The Helicopter View

Aviation photographer Lloyd Horgan joins the Canadian military on a peacekeeping operation in the war-torn African country of Mali…

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I've always been fascinated by war photojournalism, but was still finding my feet in the industry during the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts. So when the editor of one of the aviation magazines that I shoot for asked me to cover the Canadian Armed Forces contribution to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), I jumped at the chance. The mission consists of around 250 personnel, three CH-147F Chinooks and five CH-146 Griffon helicopters, with their primary role being MEDEVAC (medical evacuation), but they can also be utilized for transporting troops, equipment and supplies, or the rapid movement of UN troops. It's a story that also has a wider-reaching audience than just those who have an interest in helicopters or the aviation industry — and I simply love looking for stories like that.

We were based at the United Nations camp in Gao, Mali, and we had a couple of flights around the area that saw us flying back to camp along the Niger, which was incredible to see from the air as there's just this channel of water surrounded by greenery, and then it slowly merges back into the vast and desolate landscape.