Buffalo gets a .......737!

[Roger Ramjet 72]

 

[Fielder 3,752]

I had to look up Buffalo Airways on wikipedia: 

"Buffalo Airways is a family-run airline based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, established in 1970. Buffalo Airways was launched by Bob Gauchie and later sold to one of his pilots, Joe McBryan (aka "Buffalo Joe"). It operates charter passenger, charter cargo, firefighting, and fuel services, and formerly operated scheduled passenger service. Its main base is at Yellowknife Airport (CYZF). It has two other bases at Hay River/Merlyn Carter Airport (CYHY) and Red Deer Regional Airport (CYQF)."

[n4gix 4,961]

Buffalo is a very interesting airline. They had a long running reality series and most of the episodes are available on YouTube. I'm delighted that they finally got the 737 they have been salivating over! 😁

Edited July 16, 2023 by n4gix

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

I like the livery it looks awesome, he doesn't mention gravel kits but I am certain it will get one. It still has its European registry in that video but the Canadian Reg will be C-FBAE

Looking at it's history it was purchased by Piedmont Airlines in 1986 then sold to US Air in 1989, it was converted to cargo in 2006

[n4gix 4,961]

3 minutes ago, Matthew Kane said:

... he doesn't mention gravel kits but I am certain it will get one.

Considering that many of the places they service only have gravel runways, that's pretty much a given! 😉

[goates 576]

1 hour ago, Fielder said:

I had to look up Buffalo Airways on wikipedia: 

"Buffalo Airways is a family-run airline based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, established in 1970. Buffalo Airways was launched by Bob Gauchie and later sold to one of his pilots, Joe McBryan (aka "Buffalo Joe"). It operates charter passenger, charter cargo, firefighting, and fuel services, and formerly operated scheduled passenger service. Its main base is at Yellowknife Airport (CYZF). It has two other bases at Hay River/Merlyn Carter Airport (CYHY) and Red Deer Regional Airport (CYQF)."

Look up the Ice Pilots NWT TV show.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Pilots_NWT

They also re-created the bouncing bombs used in the RAF Dambuster Raids from WWII.

 

[LHookins 3,113]

I wasn't much of a fan of the TV show, but I first ran across Buffalo in the book "Buffalo Airways" by Darrell Knight, available for $3.99 on Kindle.  

 

Quote

'BUFFALO AIRWAYS - Diamonds, DC-3s and 'Buffalo Joe' McBryan' will leave you on the edge of your seat...breathless with anticipation and awe! Experience the true-life adventure where heroic young pilots are recruited to fly World War Two airplanes in the most extreme conditions on earth under the demanding, watchful eye of legendary aviator 'Buffalo Joe' McBryan.

Written by critically-acclaimed Author, retired pilot and former Buffalo Airways flight crew member, Darrell Knight.

Includes 48 stunning photographic images of DC-3, DC-4 and C-46 Commando 'warbird' propliners in present-day use.

Read how the young flyers and aircraft engineers from Buffalo Airways brave minus forty degree temperatures, engine failures and seemingly-impossible demands from expeditors and the airline's owner to bring food, fuel and freight from civilization to remote, isolated settlements high above the Arctic circle in lovingly-restored vintage aircraft.

Fly along in the cockpit with these seat-of-the-pants aviators as they battle adverse weather, wing icing, runaway propellers, damaged engines, propeller strikes and dangerously-thin melting ice runways.

 

Hook

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

They did an update video, the new 737 won't be getting a gravel kit. The Electra will still fly into the gravel strips and the 737 will be feeding cargo onto the Electra routes

 

[n4gix 4,961]

This video popped up in my feed early this morning. Eventually I still suspect that the will add the full gravel kit.  😉

[Bob650 31]

The only 737's with gravel kits were the 737-100's and 200's. They weren't developed for and don't work on 737's with high bypass fans.

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

33 minutes ago, Bob650 said:

The only 737's with gravel kits were the 737-100's and 200's. They weren't developed for and don't work on 737's with high bypass fans.

Yep that’s my understanding as well, if this 737 got a gravel kit that would be a first, but as said in the video it won’t, I suspect they will end up with surplus C130’s up in the arctic above the 60th parallel for gravel ops because they are best suited moving forward, high bypass won’t work, those engines are far too expensive and too low to be ingesting gravel 

Edited July 20, 2023 by Matthew Kane

[goates 576]

4 minutes ago, Matthew Kane said:

I suspect they will end up with surplus C130’s up in the arctic above the 60th parallel for gravel ops because they are best suited moving forward, high bypass won’t work

I wouldn't hold my breath on that.

 

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

1 hour ago, goates said:

I wouldn't hold my breath on that.

I wasn’t saying Buffalo specifically, there are other operations above 60 and Bombardier / DeHavilland played a big part in that history, going forward the C130 will fill a void, if not with Buffalo then someone else. Buffalo isn’t the monopoly above 60 and above 60 they are all very resourceful with all tools available, including all kinds of surplus military aircraft from many generations 

[Bob650 31]

32 minutes ago, Matthew Kane said:

I wasn’t saying Buffalo specifically, there are other operations above 60 and Bombardier / DeHavilland played a big part in that history, going forward the C130 will fill a void, if not with Buffalo then someone else. Buffalo isn’t the monopoly above 60 and above 60 they are all very resourceful with all tools available, including all kinds of surplus military aircraft from many generations 

You would be correct, Lynden Air Cargo flies C-130's out of Anchorage, AK.

[goates 576]

21 minutes ago, Matthew Kane said:

I wasn’t saying Buffalo specifically, there are other operations above 60 and Bombardier / DeHavilland played a big part in that history, going forward the C130 will fill a void, if not with Buffalo then someone else. Buffalo isn’t the monopoly above 60 and above 60 they are all very resourceful with all tools available, including all kinds of surplus military aircraft from many generations 

As Mike in the video says, in Canada you can't operate surplus military aircraft, at least at the moment. Doesn't matter how resourceful any of the operators are if it isn't permitted. Maybe like his dad says, if the demand from mining increases dramatically, they could afford a brand new civilian Hercules. Until then, however, I suspect the Air Lynden outfit across the border in Alaska will be enough to handle any loads that require a Herc. Canadian operators will either need to convince the government to change the regulations, or find a lot of money somewhere.