Chris Puglia
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 01/02) - Rick Smith's goal is to sit in the cockpit of an airplane.

Right now, instead of flying airplanes, he is navigating a Buffalo Express delivery truck through the streets of Yellowknife.

"I'm a pilot. This is where you start with Buffalo Airways," said Smith.

Entering the company as a courier, Smith said, is a way for the company to gauge his character.

It also provides the skills necessary when flying.

"It builds a really good work ethic. It gets you prepared for what to expect when you are a pilot. They are really busy.

"It also helps you to get organized. You have to be really organized to do this," said Smith.

His day as a courier begins at 7 a.m. to begin sorting packages into five different routes.

"Typically in the morning we do deliveries to all the businesses and, personals as we call them, to houses," said Smith.

In the afternoon the couriers start collecting outgoing parcels.

These outgoing pick-ups, Smith said, could be bound anywhere in the world.

"We're a Northern agent for a lot of worldwide freight agencies," he said.

Besides his courier duties, couriers with Buffalo Express who are looking to go into the aviation side of the business also do flight attendant training and flight watch.

Flight watch personnel, monitor radios, fuel and oil airplanes, answer phones and take bookings.

Smith said flight watch, along with the flight attendant runs to Hay River, help those looking to be pilots get used to the airplanes.

"A lot of guys that are really high up in the company started as a courier. It's a really good entry into the aviation side of the business," said Smith.

Another positive to the courier business Smith said helped him get to know the community.

"You meet a lot of people. I came here not knowing anybody," said Smith, who has been in Yellowknife for eight months and with Buffalo for six.

"Within two to three months of my route I got to know a lot of people," he said.

But, like every position there are down sides.

"I always thought it was a myth, the mailman being chased by dogs. But, I've been chased over fences. It's kind of funny in retrospect," said Smith.