes they have had, to the point where they no longer appear to be allowed to carry passengers on their flights.I think what keeps people watching this is to see the old planes in the air, and the constant "can-do" attitude of the characters who try to keep the operation together with fanatical zeal, and a lot of improvisation! While this is admirable in many ways, it certainly is not a method that employs operational processes that would meet the safety regulations in a modern world. It is not representative of a good way to run a successful business.By series 5, it was clear that the end was in sight! The events became too repetitive, and there seemed to be a need to create fake drama where there was none. It just seemed to become that much less interesting to watch.All in all, watch it for what it is, old planes, grizzled old pilots and mechanics,young pilots fresh out of flying school who are looking for excitement, and insight into the very harsh way of life that people have to endure, living above the arctic circle!

Blackbird013-1 First off the purpose of the show is obvious. IRT always made a huge drama about people had to have their goods which left me thinking what about all of the aircraft that are usually used to get goods up north? In that sense, such a show is needed to counteract the fake drama involved with IRT.Second this show has a certain romance about vintage aircraft, and creates a view of a business model in harsh environments that truly shows genius and common sense. Having pilots work their way up having to know every aspect of the business and the daily work of taking care of the planes before being given responsibility for one makes a lot of sense. That said the contract failures, the fuel shortages, and mechanical failures truly make one wonder whether it's viable to run a company composed only of vintage aircraft without any more suited or appropriate aircraft for diversity.The fake drama, cursing, stress, and character driven twists that have nothing to do with the company, the planes, or the job were a huge turn off. I mostly avoid reality TV for just this reason, and the show would probably be much more popular and worthy with more historical information, or information in general instead of following "emotional drama" ,self promotion, or "family plot lines".Overall my rating is based on the fact that it's a bit of fascination wrapped up in a lot of boredom that you have to wade through much like a pilot has many hours of boredom punctuated by moments of adrenaline. (This is in case any within the company read this so they can understand the POV of a viewer). It's amazing how much I had to fast forward through personal life tidbits and mechanized drama to get back to the show about the business, and the planes.Season two became even harder to sit through, and the biggest shock was with all of those pilots available that two of the youngest pilots were considered to do the passenger flight TOGETHER. Was that just an intentional drama plot or did the least experienced ones really talk someone into sticking their neck out that far just to set a record for youngest pilots?

headfella So if you're reading this you've probably already checked out all the other web references for this Canadian reality based TV show. I'm not sure who the intended target audience for this program was, but as a retired aviation professional and former Canadian "bush" pilot when I was in my 20s, I'm favourably biased in my opinion of this program. I totally enjoyed each & every episode of season one. I understand a 2nd season is in the works. I'm looking forward to adding those episodes to my existing DVD archive of these broadcasts. If you don't have an aviation interest, then this program isn't for you. But if you've ever wondered what it's like to operate ageing aircraft in the Canadian arctic during winter conditions, then this program is the closest you'll probably ever get to "freezing your ass off" without actually signing on at Buffalo. And -40 degrees Celsius is also -40 degrees Fahrenheit and if there was even a whisper of a breeze, it's what my friend George used to call, "knee snapping, eye gouging, snot flinging cold out there!" You had to be young, you had to be keen, you had to be building hours, you didn't mind the meager wages, coming to work in the dark on 'square tires', going home in the dark dead tired, and you had to love climbing into that freezer of an airplane each and every day because nothing, absolutely nothing could top that exhilarating view from the pointy end of the airplane. It was great to be alive. Kudos to all involved with the production and especially to all Buffalo staff for permitting such an intimate look at their flight ops.

aerovian I stuck with turkey for six episodes, waiting for it to take flight and get interesting. After all, it's Canadian, and I always try to give homegrown fare an even break. Unfortunately it seems nothing really worth paying attention is likely to happen in the video annals of Buffalo Airways.About half of the action revolves around the numerous mechanical failures that will inevitably go hand-in-glove with trying to operate an airline around a fleet of flying dinosaurs (so maybe buy some newer planes, already???) Then, to run out the clock, the producers drop in a bunch of filler footage that attempts to trump very routine and mundane workaday challenges into some sort of high Arctic drama. (The airport is fogged in, so a cargo flight is delayed, so a shopkeeper in a remote settlement gets a tad antsy about his shipment of cabbages and Cheetos. Riveting stuff.) The one time we saw the potential for some real drama -- when an isolated community a couple thousand miles off the power grid suddenly found itself in desperate need of a replacement for a failed diesel-electric genset -- our heroes, unsurprisingly, muffed the job. While the intrepid Buffaloons -- apparently not learned in the ways of the tape measure -- fumbled around on the tarmac for hours trying to insert a too-large generator through a too-small aircraft cargo door, a rival carrier flew to the rescue with another generator unit and saved the community from the cold and dark of the Arctic winter. (Candidly, I'm amazed that a capital-L-Loser incident like that made it to air. The producers must really have been strapped for enough material to fill their contracted number of episodes.) There seems to be an unspoken intimation that we should somehow equate the company's squadron of junk-jockeys with Canada's legendary bush-pilots, whose courage and persistence helped to open up transportation and communication lifelines to the farthest reaches of our huge country seven, eight, nine decades ago. That's more than a bit of a stretch, though, as Buffalo's pilots work short hours in heated cockpits with (surprisingly) modern navigation equipment at their fingertips, and they get to enjoy with warm beds, hot meals, plasma TVs and Nintendo when the wheels are down. And if conditions outside are a tad too nasty for comfy flying, well these guys can just sit around til the sky turns a bit bluer.The show's name makes it plain enough that this is an attempt to cash in on the success of Ice Road Truckers; however a cloned TV series -- like warmed-over pizza -- is rarely very tasty. The generous helping of unblanked profanity served up in each episode only serves to underscore the fact that this series will probably only have any significant audience rating by appealing to the lowest common denominator. You'll be better served watching reruns of Trailer Park Boys instead, because if nothing else that series was at least original.(I give this show two stars instead of one only because the narrator sounds good and does his gallant best to create a bit of drama and suspense where none exists.)