Resource World Magazine

D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7 www.resourceworld.com 59 of four helicopters and two fixed-wing aircraft. Keyser is both an experienced geologist and helicopter pilot making him well suited to provide geophysics services. Keyser said the most important con- siderations when choosing an aircraft are safety, reliability, performance and opera- tional cost. Safety he said "is always top priority". Keyser explained that each air- craft is unique in the magnetic or electrical noise that it produces and that noise can interfere with the quality of data collected. Precision GeoSurveys has developed proprietary methods of reducing the heli- copter's noise in order to ensure the data they gather is of the highest quality. The pilots who fly for Precision GeoSurveys are very specialized; they must be able to navigate very precisely and understand the complex data gather- ing equipment. Pilots, Keyser says, "play an integral role in the quality of data." The company's pilots are also experts at flying over remote and mountainous terrain. When I asked Keyser about key techni- cal advances in the airborne geophysics industry he said the digitizing of data and the use of GPS has had a profound effect. "We are able to collect much more data, process much more data and know the source location within less than a metre." I asked him if the increased use of drones as a tool in the mining industry has affected business and he said that he found that drones are good for lightweight technical work such as localized physical mapping but they must be flown within sight of the operator and are too small to carry heavier geophysics equipment. There is a definite economic benefit to communities that have access to an airport. The air traffic generated by the mining industry contributes to that benefit. Besides serving the aircraft that fly to and from remote projects, the service sector that serves resource projects such as assay labs or equipment and fuel headquarter near hub airports bringing jobs to the community. Northwest Regional Airport is located three miles south of Terrace, British Columbia and serves the communities of Terrace and Kitimat. The airport is home to several small airlines: Central Mountain Air, Northern Thunderbird Air, Canadian Helicopters Ltd., Quantum Helicopters, Summit Aviation and Great Slave Helicopters. I spoke to Carman Hendry, Airport Manager at the Northwest Regional Airport about how the resource sector affects business and traffic at the airport. Hendry said that the airport employs from 115 to 130 people and is considered a major employer in the area. He estimated that 3-6% of traffic at the airport is directly related to the resource industry. He said around ~223,000 passengers go through Northwest Regional Airport each year. If 5% of that traffic is travelling through on resource related business, that adds up to over 11,000 resource-related passengers passing through the airport each year. Hendry said that Terrace, with its airport, is a hub for the mining indus- try. Workers arrive in Terrace to go on to remote projects in the North. The airport sees an influx of passengers when Pretium's Brucejack Mine has a shift change. He said traffic in relation to the resource industry has improved since 2008. Airlines serving the resource industry make their home at several airports ben- efiting the general community. Alkan Air operates out of Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport, Yukon. Serving the resource industry constitutes a significant amount of their business. They also pro- vide air ambulance services for the Yukon Territory and have three aircraft config- ured full time for air ambulance flights. Great Slave Helicopters has been in business for 32 years specializing in drill programs and exploration. I spoke with April McMillan, Business Development Project Coordinator at Great Slave Helicopters. I asked her what the work- horse helicopter of the mining industry would be, she replied, "One would be hard pressed to find a machine that is more versatile and can be used in more facets Enjoy the height of productivity and convenience. Fly where you want, when you want with fast and flexible jet and helicopter charters capable of taking you to the most remote locations in North America, and beyond. For those who know the most valuable resource is time 6 0 4 - 2 7 2 - 8 1 2 3 · T O L L F R E E : 1 - 8 7 7 - 3 9 9 - 8 1 2 3 F A X : 6 0 4 - 2 3 3 - 0 2 0 2 · U R L : L O N D O N A I R . C O M

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