You may have seen the reality television show “Ice Pilots N.W.T.” featuring pilots in the Canadian Arctic. Arnie Schreder was one of the show’s stars. He retired from Buffalo Airways in 2010 and later suffered from pneumonia. He also battled small cell lung cancer. On Friday, a chartered plane will bring Arnie’s body to Yellowknife for a funeral service.
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AJ DeCoste replaces Justin Simle as Chief Pilot
AJ DeCoste is the new chief pilot of Arnie on Ice. After several months of working under Simle, he will now lead a team of Buffalo air ice pilots. The series is set in the north of Canada. It features vintage planes, engine fires, crash landings, and other challenges that the pilots face. The season finale will feature the Buffalo boys flying over the D-Day anniversary in Red Deer, Alta.
Joe gets a late-season contract to fly mining equipment, so he sends his DC-4 and C-46 crews on a race against spring melt. Meanwhile, the senior pilot and his co-pilot, Devan, clash over a charter that fell through the cracks. Meanwhile, Justin and Arnie are in Red Deer doing test flights. When a plane engine fails in Portugal, Justin must haul the impatient client to a remote northern community.
The season opens with a raging ice storm in the Northwest Territories. Chief Pilot AJ DeCoste, in an Electra purchased from England, is working to deliver goods up the Mackenzie Valley before the storm hits. Meanwhile, a new rampie from Ottawa has trouble fitting in Hay River. The Buffalo pilot’s family is forced to stay at the home of Mikey’s uncle, and it’s not a pretty scene.
Yvette Schreder’s father dies from pneumonia
Arnie Schreder was a famous northern bush pilot and reality TV star. He was also a featured pilot on the popular television show Ice Pilots N.W.T. He retired from Buffalo Airways in 2010 after a battle with small-cell lung cancer. His body was flown to Yellowknife via chartered plane Friday. The funeral will be held in Winfield, where he was born.
Buffalo Airways halts filming of ice pilots
For the last few years, the icy airfield of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, has been the subject of a reality TV series called Ice Pilots. The crew of museum-piece aircraft fly impossible missions through icy air, battling the elements and freezing temperatures. The show will end in May, when the airfield’s filming is halted for the season.
Joe, meanwhile, hires outside consultant Duane Hicks, who clashes with Joe, and pushes to get two big contracts completed on time. Meanwhile, rookie DC-3 co-pilot Tyler realizes that landing a big airplane isn’t an easy task. The filming is halted to ensure safety. The ice-pilots will soon learn just how difficult landing a large plane can be, and the movie’s producers are determined to find a way to make this happen.
The series will be canceled if the ice-weather-related problems can’t be fixed, so the airfield’s crew must find new ways to operate in the cold. The suspension will be effective immediately, as the pilots are forced to land and refuel their airplanes. But if the filming is to continue, Buffalo Airways will still be able to fly as usual.
