Flying at Grand Cote Mine Senegal

March 2015

Flying at a multi million dollar mining concern in Senegal West Africa.  We were tasked to give an aerial view of the various stages involved in the mining process.  We first flew in the Dunes of the mine showcasing the massive Dredge and Wet Seperation Plant that is the start of the process.  Once extracted from the sand the valuable minerals are then sent via pipeline to an emitter that "sprays" the minerals into large piles.  They are then scooped up by diggers and sent to the Mineral Speration Plant for further refining.  We flew around the plant showcasing the scale of the operation, and their newly built power station.  The minerals are loaded onto a train and sent to the port in Dakar for internationla export.   We were asked to get Aerials of the train travelling to Dakar which was a a logistical challenge.  We had to get in front of the train, rig the copter very quickly and fly.  Then de-rig double quick jump in the car and chase the train again!  The winds were the biggest challenge in Senegal, as a strong wind had arrived from the Sahara.  We picked our moments, but generally flew in tough conditions.  The sand got everywhere too but the copter performed well  We got some great shots at the port in Dakar showcasing the boat and busy shipping piers along with the mine.  Mission accomplished!!