The first project for Helidrill was at Pike River in 2007, some of Helidrill’s other larger and more interesting projects have been for Solid Energy and the L&M Group.
The main focus for Helidrill is Coal Exploration, although they are able to drill for many other types of Minerals.
This contract was completed in November 2011 and required holes to an average depth of 150 metres with one deeper hole to a depth of 400 metres. This was another Coal Exploration project.
The rig that was used on this job was the track mounted TD250, that was built in October 2010. It had the capacity and power to drill the deep hole. There was a reasonably tight time frame for this project, so to ensure the job was completed on time a Sub-Contractor was used for a brief period.
The use of the track mounted rig and rod carrier meant that all the equipment was able to move between drill sites including the off road ones, and there was no need for the additional cost of a transporter.
The drilling crew and the Geologist stayed in Balclutha and made the 20min trip to and from the drill sites in Kaitangata each day.
A small project started in September 2010, but a first of its kind for Helidrill. There were approx. 300 holes at 3 metres deep in a 4km line over rolling farmland in Ohai, Southland.
Three rigs worked on the project, two of the smaller ones that belong to Helidrill, and a sub-contractor. The Helidrill rigs were mounted on the back of the Suzuki and the other onto the back of a tractor, the sub-contractor had a trailing post driver that was towed behind his tractor.
The use of the 4wd machines meant that the rigs were able to easily navigate the rolling terrain and farm crops without creating too much mess or disruption for the farmer.
An onsite Geologist was able to monitor the progress, and the use of the 3 rigs meant that they weren’t sitting around waiting for the holes to be completed.
This project started in 2009 and has resulted in an on-going relationship between Helidrill and the L&M Group of Companies.
The drilling program at Denniston was for Coal Exploration with 20+ PQ holes to an average depth of 50 metres. The location of the majority of the holes required the crew to once again camp on site at each hole, with the rig and camping equipment flown between drill sites.
The drill sites were mostly on rocky outcrops, giving the drillers a fantastic view of the Denniston Plateau, although at times they were very exposed to the elements.
The Geologist was Duncan Ritchie, he was flown in at the end of each hole to check the completed hole and advise the location of the next hole. In between times he was kept up to date with daily emails and phone calls as required.
This job was started in May 2009 and was the first job for the TD150, the replacement rig for the LM75 that was used at Pike River.
This drilling program consisted of 6 vertical diamond drill holes ranging from 50-140 mtrs for Coal Exploration.
The drill sites would vary between rugged open country to reasonably dense bush covered sites, all inaccessible by road.
The remote location required all the gear, including the rig to be flown in and moved between drill sites with a helicopter. The crew were flown in and out daily, depending on the weather conditions. No camping was required for this job. The Geologist wasn’t on site on a daily basis, so they were kept up to date on the progress during the day as required via the on-site radios, and then with a phone call in evenings when the driller had returned home.
Drilling on the access tunnel alignment for Pike River Coal was the first job for Helidrill. The rig used for this job was a diesel powered LM75 (which has since been replaced).
This job required the two man drilling crew to camp on each drill site for up to 10 days at a time. The campsites were well set up with toilet, shower, kitchen and sleeping quarters. All drilling and camping equipment had to be flown in and between sites with a helicopter. At the end of each 10day stint the crew were helicoptered out for a 4 day break. This continued for about 4 months and was challenging at times, given the high rainfall on the Westcoast and the steep rugged terrain.
Once drilling on the access tunnel was completed, the crew then moved on to a drilling and grouting program at the surface of the proposed vent shaft. The drilling and grouting program took about 2 ½ months to complete.
The final project for Pike River Coal was to drill two 150mm holes to mine level from the surface to allow water to be pumped into the mine to facilitate the mining operation.
Most of the work at Pike River was completed with just the Driller and Offsider on the site, the communication of the drilling progress to the Geologist was done each evening via Satellite phone.
