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The Iqaluit airport supply of 100LL avgas in drums is currently about 165 drums This is not an official count, just our observation of the drums in the storage area (Apr/12).
Current price is $318.06 CDN (Mar 12) per 205 litre/45 CDN gallons/54 US gallons drum. You have to buy the whole drum. The price is generally set once a year, following the arrival of a new year's supply by ship. So far this year, the price hasn't increased, but if you're coming to Iqaluit in the fall of 2012, check with the fuel supplier for the current price: Uqsuq Corporation (+1 867 979-2855 or +1 867 979-1620. Fax +1 867 979-1628).
Check Iqaluit airport general info here.
The Hamlet of Qikiqtarjuaq on the east coast of Baffin Island also informs us (June 3/11) that they are no longer stocking 100LL avgas. The Hamlet used to keep a few drums for visiting aircraft, but they disposed of their existing stock when it got too old. And the they have no plans to bring in more avgas.
If you're reading this, it is probably because you're flying a plane that uses 100LL avgas. There's a great discussion and collection of articles on the future of 100LL Avgas at Avweb. In the United States, there is a coalition working to promote 100 octane unleaded avgas. You'll find them here. They have a lot of links to various areas of discussion on the future replacement for 100LL. And General Aviation News maintains an interesting blog on the GA fuel debate. |
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 16 May 2012 19:15 |
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 A Buffalo Airways Lockheed Electra had a gear up landing in Yellowknife, NWT on March 5, 2012. The 1959 Lockheed 188A C-FBAQ was on a flight to CYZF, from Goose Lake, NT when the crew reported the right main gear did not fully retract. Several unsuccessful attempts were made to manually retract the gear over about an hour. Following that, an emergency was declared, and the plane landed runway 34 with the left and nose gear extended. When the right side of the plane dropped, it departed the runway and came to rest in the airport infield.
Transport Canada CADORS reports that a small engine fire was extinguished when the plane came to rest in the snow-covered infield. Damage was substantial. The plane was lifted by a crane, and the right gear exended and locked when the gear door was pulled away. The incident closed the runway for a number of hours.
 Buffalo Airways owner Joe McBryan told Yellowknife media that the flight crew made a "textbook" emergency landing.
Buffalo Airways, of course, is featured in the popular reality TV program Ice Pilots NWT. Joe McBryan said there were no people from the Ice Pilots production crew on board C-FBAQ at the time of the incident.
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Last Updated on Sunday, 25 March 2012 09:24 |
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 The Nunasiavut Government in northern Labrador has purchased a 51% stake in the regional airline Air Labrador. The announcement was made at the Northern Lights trade show and conference in Ottawa on February 3, 2012. Air Labrador serves the coastal communities of Labrador, and some communities on the Lower North Shore of Quebec. Air Labrador operates Twin Otter, Cessna Caravan and Beech 1900D aircraft.
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Last Updated on Sunday, 05 February 2012 15:31 |
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 CBC Television has a new dramatic series called Arctic Air. It tells the story of a fictional northern airline, based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The series stars Adam Beach, Kevin McNulty, and Pascale Hutton. The website features on-demand full episodes, and more. The series also features a major tourism sponsorship by the Northwest Territories.
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 25 January 2012 22:15 |
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 The Canadian Transportation Safety Board has released a progress report (Jan 5/12) on their investigation into the crash of a First Air Boeing 737-200 C-GNWN at Resolute Bay, Nunavut on August 20, 2011. CBC News story here.
The plane crashed on approach to the Resolute Bay airport. The report indicates that so far, the TSB thinks the crash was controlled flight into terrain. They say the crew were just initiating a go-around when the impact occured.
Fifiteen people were aboard, including a crew of 4. Twelve died in the crash, including all crew members. Three passengers were medevaced to hospital in Iqaluit Nunavut, from which they were sent on for further treatment to Ottawa, with non-life threatening injuries.
A number of the those who died in the crash were employees of Aziz Kerhaj, owner of the South Camp Inn in Resolute. Aziz and his wife also lost a granddaughter in crash. Aziz is well-known to northern travellers. Our deepest sympathies go out to him and his family and staff in Resolute, and to the families of all of the crash victims, including the First Air crew.
Crash survivor Michelle Willamson told her story of what happened that day to CBC's The National. Video and transcript here.
Pilots and airlines in Yellowknife, where the flight originated, held a memorial fly-by a few days after the accident. The video is here. You'll see Buffalo Airways DC-3, DC-4, C-46; a Dehavilland Buffalo, Twin Otters, DASH 7 and 8, Beech 18, Dornier 228, and others. The fly-by finishes with a Canadian North B737.
The original CBC News story from August 20th is here.
Some photos, IFR approach plate and other information regarding conditions (METAR CYRB) at the time are available in the Aviation Herald article here.
More information was posted at cbc.ca/north on August 22/11. And again on August 23/11
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating the crash. Details here.
There is also an extensive pilots discussion thread available at AvCanada, including IFR approach chart information.
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Last Updated on Thursday, 05 January 2012 19:12 |
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 Ice Pilots NWT is now in its third season on Canada's History Television channel. And shooting is underway for season 4. The reality series tells the story of Buffalo Airways, an airline based in the Northwest Territories. Buffalo is renowned for its fleet of classic rotary engine planes, and for their ability to deliver the goods to many small communities in northern Canada. Video of full episodes of the show is available on-line at the History Television website.
Ice Pilots/Buffalo Airways fans might want to check out the new book about the McBryan family and their airline. It is called "The Ice Pilots: Flying with the Mavericks of the Great White North." It is written by former Up Here magazine editor Michael Vlessides. It is published in Canada by Douglas and McIntyre.
 Iqaluit resident Ron Wassink managed to catch the crew of Buffalo's Curtiss-Wright C46a C-GTXW when they were in Iqaluit in March, 2011. They ended up here for a couple of days due to weather, while trying to deliver a generator to Qikiqtarjuaq. Ron's blog features some great photos and information about Iqaluit. Photo used by permission.
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Last Updated on Thursday, 19 January 2012 22:25 |
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 It is pretty rare to find a Cessna 172 in Canada's high arctic. But that didn't put Werner Koch off. He flew his 1968 172I C-GEGG to Grise Fiord, Nunavut in July of 2011. See Grise Fiord by 172 in our Trip Reports and Visits section. Here's his photo of the terminal building at the Grise Fiord Airport. That's something very, very few people have actually seen! Grise Fiord is Canada's northern-most permanent settlement, at the south end of Ellesmere Island.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 20 December 2011 20:25 |
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 A Kenn Borek Twin Otter had a hard landing at CYLC - Kimmirut, Nunavut, Canada on Tuesday evening December 6, 2011.
The Canadian Transportation Safety Board reports that the landing collapsed the right main gear. The cargo flight landed around 23:30 UTC (18:30ET) that evening. The two pilots were the only people on board, and the TSB says they were not injured.
The plane came to rest just off the 1900 foot runway, near the midpoint. Poor weather conditions on December 7th prevented moving the plane. That caused the closure of the airport all day on December 7th. The plane was finally moved late in the afternoon on December 8th, after which the airport was opened.
CBC News has an initial report on the incident here. |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 08 December 2011 21:41 |
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Flight Planning and Weather 
