High Voltage Tower Construction Timelapse Movie 720p HD

[spinceara]

very interesting

[APSracingUSA]

Great vid

[JCMDInature]

@APSracingUSA Thanks a bunch for checking it out =)

[nevzatdedemen]

Çok ilginç.

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks for watching! =)

[jmfoxfire]

stop with  ads

[bigbob1122]

The timelapse and the music makes me think of playing Sim City when I was younger. You could zone stuff and then switch to timelapse to see everything being built. Cool video, very interesting.

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks for watching - glad you enjoyed the show! =)

[Ravenpulse]

3:08 lol stupid looking helicopter

[thegaffergirls]

our dad built this type of line towers in his career .. thanks so much 4 sharing ...

[thegaffergirls]

our dad used 2 do this .. woot woot .. thanks 4 sharing ...

[jcmegabyte]

It looks like quite an interesting job - but you definitely can't be afraid of heights!  Thanks for visiting :-)

[thegaffergirls]

@jcmegabyte

thanks 4 the follow ...

we distribute glass color/ colour 2 glass artists direct ..

hince the nicname .. have a good 1 .. 

[Fou3Fan]

I love the kmax two rotors and everything

[jcmegabyte]

Definitely a cool aircraft :-) Thanks so much for stopping by!

[bertrandka]

That's the america I like.: practical & efficient.

In Europa with kamov , Superpuma or kamax we have people on the tower which is much more dangerous. Very smart & the 500 giving info to the skycrane too.

I give you a ten on my safety award on powerline construction.

Bravo !

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks for the great comment! :-) This was indeed a very interesting project to watch - construction seemed to go like clockwork. Cheers!

[oienmac]

@bertrandka 'a ten on the safety meter'.. right up until the guy hops on the 'head-ache ball' and is airlifted out... that's just funny..!!

[xaniared]

That was a great video. Thanks for the upload!!!!!!!

[jcmegabyte]

This was a fascinating process to watch in real life too - glad you enjoyed! Thanks for watching =)

[videovic99]

It looks like an idol of some strange cult.

[jcmegabyte]

"The sacred cult of the electricity users". Hmmm... that's likely to be a BIG cult! XD

[henkie666666]

Just wondering, why is there a second chopper hovering at the side of the High voltage Tower as the large chopper brings in parts 3 and 4?

[jcmegabyte]

When tower parts are delivererd/installed by the SKy Crane, there is a secondary "spotter" helicopter (I believe it's a Hughes 500) with a dedicated observer onboard. That observer communicates with the pilots/engineers on the Sky Crane to help verify accurate placement of the tower section and help avoid accidents/problems. Seems to be a good system - all the placements I saw went along like clockwork. :-)

[henkie666666]

@jcmegabyte Thanks man! Was just very curious about the function of that chopper, and I don't know anything about building with choppers... Love your vid!

[MegaFactMan]

It's time to start burying high voltage power lines so we don't have to put up with these above ground eyesores. Overhead high voltage lines and towers are ugly, are serious health risks, devalue neighboring property, and kill millions of birds annually.

[jcmegabyte]

I always wondered why they didn't bury these and all other power lines underground... Perhaps it has something to do with insulation issues or ground coupling where extremely high voltage (500,000VAC) is concerned. It could also be a cost-saving thing, although I can't image these towers and their construction being any less expensive than buried cable. These towers also impede aerial fire fighting capability in this populated canyon, which wasn't too popular with residents there...

[highvoltagelineman21]

@MegaFactMan. IF u dont like them then dig a ditch across america for the power lines through all the fucking rock to go into , or just dont use electricity. Also im sure you care about the birds so much.

[mv4eva]

Guys, it reminds me of wasps building their homes.

[jcmegabyte]

Isn't amazing how people look like bugs when they're sped up so much? Hahaha XD

[mv4eva]

@jcmegabyte

The helicopters look a LOT like wasps or bees, and the workers looks like ants or something =D

[drazic32]

Simply incredible. And i thought that some of the cattle mustering pilots were amazing. And on a hill face too. There control even considering the thermals is astonishing

[jcmegabyte]

You're not kidding! There was a prevailing wind in addition to all the thermal activity so you know it had to be turbulent - especially in such mountainous terrain. It was quite a show! :-)

[oldmanRick1]

The guys doing the flying are some of the best in the world.

[jcmegabyte]

Yup - I have to agree with that! Thanks for watching :-)

[oldmanRick1]

Fantastic

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks! :-)

[sixstringsmark]

Thanks for posting! This is awesome footage!!!

[jcmegabyte]

Glad you enjoyed - thanks for watching and the nice comment! :-)

[pescatorewayl]

Did you noticed that the elicopters in time laps look like flies...

and the men like ants!

[jcmegabyte]

Yep - they definitely do!

[tdevry]

That's cool, well done.

[jcmegabyte]

It was quite an interesting project to film, too - thanks for watching! =)

[tall32guy]

These timelapse videos of people doing everyday things I've always found cute and interesting. :)

[jcmegabyte]

More interesting than in real life/realtime, too, in many cases! XD

[LarryCanFly]

I "hear" a SkyCrane costs $30k/day + $8k/hr, I wonder how much they budget per tower.

[jcmegabyte]

I would guess that somewhere in the cost breakdown for this whole project (might even be public information) is an itemized schedule for the air support... and I'd bet it's not cheap! Projects in difficult terrain like this have dollar-signs written all over them. Sure is cool to watch them work , though! :-)

[FlyingLineman]

K-max, Skycrane, MD500 in action! Very, very cool video. Thanks for sharing.

[jcmegabyte]

Glad you enjoyed!  I had a great time watching and filming the show, myself - it was quite an operation. :-)

[companyman007]

sau cool! *****

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks so much for watching!

[Peedlebum]

Superb video - and brilliant music, too!

[jcmegabyte]

Glad you enjoyed - thanks so much for watching! :-)

[lexcorona85]

With time lapse, the helicopters look like bees and the workers like monkeys when they climb up the towers. Great video.

[jcmegabyte]

I thought so too - It's interesting how things look so different when you speed them up like that. Thanks for checking it out!

[bugabugaman]

Dude!!! what a FANTASTIC VIDEO!

Thank you.

5/5

[jcmegabyte]

Glad you enjoyed! This was fascinating to film, too. Thanks for watching and commenting :-)

[numbchuckwoods]

I work on this project. These are all great videos. I'll be sure to pass these on to others that work on the project!

[jcmegabyte]

Cool - I had hoped the guys that worked on this would get to see these... Thanks for passing it on! :-)

[TheXog]

it looks like little plastic people building the tower when its sped up lol

[jcmegabyte]

Funny how the stop-motion effect of time lapse makes them look that way... or like little insects! :-)

[1sh0t1j01nt]

k0000l!!!! how long exactly did it take to build one tower?

[jcmegabyte]

It's hard to say exactly since the project was done in stages, off and on, over several months. The two major parts of the tower (leg/bottom structure, and two larger top modules) took 1 day each to bring in and assemble. Boring the holes and pouring the footing/foundation took several days-worth of work, done over several weeks. I'd guess that there is about 1-week's worth of time per tower. Of course a TON of work (design, fabrication, etc.) was done off-site by many other people too. :-)

[Geo2005]

intriguing. thanks for the u/l *****

[jcmegabyte]

Glad you enjoyed - thanks for commenting! :-)

[Gzero91]

I love timelapse! Also the Creation of thease massive structures is truly amazing!!, In the beginning i thought they where shooting webs as ropes!

[jcmegabyte]

It was definitely an interesting project to film - thanks for watching and commenting :-)

[RCstanleyp]

amazing! Thank you very much for showing this excellent film

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks a bunch for watching and commenting! :-)

[AnnyDepp2]

this is so great...thanks for showing...it´s so great to see this ..more as 5*!

[jcmegabyte]

So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for the view, great comment, and stars =)

[dedes016]

Watching the process of building this was amazing. I do have to laugh at the word "sight pollution". Only in California.

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks so much for watching! Yes it's true, seems like the only thing CA has more of than kinds of pollution are kinds of lawsuits! :-)

Have a great week!

[h3h3l0l]

1:36+ it sort of looks like a clay animation!

[jcmegabyte]

Yea - it sorta does... funny how the movement in time lapse can give that effect :-)

[ilikedamonkeys]

now this, my friend, is art. excellent job!

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed :-) Have a great week!

[18monthehoops88]

as a linesman from scotland good stuff m8

[jcmegabyte]

It was a fascinating process to film - these guys did really amazing work. Thanks so much for watching and commenting! :-)

[Orangeflava]

fascinating! how many days exactly did it take to construct this?

[jcmegabyte]

There were 3 distinct phases.. Around Mid-Feb, boring the foundation holes/setting the concrete footings took a week or so of off-and-on work. (not shown in this vid)

On 3-28-2009 they assembled the four legs and bottom (thus forming the base of the tower) using the K-Max dual-rotor helicopter.

2 weeks later, the rest of the tower was brought in by the S-64 Sky Crane, which took another day.

They were building a number of these towers at one time, all choreographed beautifully. :-)

[CAlex6977]

Awesome and environmentally friendly that there are no roads to complete this. Great job.

[jcmegabyte]

Indeed - in spite of the "ugliness factor" of having these towers and lines cutting through the national forest, I was happy that they didn't cut many roads to get the job done :-)

[kevindh71]

Fantastic and absolutely fascinating to watch! Time-lapse has a unique way of telling a story. I had no idea until now how power lines were assembled. Was I correct in noting that the upper & middle sections were put into place by the chopper pilots themselves, and the ground workers secured the connections afterward?

P.S.: The music set the perfect mood. Thanks for sharing this with us.

[jcmegabyte]

Exactly. There are some well-engineered guides placed on top of the already-placed tower pieces, and some cable/wire stretched around the perimeter of the piece being placed which help it slide into place. The ground crew is cleared to a safe distance during placement, and once it's set, they climb up to bold it into place. These towers were built entirely with air support - there are no roads to the tower site at all. :-)

Thanks for watching!

[joeltheasshole]

Great video jcmegabyte! Very well done. I'm an apprentice lineman from Palmdale and I have a few buddies on that job. Probably the best video of lineman at work. Awesome!

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks for the great comment! I was very impressed with these guys - hard-working and efficient in getting the job done. It would be great if they can get to see this. I'd also like the people at HeliQuest to see it too - it's a great tribute to all the skill and engineering that goes into these things. :-)

[silverdale247]

Giant Mecano, what a great job that must be!!

This really is a 'guy thing' video, loved it!! ;-))

Thanks!!

[jcmegabyte]

It does seem like a great job - and those guys work long, hard hours too. They started just after daybreak and didn't pack up until sunset - probably 10-12 hours of pretty-much non-stop construction.

Thanks a bunch for the view and great comment =D

[tall32guy]

Was this filmed with a digital camera or a 35 mm?

[jcmegabyte]

All digital... The time lapse sequences were shot with a Canon 5S-is, and the realtime footage taken with a Canon HF100. All images were shot in 1920x1080p full HD resolution, down-scaled to 1280x720p for YT upload. :-)

[Taylor756]

Once again, the vid here is awesome and proves to be so enigmatic. I happen to live near a whole line of these. Of which the area has been appropriately called "pretzal park!". Its amazing for all the years by these things, never saw one built. Thanks JC. cool as ever. BTW the choppers either look like dragon flies or just flies. And the workers look like Aphids on plants. Amazing

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks for stopping by and the great comment! :-) Isn't amazing how these things just seem to "appear", or, were just "already there" when you see them? I don't think many people have seen them being built, especially with helicopters.

I, too, have always found it amusing how humans and our contraptions look like bugs when you speed them up! It's funny, interesting, AND educational all at the same time. I guess that's why I like timelapse so much :-)

[NeutronStarMusic]

This is an amazing piece of video. Its just like little spiders building a web. Love the music too !

[jcmegabyte]

Funny how even when I try to document urban-ish, human-related, big construction projects - when I speed them up they all end-up being bug vids! Hahaha XD Thanks for stopping by and checking it out :-)

[destroyahdes]

That was really amazing. I didn't know they used helicopters. I'm amazed they can position the pieces so exactly on top of each other. I didn't see people guiding them in. There are some of these towers by a park I go to. You can hear the electricity flowing and it's kinda scary.

[jcmegabyte]

I don't know that they use the helicopters on flat, level ground where they can bring in cranes, but it sure was cool watching them work in this mountainous terrain using them. Yes, the cracking or a half-million volts overhead is a bit un-nerving. Knowing that minimum safe distance from those lines is 25 feet is a good thing, or you risk an arc taking you out like a lightning bolt! Thanks for stopping by! :-)

[zrnho]

Amazing work unbelievable, i have to say the guys are good! to go up and down the towers all day. Fantastic! footage!! well made...oh i would luv to go up in a helicopter ;-)

[jcmegabyte]

It was definitely quite a show they put on. I have never flown in a helicopter either, but it sounds like fun! :-)

Thanks for watching and commenting :-)

[woosteria]

Amazing vid! Very interesting parallel to honeybee and hummingbird activity. Thank you for this!

[jcmegabyte]

Indeed we humans do resemble several different kinds of creatures when we are sped-up like this! Thanks for watching :-)

[k238studios]

In a way I still see it as nature, it almost looks like a very sophisticated insect specie :D I see ants crawling up and down, a dragonfly with spider like wires that lifts pieces of the new ant hill!

Great stuff again JC!

[jcmegabyte]

I find it interesting that when you speed-up humans and our contraptions - we look and act like insects, especially in large masses. Scurrying around, busy busy, building our cocoons, hives and other stuff - just going about our day like all the other lifeforms. Yep, we're a bunch of interesting bugs! XD

Thanks for watching! =)

[shirleey1969]

It was very interesting for me to watch that vid,

but it makes me sad - because the result was:

Destruction of nature...

Thanks for posting!

[jcmegabyte]

Yes, the ugliness factor is indeed a big loss to those of us that want to see nature without civilization.

On the positive side, we are fortunate that they destroyed very little ground habitat because they used the helicopters. Birds will need to fly around the wires and towers but wildlife shouldn't be too affected. One more positive note (trying to be as positive as possible here!) is that these towers will carry renewable energy from a wind farm. :-) Thanks for watching!

[musumeci2008]

Great! Impressive precision.

[jcmegabyte]

Definitely amazing flying work by those pilots. That big helicopter can carry up to 20,000 lbs and set it down within a couple of inches. There are of course some guides/wires on the tower structures to help slide the piece in place. Thanks for checking it out :-)

[HumboldtMike]

Nice!  Awesome helicopters too...

[jcmegabyte]

I thought so too - really impressive when flying directly overhead carrying 10,000 lbs + of tower structure! Thanks for stopping by :-)

[jcmegabyte]

The tower frame assembly could have been done in one day, but was actually performed in two, 1/2-day sessions, about 2 weeks apart. It was more efficient for them to finish the lower parts of many towers first, then go back and add the upper three pieces to those towers later using the Sikorsky. They have limited access to the big helicopters so they have to maximize the time they can get them :-)

[8triforce92]

haha, look at those little worker bugs go! :)

Awesome footage

Peace

[jcmegabyte]

They do look a lot like ants and dragonflies when sped-up like that! Thanks for watching :-)

[slickerflicker]

!!!GREAT!!! I AM amazed!!!

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks a bunch for checking it out! =)

[pr1mocadale]

fantastico, bellissimo, stupendo e magistrale!!! un vero capolavoro, bravo!!!

5*****elicotteri

ciao, paolo

[jcmegabyte]

So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for the view, comment and stars :-)

[webiocosm]

Beautiful!

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks so much for watching!  =D

[bryant036]

Really cool video! keep up the great work!

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks for watching and the great comment! =)

[Ganny111]

thats really great!!!! fantastic..and the quality is fantasic..both, the film and the music!!!!

100 *****

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks so much for the view, super nice comment, and ll those stars! :-)

[canadianentropy]

Excellent! At one point the helicopters lokoed like insects buzzing around the tower.

[jcmegabyte]

It's funny that when sped-up like this, they ALL looked like bugs! :-) Thanks for checking it out!

[bagwhanbill]

cool 5 cheers for the post

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks so much for stopping by :-)

[BigLoveZone]

you are one of the few where I can hit the 5 star button without even viewing the movie first! I love timelapse stuff and you are one of the BEST!

[jcmegabyte]

Wow - thanks so much for the super-nice, head-swelling comment! :-) I had a fascinating time watching this construction project and I'm glad you enjoyed it too! Have a great weekend =D

[marylynncleveland]

really cool...

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks for stopping by! :-)

[ukmaggie45]

That is just amazing! I agree with the others over the likeness to ants. Must have been real fun to see the tower going up in real life. I've only ever done time lapse on flowers opening and clouds over the mountains, but would love to try something like a building site... Will check out your other videos of this project when I have a bit more time. Thanks for sharing your work. :-)

[jcmegabyte]

It was definitely impressive to see such large things flying overhead - even the HD video doesn't do it justice. Sounds like you've done some interesting time lapse stuff yourself! I'll check out your page as well.Thanks for watching and commenting :-)

[ukmaggie45]

Thanks JCM, haven't managed to get my time lapse stuff online yet. We've had a difficult few years with my (aged) parents' illnesses and deaths, followed by lots of difficult lawyer stuff! Eek! ;-) We hope we are now getting back on a more even keel, so will see if I can find the camcorder and tapes and get some online.

Thanks for looking at my stuff - sheer luck getting ratty! Not seen him this year, hope he's gone, we have a stoat in the field now, will have to try get footage of that!

[newmediaformat]

Fascinating Video. Good work -as always. *****'s : )

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks for the great comment and view! =)

[64mung]

Great video, jmc! I always enjoy watching your time lapse photography...GOOD STUFF!

5 stars for the video..

5 stars to the sky crane pilot!!

64m >:-)

[jcmegabyte]

Yea - those pilots deserve some stars alright - they did some amazing flying... AND no one crashed! Thanks for watching :-)

[miceu]

My sister works in the projection of these towers and tracks in my country but not as this efficient way! I will show her your video! Congratulations for the nice moments times you provided!

[jcmegabyte]

Interesting - I'm glad I could provide some helpful video. There are many more videos of this project on my other two channels, JCMDIWeirdStuff, and JCMDIStockFootage. Thanks for watching! :-)

[miceu]

I will see the videos in these channels. All my best wishes! :)

[timm19752000]

that chopper looks like a toy in timelapse.

[jcmegabyte]

It sure does! In fact, without the men on the ground and on the tower, it's hard to tell just big those things are. Thanks for stopping by :-)

[miceu]

I lived very close to these towers ... and sometimes even we try to climb ... but only some few bids ... we were immediately denounced by the staff who always walk around in substations. My sister just following in the footsteps of our father! Again, my thanks for reliving those days of childhood!

[jcmegabyte]

I hear that climbing those towers can be very dangerous - especially if you get too close to the wires! Even on the ground you can FEEL the electrocity crackling through them... kinda scary :-]

[miceu]

It is true ... for that reason whom saw, ran to warn his father of what we were doing! a challenge for us ... a sorrow for the family! But our father explained the danger... and the tower conquest stayed ... in the tests we had done! The high voltage turns away, throws and the danger is right there! See you... thanks again :)

[JcmdiStockFootage]

Thanks for checking it out! :-)

[bios36]

Fanastic footage!

Rick

[JcmdiStockFootage]

Thanks for watching and commenting :-)

[WileyPossum]

Wow! Great job and VERY interesting! I always wondered how they erected those things.

[JcmdiStockFootage]

Me too - I was fascinated by all the engineering and choreography needed to keep the whole process going so efficiently. Thanks for watching! :-)

[giulianopietra]

Excellent job of documentation for construction of a pillar for electricity,

find ingenious use of acceleration of the movie to give an almost unreal atmosphere, which becomes super-real at the end.

Excellent music and detachment with the helicopter noise at the end.

Well done a good job of patience and video quality,

Mandi,Giuliano

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks for watching! I have uploaded a TON of realtime and timelapse footage  (individual clips) on my JCMDIweirdstuff and JCMDIstockFootage channels - most with the original sounds in them, and the big Sikorsky chopper working. Have a great weekend! :-)

[giulianopietra]

... I have provided to make it run on the network Youtube your wonderful work,

Giuliano

[jcmegabyte]

Excellent! Thank you! :-)

[yunushassen]

Really Nice work

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks so much for watching :-)

[MrDaMan]

Now that's a different kind of hummingbird!

Way cool ty for sharing. :-)

[jcmegabyte]

They DO move seem to move a lot like hummingbirds - especially when you speed them up like that! Thanks for checking it out =)

[HappyHag]

A splendid piece of work - I mean you making the video, though the tower itself is also pretty awesome when you see it being constructed like that. Thank you!

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks for the great comment :-) I was pretty impressed with the tower construction too, as well as the helicopters/piloting skills I saw. Thanks so much for watching! :-)

[runesick]

thanks for posting this! It's pretty cool, i've never actually seen one being built! rated 5/5 :)

[jcmegabyte]

I remember seeing one built (sort of) when I was a kid in elementary school. It was a LONG way off in the distance and I only saw a small bit of the construction part, but i DO remember the helicopters. I dont know if they use air support in non-mountainous terrain (they may just use conventional cranes) but it sure cool to watch them fly stuff in up close! :-)

[runesick]

well i wish i actually saw it in person ;] From the entire video, i thought the last helicopter part was the coolest.

[seniorsite]

Wow very CooooooooooooL many *s

hugs Dee

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks for stopping by! :-)

[TubOfCereal]

wow now this is different when the men were climbing up the tower they looked like little ants and it really showed how truely brilliant we are

[jcmegabyte]

Yes, it's really hard to get a scale of things until you see how tiny the crew is compared to the tower! Thanks for watching!

[GeraldBoyClassical]

Dragonflies and ants.  That's what it reminded me of. Very cool.

[jcmegabyte]

Ya know, I was thinking that this looked a lot like insects hard at work - especially when sped-up! Thanks for checking it out :-)

[fuzzycabin]

That was brilliant. My favorite part of the video was when the helicopter air-lifted the top part of the structure in. You wouldn`t want that landing on your head, would you? :) You know it`s funny, with all of the thousands of energy towers in my country, I`ve never seen one being built. Maybe they pop out of the ground like daisys.

[jcmegabyte]

It's amazing to watch 5-10 TONS of steel flying right over your head! Assembly went like clockwork - they build several towers simultaneously and the helicopters (9+ of them; 1 Sikorsky, 2 K-Max, and 5+ smaller ones) flew a constant aerial ballet. Obviously a TON of engineering went into designing and making the tower pieces off-site.

Powerlines/towers stretch as far as the eye can see in our deserts, bringing energy from the Hoover Dam near Las Vegas to southern CA. Amazing stuff! :-)

[Austenmad24]

Awesome just Awesome! :)

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks so much for watching! :-)

[BogdanTelea]

Interesting!

I like your work!

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks for watching and the nice comment! :-)