This is not a drone

Heyseed · Feb 25, 2017

Watched these guys doing powerline inspection. The guy in the door has some sort of camera. I was amazed how steady the pilot could hold the aircraft.
Anyone ever do this kind of work?

farmerjohn · Feb 25, 2017

There is a large powerline near us that hangs on big steel towers. A couple years ago they added about 10 feet to each tower. They did it all by helicopter, raising each section up and hovering over the tower while men crawled out and bolted it on.

2underage · Feb 25, 2017

I saw them doing that near here last summer. I was impressed by the way they kept that chopper steady as they flew close to the electric line. Not a job that I would want. Thanks for the great pictures. Happy farming.

Geo-TH,In · Feb 25, 2017

I would say the pilot has large brass body parts.

I say a helicopter clearing hi voltage power lines using a saw hanging from helicopter. The saw must be hanging from large brass bolts.
u tube video

Kccca · Feb 25, 2017

The most challenging art of piloting a 'copter is hovering. Takes skill and common sense ie:flying by the seat of your pants!

Goose · Feb 25, 2017

A good friend of mine is president of a company that designs and markets laminated wood power line poles. They use helicopters all the time to set the poles and to do most everything else. It's a lot faster and more efficient than doing it from the ground.

john in la · Feb 25, 2017

While those guys are very good pilots to be able to hover over a power line.
They only fly in great weather conditions.

Now watching a US Coast Guard pilot hover over a boat or oil rig in rough seas with a strong cross wind is a sight to see; even though no one wants to ever be put in the situation to experience it.

Dan Richardson · Feb 25, 2017

My neighbor across the road is the one that maintains those birds. Trust your neighbor.

Milan · Feb 25, 2017

I hope this works, I uploaded a picture I took Thursday, two days ago, on the north edge of Galesburg, Illinois where they are building a new power line.

It was very overcast, a little foggy, I had my wipers on intermittent on the slowest speed but the mist would build up between times the wipers came on.

They must be in a real hurry to be flying in that kind of weather.

Marlin

Texasmark1 · Feb 25, 2017

Do they use that goofy looking thing they call the sky crane? Amazed at what that thing can lift.

Guys that work on those cross country towers from helicopters are "edge dwellers personified". Mountain climbers who hang from a spike driven in the underside of a rock 200 ft from the bottom of a gorge don't have anything on them. Pay has gotta be good.

docmirror · Feb 25, 2017

(quoted from post at 09:02:37 02/25/17) Do they use that goofy looking thing they call the sky crane? Amazed at what that thing can lift.

Guys that work on those cross country towers from helicopters are "edge dwellers personified". Mountain climbers who hang from a spike driven in the underside of a rock 200 ft from the bottom of a gorge don't have anything on them. Pay has gotta be good.

Only a few skycranes left in service. Most are retired. The twin rotor Chinook lifts almost as much, there are still some of those in service as well.

the helicopter in these pics is a Hughes 500D or E. They are about the best small util helicopter around. Although the Allouette is a very nice machine. The 500D/E model has a hyd assist and gyro stabilized control system similar to the SCAS(stability control augmentation system) used by the AH-1 and later military helicopters. It makes the helo pretty easy to hold steady.

High winds make it challenging. Us helo pilots are a bit of strange group. We fly in all kinds of weather, and conditions, doing all kinds of weird stuff. The best job I had was for PHI down in the gulf which uses Helos to ferry people and equip to and from oil rigs in the gulf of Mexico. Never flew a skycrane, but I have a few hours in the Chinook(civ version). They leak hyd fluid like an old Ford tractor, but 10 times worse...

RedGreenGuy · Feb 25, 2017

The guy on the cable also has a (looks like a ladder) he hooks on the cross bars and the copter leaves him while he works. Watched as the chopper rotated about 1/2 mile to another worker hanging from the top bar and move him and then come back to 1st guy and either move up/down the cross bars or to another pole. A guy also rides on the end of a small platform to remove large pulleys used during stretching. They are hanging off the chopper or cross bars on some very windy cold days.

Olliejunkie · Feb 25, 2017

Think I saw this one on redpower. Hope the link works. Not very good at getting video links.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DqcUHlmT7cIY&ved=0ahUKEwiOtqKMyqzSAhUMwGMKHUwHBZkQwqsBCDUwAQ&usg=AFQjCNFdBT-FyJZPUxzj_nkQa8Il_DMlyw&sig2=eGu31IATA-oqxK30hWlmxA

This is not a drone

Heyseed

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farmerjohn

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2underage

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Geo-TH,In

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Kccca

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Goose

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john in la

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Dan Richardson

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Milan

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Texasmark1

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docmirror

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RedGreenGuy

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Olliejunkie

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