Weather Channel's ICE PILOTS Season 2 Premieres Tonight, 7/16

The Weather Channel Companies (TWCC) announced it will air a second season of ICE PILOTS. Produced by Omni Film, the docu-series follows what happens when a cargo and transport airline pairs adventurous pilots with aging warplanes in the harsh conditions of Canada's Northwest Territories. The second season on The Weather Channel will introduce new challenges for the Buffalo Airways crew, including a few new crew members set on shaking things up and a veteran team member at the end of his rope.

The new season features 13x 30-minute episodes and will premiere tonight, July 16, at 9 p.m. ET, repeating at 11 p.m. ET. The series first premiered on The Weather Channel on March 5, 2012, and also consisted of 13x 30-minute episodes.

"Buffalo Joe and his crew have struck a chord with our viewers," said Michael Dingley, senior vice president, content and development for The Weather Channel. "We look forward to following their journey as they battle the elements - and sometimes each other - to get their challenging missions accomplished."

"Ice Pilots" follows the last of the true Arctic aviators as they fly vintage war planes to haul people, fuel, and supplies to far-flung outposts in the Canadian North, chronicling the struggles and triumphs of the pilots and their planes in frigid, and often perilous, conditions. Based in Yellowknife, NT, Canada, the series showcases the pilots and would-be pilots of Buffalo Airways, an extraordinary northern airline with the world's most unusual fleet - big, piston-powered propeller planes that were first flown in World War II.

The crew members share sky-high dreams, an appetite for adventure, and nerves of steel, but they prove to be as diverse as the North itself, from fresh-faced ramp hands vying forflying time to seasoned pilots making the flight of a lifetime or hard-edged engineers making repairs in minus 40-degree weather. The crew discovers what makes each member tick as they battle extreme weather conditions and the limits of World War II-era aircraft in order to keep Buffalo Airways and their flying dreams alive.

"Ice Pilots" is part of TWCC's growing slate of original series, including "Coast Guard Alaska," "Lifeguard!," "Iron Men," "Hurricane Hunters" (premieres June 11) and "Coast Guard Florida" (Oct. 2012), as well as upcoming Braving the Elements miniseries "Pyros" (June 19), "Lights Out" (Aug. 14), "Iceberg Hunters" (Sept. 18), and "Reefmakers" (Oct. 2012).

The Weather Channel companies (TWCC) aremade up of The Weather Channel(R) television network, The Weather Channel digital properties, and WSI. The Weather Channel is based in Atlanta and is seen in more than 100 million U.S. households. TWCC also operates Weatherscan(R), a 24-hour all-local weather network; The Weather Channel Radio Network; and The Weather Channel HD. The most popular source of weather news and information, TWCC properties reach 60 million monthly Web consumers (weather.com and Desktop) and 30 million monthly mobile users (mobile Web and applications) and offers the second most popular mobile app on all smartphones. WSI, headquartered in Andover, MA, primarily provides business-to-business weather services, particularly for the media, aviation, marine and energy sectors. TWCC is owned by a consortium made up of NBC Universal and the private equity firms The Blackstone Group and Bain Capital.