Collecting by Helicopter

Just now we have a discussion at the German web-site „Mineralienatlas“.

Anybody has the opinion that some Northamericians have their own helicopter and use that for going into the mountains collecting minerals. Another said these people who are so rich to have an own helicopter don’t collect by them selves but they buy these specimens which they wont.

Now I would like to know what the US-Americans and the Canadians have to say to this point.

Uwe Ludwig

I think the Germans should worry about their own collecting rather than what Americans do or do not do :)

I've heard a few stories of collectors in Washington state and Arizona using a helicopter to get quickly up mountains, but I've never done that myself, of course. I have, however, taken a helicopter ride to photograph rock formations around my hometown. Very fun.

Funny, I heard that's how wealthy Swiss do their strahlering. Step off the chopper and right into the nice pink fluorite pocket. I wish chopper time was cheap enough that I could afford it.

Alaska, Yukon Territory, and Northwest Territories are so remote that the only way around is by helicopter or bush plane. I spent ten years in those regions conducting mieral exploration and when convenient, picked up a few specimens along the way.

Must of us in the US only use our helicopters to commute to and from work

For an excellent adventure on the subject, read the book by Kevin Krajick, "Barren Lands: An Epic Search for Diamonds in the North American Arctic" for details on how Chuck Fipke used helicopters extensively to look for diamonds throught the Rocky Mountain Region, and also stake claims.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/2012 05:29PM by Jeff Weissman.

Seems it's actually the Brits who go collecting by helicopter in America.

Ref: Ralph, Jolyon (2011) Air Mindat: Field collecting by helicopter. The Vug Quarterly Magazine, 4, #3, 37-39.

Hi Uwe

it looks, as if you have not understood my contribution in "Mineralienatlas".

(cite: "Just now we have a discussion at the German web-site „Mineralienatlas“.
Anybody has the opinion that some Northamericians have their own helicopter and use that for going into the mountains collecting minerals. Another said these people who are so rich to have an own helicopter don’t collect by them selves but they buy these specimens which they wont. Now I would like to know what the US-Americans and the Canadians have to say to this point. Uwe Ludwig)

My contribution is no discussion and hadn' t been intended to be discussed. I just wanted to express, that " It' s (my) dream to have an own helicopter to fly to a collecting site to collect quartzes and epidotes at the peak of a mountain ".

There has neither been an intention nor a statement, whether there are wealthy American owning their own helicopters just for collecting purposes. Despite the fact, that I came across a few, who were in the position and loved to fly their copters , go fishing and/ or collect at remote sites. In CA, WA and MA. None of those has neither been a rich man nor has he had the bucks to buy expensive minerals.

Peter

Ha, well, this thread gets a little more interesting...

In the past, I have flown numerous fixed wing craft recons to locate possible collecting sites and to access the ground accessibility of locations. One clandestine mission was to find a commerial collector’s secret location by spotting his truck from the air. We eventually contemplated the purchase of a STOL aircraft that would allow us to land on a particular ridge in San Benito County, very near several important collecting sites. A chopper would have been a perfect solution, but the cost of purchase and maintenance for such craft would be prohibitive. IMO, there are very few mineral finds that could justify the costs of such a venture.

Gene

With this thread I am far away to blame the collecting behaviour of anybody but I am very interested how the “colleagues” worldwide do our common hobby.

So for example I read the reports at www.greatbasinminerals.com (a very interesting site) with a great pleasure and therefore I was curious to read whether any American hobby collector really use such expensive equipment.

Jolyon yes, I’m worry about German collectors because compared with other countries we are in a very poor situation. All old shafts are sealed or watched by historical mining clubs, the old mining dumps become recultivated and the collectors are pursued by foresters, farmers, quarry owners etc.

Uwe Ludwig

Uwe,
I use my helicopters all the time to go collecting. If I go any distance I use one of the big ones because it is more comfortable and they have hot tubs and saunas. For places like the moon and mars, I use my space ship.

Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.

Traded mine in for a jet pack ;)

This is the truth.

I have my own helicopter pilot who refuses to accept payment from me. He just likes taking trips with me. HE thinks it's a treat !

I am pretty good at alpine ecology as well as mineralogy and geology and he thinks he's got his own two legged nature encyclopedia..

And yes. This guy is super wealthy and a guy who wakes up trying to figure what to do each day. Most often it is spending time with his young grandchildren.

He is not actually on call, and he picks and chooses which flights he'll take me on.

I use him sparingly so that I don't wear out my welcome.

I'd like to describe his helicopter hangar, but that would be too personal for him.

Bart



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/2012 09:40PM by Bart Cannon.

Uwe:

Unfortunately most of us North Americans don't have the resources to go on helicopter collecting trips....I imagine the ones who do this are either well off, doing it as part of a prospecting investment, or are just people who've saved up for a while and prefer to rent a helicopter and go collecting, than to go to Tahiti or something like that.

You can hire a helicopter to pick you up and drop you off at certain locations. I think this runs close to $900 for round trip service depending on the flight time, and it's usually a group of people so they split the cost.

Another option, as Bart said, is to have a friend with a helicopter

On another note, we have an observatory up in the mountains here with a 60" telescope and 100" telescope. You can rent the 60" for half a night or a full night...complete with operator. I think they allow groups as big as 25 people. It's $900 for a half night and $1700 for a full night, so $36 to $68 per person.

There is a helicopter service which is based in Darrington, Washington. It was recently operated by super-pro Anthony Reese. And yet even he has crashed a couple of times. Now his son is running the service. The hourly rates are near $1,000, and you must pay for the time it takes the chopper to get from Darrington to your pick up or take back.

More or less too expensive to consider any longer, but as I mentioned, my helicopter pilot only takes me to places he is interested in, and if I have a place to visit outside of my pilot's range and interest, the only option is the super expensive commercial custom trip.

It is now seldom that the cost of the helicopter flight can match the value of the rocks I can take home.

Bart

Except for desert and grassland collecting, helicopters do not make sense. In Colorado, the majority of interesting sites do not have landing pads, or the winds are problematic. Perhaps these rich collectors rappel from their choppers.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/2012 03:19AM by Dean Allum.

I walk 4000 miles each year to find some of america's finest minerals. Montana is my favorite.

Dean,

Mountain helicopter pilots can always find a place to land. Sometimes it's not exactly where you want to be set down, but the chore of hauling in your drill, drill steel and other tools and supplies via chopper is a lot more fun than packing it in 10 miles with 4,500 feet of elevation gain.

If I had a flat desert location I'd just drive there cross country, or take a mule or a llama. More likely my 120 pound German Shepherd. He can hop a good sized log with a 30 pound pack on his back if his paw pads are in good shape.

There is no greater thrill than seeing the awesome mountain sides pass underneath you without breaking a sweat.

Believe me, I've put in my time in the slide alder, Devil's Club, and talus in the Cascades, Sawtooths, and BC Coast Range. And I'm not too fond of the Red Shank and Manzanita in California, but I've never helicoptered down there.

I could be nearing the end of my extreme collecting career so this post could just be idle chatter. In the old days a field collector could sell almost everything from a find. These days, the only thing you can sell is the specimen which is worthy of being named. Not worth the effort financially, but the appeal of the treasure hunt is still there.

Bart

Into our claim. the first pic shows the back of Bart's head. Much better than the hike with equipment.