Buffalo Airways
| Buffalo Airways Ltd. | |
|---|---|
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| IATA code : | |
| ICAO code : | BFL |
| Call sign : | BUFFALO |
| Founding: | 1970 |
| Seat: |
Yellowknife , Canada
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| Turnstile : | |
| Home airport : | Yellowknife Airport |
| Company form: | Private Corporation |
| Management: | Joe McBryan |
| Fleet size: | 50 |
| Aims: | national |
| Website: | www.buffaloairways.com |
Buffalo Airways is a family-owned charter and scheduled airline based in Yellowknife , Northwest Territories , Canada . It operates scheduled passenger services and offers cargo and passenger charter flights in the Northwest Territories, Alberta and Yukon regions . Fire extinguishing operations and the transport of liquid fuels ( “bulk fuel” ) are also carried out.
history
The company was founded in 1970 by Joe McBryan , called Buffalo Joe , with the purchase of a Douglas DC-3 . The charter services from his home base in Yellowknife were so successful that he soon had to hire more machines and personnel in order to finally be able to cope with the jobs within the Northwest Territories and around the Great Slave Lake with a dozen DC-3 and DC-4 each . To date, the company flies only one fixed line between Yellowknife and Hay River on the opposite lakeshore.
By 1980, many mining companies in the Northwest Territories that were supplied with goods, fuel and fuel by Buffalo Airways closed. The result was the bankruptcy of Buffalo Airways. The machines were sold except for a DC-3 to begin a fresh start. New diamond discoveries near Yellowknife gave society a new boost. The fleet was u. a. enlarged by further DC-3s and DC-4s that were bought at auctions. Today, Buffalo Airways is once again transporting everything that can be transported with an airplane, some of which are more than 70 years old.
The world's only DC-3s still in scheduled service today fly on the Yellowknife to Hay River route operated by Buffalo Airways.
Buffalo Airways today flies a Curtiss C-46 Commando , which Lufthansa leased in 1961 for the cargo business. The Lufthansa crane is still present on the paintwork today.
Due to the poor safety statistics, Buffalo Airways was temporarily withdrawn from the regulating authority, Transport Canada, the AOC - Air Operator Certificate) on November 30, 2015 until proof is provided that the rules and regulations can be permanently observed.
On January 12, 2016, the airline regained its license for commercial flights from Transport Canada.
fleet
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Current fleet
According to the Canadian Aviation Register, the company operated 50 aircraft as of July 2018:
| Aircraft type | active | ordered | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Tractor AT-802 | 8th | ||
| Beechcraft 55 Baron | 1 | ||
| Beechcraft 65 Queen Air | 2 | ||
| Beechcraft 95 Travel Air | 2 | ||
| Beechcraft 100 King Air | 4th | ||
| Canadair CL-215-1A10 | 1 | Fire fighting aircraft | |
| Cessna 185E Skywagon | 1 | ||
| Cessna 310 Q | 1 | ||
| Curtiss C-46 Commando | 2 | ||
| Douglas DC-4 / C-54 | 12 | ||
| Douglas DC-3 / C-47 | 6th | ||
| Lockheed L-188 Electra | 8th | ||
| Aero Commander 690C | 2 | ||
| total | 50 | - |
Former aircraft types
- 4 Consolidated Vultee PBY-5A Canso (fire fighting aircraft)
Incidents
Buffalo Airways suffered five total write-offs of aircraft between 1994 and December 2018. There were no deaths.
- On June 26, 1994 a Douglas DC-3 C of Buffalo Airways ( aircraft registration number C-FROD ) ran out of fuel on its approach to Fort Simpson Airport. The aircraft had flown 4:37 hours on six flights since the last refueling. After the complete engine failure, the master tried to reach the airfield in gliding flight. However, this was no longer quite enough; the machine flew 900 meters from the runway into trees and was destroyed. The two crew members of the cargo flight survived. A parallel emerged six years later when an Airbus A310 operated by German Hapag-Lloyd without fuel hit 660 meters from the runway in Vienna (see Hapag-Lloyd flight 3378 ) .
- On August 28, 2002, a Buffalo Airways (C-GQIC) Douglas DC-4 coming from Yellowknife Airport hit the approach lights on landing at Diavik Airfield, Northwest Territories ( Canada ) and touched down shortly before the start of the runway. The aircraft spun, the right wing broke off, and it came to a halt about 300 meters. A fire broke out and the machine was irreparably damaged. Both crew members of the cargo flight were only slightly injured.
- On August 2, 2003, a Buffalo Airways (C-GBSK) Douglas DC-4 touched down in front of the runway when landing at Ulu Mine Strip Airfield, Northwest Territories ( Canada ). The landing gear collapsed, the wings tore off and caught fire, the fuselage slid off the runway to the right. This consists of gravel and is almost 1200 meters long. The four crew members of the cargo flight were uninjured.
- On January 5, 2006, a Buffalo Airways (C-GXKN) Douglas DC-4 took off from Norman Wells Airport , Northwest Territories ( Canada ), on a cargo flight to Yellowknife Airport . Six minutes after take-off there was an engine fire and engine no. 2 failed. The use of the fire extinguisher bottles built into the engine had no effect. Propeller No. 2 was brought into the sail position, but at the same time the propeller of engine No. 1 also went into sail position. The fire went out shortly before an off-site landing had already been initiated , and the pilots flew back to the take-off airfield with only two engines running. During the emergency landing, the machine came off the runway and only came to a standstill 20 meters from the edge of the runway in deep snow. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair. The four crew members were uninjured.
- On September 25, 2015, a Buffalo Airways Curtiss C-46A (C-GTXW) suffered an engine failure on a scheduled flight from Yellowknife Airport to Norman Wells . However, the propeller could not be brought into the sail position , so that an emergency landing was necessary due to the high air resistance. In a belly landing with a late touchdown at Déline airfield, the aircraft slid 200 meters beyond the end of the runway and was irreparably damaged. The four-man crew was unharmed.
Trivia
The airline and its employees were the subject of the Canadian reality TV documentary Ice Pilots NWT (six seasons produced 2009-2014, broadcast in German-speaking countries on Servus TV , n-tv , Sport1 , ZDFinfo , German investor television , ProSieben MAXX , S1 and on DMAX).
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Government of Canada, Transport Canada: Transport Canada suspends Buffalo Airways' Air Operator Certificate. In: news.gc.ca. December 1, 2015, accessed December 2, 2015 .
- ↑ CBCNews: Buffalo Airways' license reinstated by Transport Canada. Regulator says it will 'closely monitor airline to verify it is taking corrective actions on safety issues. Retrieved January 15, 2016 .
- ^ Canadian Civil Aircraft Register. Transport Canada , accessed on July 24, 2018 (enter the name of the company in the search mask under "Owners Name").
- ↑ Accident statistics Buffalo Airways , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on January 16, 2019.
- ^ Accident report DC-3 C-FROD , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 11, 2019.
- ^ Accident report DC-4 C-GQIC , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 11, 2019.
- ^ Accident report DC-4 C-GBSK , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 11, 2019.
- ↑ Accident report DC-4 C-GXKN , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 11, 2019.
- ^ Accident report C-46A C-GTXW , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on January 16, 2019.
