Rod McBryan initially sided with Mikey and Julie in the 2018 board vote. However, Rod later fell out with Mikey and left the company. Rod has since made public statements suggesting that Mikey and Julie manipulated him and that the original coup was a mistake. Rod now runs a separate aviation business.
, better known as " Buffalo Joe ," remains the heart of Buffalo Airways in Yellowknife, although his role has shifted significantly in recent years. While no longer managing day-to-day operations, the 81-year-old aviation legend continues to fly and mentor the next generation of northern pilots. The Shift from Management what happened to joe mcbryan
In the pantheon of aviation legends, few names command as much respect—and now, as much sorrow—as Joe McBryan. For decades, "Buffalo Joe" was the face of rugged, unforgiving northern aviation. As the owner and operator of Buffalo Airways, based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, he was the real-life embodiment of the Ice Pilots TV show: a gruff, cursing, chain-smoking pilot in a cowboy hat who kept WWII-era DC-3s and C-46s flying decades past their expiration date. Rod McBryan initially sided with Mikey and Julie
What happened to Joe McBryan? He evolved. From a hands-on, often abrasive, and legendary pilot running a scrappy, vintage airline, he transitioned into the respected patriarch of a modernizing northern company. The regulatory challenges of 2015/2016 forced a change in leadership, allowing the business to modernize under his children, but Joe himself remained a guiding force. Rod now runs a separate aviation business
He has largely retreated from public life, giving very few interviews. He has stated that he regrets ever doing Ice Road Truckers and feels the show destroyed his company and his peace of mind.