News
Buffalo Airways flies award winning Canadian invention
May 22, 2013, Yellowknife, N.W.T. - Buffalo Airways, focus of the popular Ice Pilots TV series, recently deployed the award-winning Bulk Aviation Transportation Tank (BATT) on its Lockheed L-188 Electra aircraft.
May 22, 2013 By Carey Fredericks
“Buffalo Airways successfully completed 46 ice airstrip fuel deliveries using two BATT 2100 gallon tanks,” says Rod McBryan, director of maintenance for Buffalo Airways. “The BATT tanks performed flawlessly and the Lockheed Electra installation is extremely easy to switch between cargo and tanker, ultimately making the BATT system our first choice for heavy lift fuel into the far north.”
The award-winning BATT is a Canadian invention and the world’s first collapsible, double-walled, baffled transportation tank that allows users to fly bulk fuel in and then roll up the tank so that cargo space can be re-used on the return flight out. Initially developed as a tool for South American law enforcement operations, the BATT is specifically engineered to each aircraft’s interior. Instead of rigid fuel drums that can leak and damage aircraft interiors, the BATT is soft-sided, lightweight and customized to fill the fuselage area correctly. It's safe and Transport Canada-approved. The BATT has won four awards to date and is manufactured by SEI Industries Ltd.
Currently, the 2,100 USG tank used by Buffalo Airways is the largest that SEI Industries makes. In February of 2013, SEI staff and the engineer responsible for the BATT’s design, traveled to Yellowknife to do some test flying with the Buffalo crew.
The intent of these flight tests was to confirm the stability of the large tanks in flight. The tanks performed flawlessly and, based on these results, SEI will be developing an even larger size tank for aircraft with bigger carrying capacities.
