What Happened To Joe: Mcbryan [top]

Mentoring hundreds of pilots who used "Buffalo" as a grueling but prestigious starting point for their careers.

: To get the airline back in the air, regulatory consultants indicated that a personality clash existed between McBryan’s old-school piloting culture and government bureaucrats.

As of May 2026, and remains the heart of Buffalo Airways in Yellowknife . Despite several high-profile challenges with Transport Canada and rumors of retirement, "Buffalo Joe" has continued to fly his beloved DC-3 aircraft and celebrate major company milestones. Joe McBryan's Current Status (2026)

| | Role on the Show | | :--- | :--- | | Joe "Buffalo Joe" McBryan | The gruff, veteran owner and president of Buffalo Airways. | | Mikey McBryan | Joe's sharp-witted son and the airline's business-savvy general manager. | | Kathy McBryan | Joe's daughter and manager of the Hay River base. | | Rod McBryan | Joe's oldest son, who took on more operational duties over time. | | Scotty Blue | A beloved, fan-favourite pilot who eventually moved into water firefighting. | | Justin Simle | Another popular pilot featured on the series. | what happened to joe mcbryan

For a wide global audience, Joe McBryan is instantly recognizable as the gruff, no-nonsense star of the History Channel's hit reality series Running for six seasons from 2009 to 2014, the show offered a raw, unflinching look at the daily struggles and triumphs of his family-run airline.

Joe wasn't just a pilot; he was a mechanic, a historian, and a tyrant with a heart of gold. He famously refused to modernize, keeping a fleet of 1940s radial-engine aircraft because, as he put it, "They don't have computers, and computers fail." He was the king of the northern skies.

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McBryan's fleet became a signature of the airline—a collection of legendary . At its core were the Douglas DC-3, the Curtiss C-46 Commando, and the Lockheed L-188 Electra, aircraft dating back to World War II and the 1950s.

But behind the TV magic, the seeds of destruction were already planted. Joe ran his airline like a feudal kingdom. His son, Mikey McBryan, was the general manager. His daughter, Julie, handled logistics. And his estranged wife, Margo, was a silent shareholder. The family business was a pressure cooker.

: In late 2015, Transport Canada suspended Buffalo Airways' Air Operator Certificate (AOC) due to systemic safety and administrative compliance history. | | Kathy McBryan | Joe's daughter and

As of early 2026, Joe continues to pilot Buffalo’s vintage fleet, specifically the Douglas DC-3, an aircraft he has thousands of hours in.

Even when not in the captain's seat of a DC-3, Joe keeps his hand in the game, working on vintage aircraft restoration, such as the 1962 Cessna 185 he bought, which he used to service early in his career.