Helicopter Flying Between Wires

Helicopter transfering linemen from an outside to middle phase of a 345KV line - NOTE: you can't see them, but there are two shield wires above the helicopter.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Power
• Line
• Transmission
• electricity
• linemen
• lineman
• utility
• contractor
• construction
• maintenance
• inspection

[mybluemars]

OK am I missing something here? Why can't they just use a small dirigible? It would seem to be so much safer.

[FlyingLineman]

I can see your point and agree with the direction you're heading, but consider: transit times from material staging to work location, moving along the line between locations, tethering (maneuvering thrusters?) blimp so it's a stable lifting platform and size of blimp necessary for lifting capacity (could you use Archimedes principle about water displacement and floating boats to roughly estimate a blimp size necessary to lift 1000+ pounds?)

[TheFr3sh1]

What does the pilot due if the engine fails? 

[FlyingLineman]

Try their very best to do a safe auto-rotation...

[Banzay27]

As I understand it, they use something similar to a monocycle, with the tire-less wheel above, and pedal along the lines with it. Why the copter?

[FlyingLineman]

Ease of access: to get such a device onto the wire requires getting to the structure or right-of-way with a boom sufficiently long enough to reach. Problematic in some terrain or land-owner conditions. Also, when transferring onto energized wires the 'bird-on-a-wire' approach works very well.

[FlyingLineman]

OK, I'll explain it one more time... with three conductor wires below and two shield wires above, in this business, we call that 'flying inside the box' because, in very real terms, the helicopter is 'boxed' in by the above and below wires. Comprehend?

[FlyingLineman]

LOL! Yea... a salary akin to a fortune! Oh, if only!

No, very sorry to report, we do it because we love the job. Sad to say, linemen working out of a bucket truck can make as much, or more.

[thewiitry]

An accident waiting to happen

[baggen44]

@FlyingLineman wait.. at that height?

[aeiou772]

@FlyingLineman wow , nice description, you must be a professor from physics deptt.

[mpopeube]

Obviously I am no electrical head, and I know they were not touching ground, but I felt quesy when they sat on live wire. What if you had to pee really hard?

Would it not be nerve wracking walking across the wire crosses the tower?

What happens when it rains hard?

Then they are one step from a fatal fall.

Please pay them atleast $200k/yr.

[StandByRecovery]

Thats crazy scary!!! I would never do that!

[bigtopbollocks]

That is hairy!

[TQGraham11]

thats a freakin vietnam pilot!

[choyyuz]

@FlyingLineman Is it safe to perform autorotation if the engine fails while just centermeters from the high voltage wires?