The first week of April saw a white Aurora flying in and out of Greenwood! An April Fools joke? No, it was a Buffalo Airways Lockheed Electra ferrying cement and re-bar to Iqaluit, in the Canadian North. The familiar white and green paint scheme of the aircraft, a predecessor of the Aurora, was flown by the famed "Ice Pilots" of the national TV program of the same name. The program chronicles the activities of Buffalo Airways of Hay River, NWT owned and operated by Joe McBryan ("Buffalo Joe"). The company flies to northern Canadian destinations, mainly out of Yellowknife and Hay River, using vintage aircraft DC-3 and DC4 airliners and C46 Commando; and newer Beech Baron, CL-215 water bomber and turbo-prop Lockheed Electra.

     The program's #1 fan is Officer Cadet Elizabeth (Liz) Cowden, seen at the reception desk at the Greenwood Military Aviation Museum. Between flights, the Electra crews paid visits to the Museum. General Manager, Bob Johnson, gave personal tours, part of which was video taped and will be part of a future episode of next year's "Ice Pilots" show. A call to Liz at home brought her to meet her "champions", even though she had to hobble around in her ankle cast; in the excitement she forgot her crutches at home! As there was so much work, a second Electra crew enabled them to fly round-the-clock. The second crew was captained by AJ Decoste, who got off track coming in and ended up in Liverpool, even though he's originally from Nova Scotia. When they asked for directions to a couple of sight-seeing locations in the Valley, Liz printed off a very clear set of local maps so they wouldn't run into the same navigational issues.

     Liz got to chat with AJ and Scott on quite a few occasions over the week. She tells us that they were both so nice and willing to answer all her questions about flying in the North, operating those old war birds in the bitter cold, and how they ended up In Yellowknife of all places. AJ is an avid snowmobiler but says this past winter was too cold to go out much. Liz, being a pilot herself, (glider and private licenses) and an Officer Cadet pilot- untrained in the military, the crews were more than happy to talk shop. They loved the Bolingbroke restoration project and their ears perked up when she talked about our Dakota restoration, as they are still flying some of the same vintage! Both of them said they had tried to get into military flying but it hadn't worked out for one reason or another. Liz declares it was a pleasure to meet all of the crew, not just because of the TV show, but because "they share my passion for real hands-and-feet flying and they do it in incredibly harsh conditions, in aircraft with real character and history. And they were all incredibly nice to boot." Overall, they put that goofy smile on this young flyer's face for quite some time.

     Many of the crew make their home in Yellowknife and despite our preconceptions of the weather there, they do have summers. Working in the - 40 degree weather is indeed brutal - the hardest part being the loading and unloading of the aircraft. Yes, Buffalo Joe is as stern as he is portrayed in the episodes but it is, without doubt, the boss' way of keeping the crewss alert and making sure they return home safely. Despite this gruff exterior, the boss often shows his softer side through his generosity - but don't tell anyone!

     Overall, the crews were most impressed with the Museum, its aircraft on display in the air park and the memorabilia inside. Of particular interest was the Air Commodore Birchall display, one of Canada's war heroes whom Churchill called "The Savior of Ceylon". S/L Birchall, with 413 Squadron flying an R.C.A.F. PBY 5A Catalina out of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), was the Canadian pilot who spotted the massive Japanese fleet in the Indian Ocean approaching the islands. His warning message alerted the British in the home port enabling the repulsion of the attack and keeping this strategic area in Allied hands. Birchall's plane was shot down, killing three crew members; the survivors spent three years in a prisoner of war camp. This story and many more can be viewed at the Greenwood Military Aviation Museum.