LIKE sitting in a compact car without front doors 300 metres above the ground, the Robinson R44 helicopter jinks sideways as it is buffeted by a gust of desert wind above the Beyondie Sulphate of Potash (SoP) project.
At the controls is the enigmatic man who founded the project, Kimberley cattleman, Pilbara pastoralist, Badgingarra cattle backgrounder and Eneabba feedlotter, Newman helicopter services and earthmoving companies owner and committed desert racer, Brent Smoothy.
Mr Smoothy, originally a cattle mustering pilot from Queensland, arrived in the Pilbara with a dusty ute and swag in 2000 looking for a job.
He soon earned a reputation of being able to find cattle in rugged country that other muster pilots missed and built a business empire on the strength of that reputation.
Recently he added the 7230 hectare Karamarra property 145 kilometres west of Rockhampton, Queensland, believed to be valued at $25m or more, to his cattle station portfolio.
But the day is all about Kalium Lakes Ltd (KLL) and its Beyondie project - with 16 per cent of its issued stock, Mr Smoothy is KLL's second largest shareholder behind Greenstone Resources with 20.5pc and representing institutional investors.
He, wife Rachel and sons Lance, 13 and Tom, 7, flew down from their home on Sylvania station south-east of Newman and 50 minutes to the north, by small red helicopter for the opening of the accommodation village on Wednesday last week.
Mr Smoothy learned about SoP by quizzing mining company geologists as he flew them out of Newman to remote sites.
When they pointed out some of the salt lakes they flew over could contain valuable resources like SoP, he recognised the potential of a series of salt lakes on the Kumarina pastoral lease he held.
Two years later KLL listed on the stock exchange and four years on from that - final quarter next year - it will produce Australia's first commercial SoP fertiliser.
KLL chairman Mal Randall paid tribute to Mr Smoothy at last week's ceremony.
"Without Brent's foresight there is no doubt this project would not be where it is today," Mr Randall said.
Mr Smoothy has Mr Randall and myself in his helicopter, the first of many flights for the day showing KLL staff, guests and traditional landowners the SoP project from the air.
Out of deference to our ages, Mr Smoothy is flying much more sedately than he drives his Trophy Truck - a purpose-built V8 desert racer in which he has won or placed second in three races in California and Nevada and in which he plans to compete in the Black Diamond Drilling Kalgoorlie Desert Race, October 25-27, over a 130km course.
Despite the sedate flying, the helicopter still veers across the sky as he controls it with one hand while pointing out with the other the geological features - low parallel rock outcrops five kilometres apart - that mark the original banks of the ancient river that is now underground and being tapped for SoP.
When not at the controls of a helicopter Mr Smoothy is usually found smiling under a broad-brimmed white hat - his trademark and kept under the seat in the helicopter ready for use as soon as he lands.
KLL executives took Mr Smoothy to London for investor presentations early on, but asked him to leave the hat behind.
They did not want to create the impression of the Pilbara's 'Crocodile Dundee' at a serious capital raising.
However, they laughingly admit they did considered translating Mr Smoothy's broad Australian accent and colourful language for the London money men.
But skimming above the desert sands and the patterns the last rains 18 months ago left on the salt lakes surfaces, Mr Smoothy is in his element, no translation needed.