Buffalo Airways at Work 3.
June 2023
Buffalo Airways is situated at the end of Berry Road, Yellowknife Airport.
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In the hangar, a well-used veteran aircraft belonging to Buffalo Airways receives attention.
Office of "the Boss".
C-GZFE. Originally delivered in June 1961 to Northwest Orient as N138US, this aircraft retired after 10 year service with the Minneapolis based airline and was bought in 1971 by FPE Travel Club. After a brief spell with the Travel Club, the Electra changed hands in March 1973 when it was bought by Air Florida. After flying for almost four years she was sold to American Jet Industries Inc. and converted to a freighter. Miami based Fleming Airways did operate her for the next six year. The next couple of years she changed hands quite often and flew for CAM Air, Spirit of America, JBQ Aviation, Hunting Cargo and Atlantic Airlines. With Atlantic she wore registration G-LOFE and was based in Coventry, UK. In March 2013 she was bought by Buffalo Airways and obtained a new lease of life as C-GZFE.
C-GZFE still wears the remnants of Atlantic Airlines destinctive color scheme.
This Electra was one of many L.188’s operated by Northwest Orient Airlines.
CF-DQJ, an immaculate Fleet 80 Canuck, is hanging on the ceiling of the Buffalo hangar.
Inside the Buffalo hangar.
A total of 225 Canucks were built by two manufacturers during its thirteen-year production run, with the majority being built by Fleet Aircraft between 1945 and 1947.
Following her Northwest Orient Airlines service, C-GZFE had flown briefly for Air Florida.
C-GZFE in the company's hangar at Yellowknife, June 5, 2023.
C-GBAU is a 1969 built Beech D55 Baron and owned by Buffalo Airways.
C-GZFE going nowhere for now
C-GZFE in need of at least one more set of propellers.
Ian de Lancey told me that the tow bar originally towed this aircraft, around Coventry Airport.
Powerful Allison engines and Aeroproduct propellers.
Dave White told me that square tips (Aeroproducts) were lower cost than rounded tips (Hamilton standard). Each airline weighed cost vs efficiency when ordering options.
C-GZFE is a well-travelled old freighter.
CF-HUS is a Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3.
The Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 seaplane used a single large float under the fuselage and two smaller floats under the outer tips of the lower wings.
This cheerful lady was doing upholstery for Buffalo Airways..
The Wright R-760 Whirlwind is a seven-cylinder air-cooled radial aircraft engine.
Electra C-GZFE, one-time flagship of Northwest Orient Airlines.
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The powerful Allison 501-D13 turboprop engines with those 18 1/2-inch wide Aeroproducts props with the square tips sounds great and are visually impressive as well.
Chris Niehaus told me that square tips create more power at takeoff and lower speeds. At higher cruise speeds the rounded tips are more efficient.
Blades with rectangular tips are more efficient because they have more blade area. That's why, the rectangular blade tips or rectangular blades are noisier.
Governor spinner, four blades and rectangular blade tips. It's a Lockheed Electra.
C-GZFE with a few parts missing.
C-GZFE was once part of the Atlantic Airlines fleet.
C-GZFE in need of at least a set of propellors.
The Electra, or “electrical nightmare” as Buffalo Airways mechanic Chuck Adams calls it.
Lockheed Electra C-GZFE , receiving some TLC to it's #4 engine.
In its heyday, the Electra was a peerless perfomer.
18 1/2-inch wide Aeroproducts props with the square tips.
The Allison-T56 is a single shaft, modular design military turboprop with a 14-stage axial flow compressor driven by a four-stage turbine. It was originally developed by the Allison Engine Company for the Lockheed C-130 transport entering production in 1954. The commercial version is designated 501-D. With an unusually long and numerous production run, over 18,000 engines have been produced since 1954.
C-GKJB at an overcast Yellowknife.
Ofcourse, we also had a fair share of horrible weather at Yellowknife.
C-GXFC. American Airlines operated this Turboprop airliner for only seven years. The Electra was sold to Air California N289AC in January 1967. After Air California this ship changed through the hands of several owners before ending up with Fleming International Airways of Miami who gave her the registration N665F. During the mid ’90 she was exported to the UK as G-LOFC and flew many years for Atlantic Airlines of Coventry. She finally ended up with Buffalo Airways in April 2013.
This Electra made its first flight in October 1959, before being delivered new to American Airlines as N6123A "Flagship Nashville".
Empty Buffalo Lockheed Electra, C-GXFC, is maneuvered from the Summit Air ramp to the Buffalo ramp at Yellowknife.
During the early-1960's, American Airlines crew occupied these seats. Now more than half a century later, the air crew of Buffalo Airways, commands this Electra on its runs to far away places in the artic north.
A hard working Lockheed Electra arrives back at its Yellowknife base.
The mighty Lockheed Electra is a common sight at Yellowknife.
'X-ray Foxtrott Charlie' is one of four Electra’s in service with Buffalo Airways.
In the dingy drabness of the cabin.
The Electra's overhead panel.
Well worn, C-GXFC exudes rugged dependability.
A very scruffy and weathered Electra cockpit.
C-GXFC cockpit. Despite her age, this plane continue to soldier on in the Artic North.
Faded, beat up paint.
Her switches and controls, worn smooth by the touch of a thousand hands.
Sharing the overcast, is this Beech King Air A100 and also belonging to Buffalo Airways.
C-GVMI, a Buffalo Airways owned Beech King Air A100, is seen at a gloomy, damp Yellowknife ramp.
Friday routine maint' at Yellowknife.
It's a lot of work to keep the mighty powerhouses of the Eletra in good shape.
Number three engine of C-GXFE comes under scrutiny during a turnround check.
The Allison 501-D is a powerful engine.
Doing a little Turboprop engine maintenance and inspection.
C-GXFC getting attention from mechanic Chuck Adams, at Yellowknife, NWT.
Black exhaust trails betray climb-out power, as Buffalo Airways Lockheed Electra C-GXFC soars out of Yellowknife in June 2023.
C-GXFC 'cleans-up' its undercarriage as it departs a clouded Yellowknife, NWT, on a return rotation to the Ekati diamond mine.
C-GXFC just kept climbing away until she became a speck and vanished.
Tanker 417 and 416, are both working for Buffalo Airways. They had an extreme busy summer this year (2023).
Tanker 417 was clocking-up many hours on firefighting.
There's the whine of a turboprop to be heard.
The four bladed Aeroproducts props are whining away.
The Lockheed L.188 Electra's are generally thought of as inefficient, gas guzzling, noisy, hard to maintain and expensive to operate. Yet, surprisingly, some of these dinosaurs have carved themselves a niche in Canada.
C-FIJX is enjoying the sun on a June 2023 afternoon at Yellowknife.
This Electra flew with Tasman Empire Airways and Air New Zealand from December 1959 until the early 70's when it was withdrawn from use. The airplane had an extensive career with later owners like Reeve Aleutian, but finally found a new home with Buffalo Airways from Yellowknife, Canada.
AeroCommander C-FNRP and a friend at the Yellowknife firefighting base.
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