Plunging Temperatures. Engine Failures. Emergency Landings.

    
                        Flying in the Face of Danger.

                   Canwest Original Series Ice Pilots NWT

          Launches on History Television November 18 at 10 pm ET/PT

         For Complete Program Information, Photos and Primetime Grids
                     Please Visit: www.canwesttvmedia.com
    

TORONTO , Oct. 26 /CNW/ - This November, History Television travels to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories in the Canwest original series Ice Pilots NWT. This 13-part living history series follows a group of elite pilots in Yellowknife and the extraordinary adventures of the most unorthodox airline in the Canadian North. Beginning Wednesday, November 18 at 10 pm ET /PT, Ice Pilots NWT is an adrenaline-packed story of perseverance and harrowing danger.

Renegade Arctic airline Buffalo Airways defies the freezing cold and the competition by using resilient WWII-era propeller planes to fly vital fuel, supplies and passengers to remote outposts all over the Canadian North. Rookie pilots with nerves of steel come from across the country to Yellowknife to receive training from the very best and for the chance to earn their wings flying powerful vintage planes originally built for war. From landing essential cargo onto airstrips at mine sites to carving out runways on frozen lakes and rocky tundra, the Ice Pilots do it all, despite frequent blizzards and breakdowns.

"Ice Pilots NWT is a captivating exploration into one of the world's most dangerous professions, set right here in the great Canadian North," said Christine Shipton , Senior Vice President, Drama and Factual Content, Canwest Broadcasting. "We're dedicated to providing viewers with the most entertaining programming the industry has to offer and this gripping and unprecedented series is the perfect fit. Ice Pilots NWT is Canadian programming at its best and our viewers are going to absolutely love it."

Filmed over the course of nine months, Ice Pilots NWT follows several of the company's dedicated pilots, including legendary founder "Buffalo" Joe McBryan. "It's a chaotic high-wire act of cargo deadlines, sick crew members, breakdowns of temperamental planes and stormy Arctic weather that's hard on the pilots and even harder on the aircraft," said David Gullason, Series Producer and Creator, Ice Pilots NWT.

A companion website for the series extends Ice Pilots NWT into the digital realm launching Monday, November 9 . Produced in association with the Bell New Media Fund, this unparalleled site features profiles on the people and places featured in the series, full episodes, trailers, interactive maps, trivia, exclusive interviews and more, giving viewers the ultimate interactive experience. Viewers can link to the site from www.history.ca.

    
    *Ice Pilots NWT is available in HD.

    About Canwest Global Communications Corp.
    

Canwest Global Communications Corp. (www.canwest.com) is Canada's largest media company. In addition to owning the Global Television Network, operating 18 industry-leading specialty channels and having ownership in 5 specialty channels, Canwest is Canada's largest publisher of English language paid daily newspapers and owns and operates more than 80 online properties.

About Canwest Media Inc:

Canwest Media Inc. is a subsidiary of Canwest Global Communications Corp. (www.canwest.com), Canada's largest media company. In addition to owning the Global Television Network, operating 18 industry-leading specialty channels and having ownership in 5 specialty channels, Canwest is Canada's largest publisher of English language paid daily newspapers and owns and operates more than 80 online properties.

About Canwest Originals:

Canwest is the proud home of the most diverse slate of Canadian Original programs across the Dramatic, Lifestyle and Entertainment genres. As a steadfast supporter of the Canadian production community, Canwest is dedicated to bringing the best of the country to audiences nationwide - including shows such as; Copper, Family Restaurant, Holmes Inspection, Ice Pilots NWT, 16:9, Re-Vamped and the nation's number one entertainment newsmagazine Entertainment Tonight Canada .

About Omni Film Productions Ltd.

Vancouver-based Omni Film Productions Ltd. is one of Canada's most respected television production companies, producing top-quality programming in a wide variety of genres. Since 1979, Omni has produced hundreds of hours of television dramas, documentaries, factual and Lifestyle series and children's programming, garnering over 100 national and international awards. (www.omnifilm.com)

Characters from the series and the creative team are available for interviews.

For further information: Jane Collins, Publicist, History Television, [phone], [email protected]; Andrew Poon, Unit Publicist, Omni Film Productions, [phone], [email protected]