Who does live line work outside of the US?

[rudestuff]

In the UK I've noticed some areas with huge scaffolding towers supporting nets underneath power lines where they cross roads, presumably to protect people working on the lines. It got me thinking - in the US an MF500 would just fly up an deposit someone on the line, but in the UK we seem to want to make things as expensive as possible. Does anywhere else use helicopters in live line work?

[HeliHenri]

Hello

They do :

e-KoF0uauq8

[ninja-lewis]

National Grid have used helicopters for live work in the past.

BBC - National Grid linesmen practise repairs from helicopter (http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/essex/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8500000/8500343.stm)

Google doesn't find many recent mentions though. Most mentions relate to helicopters using infra red cameras and sensors to inspect lines.

The scaffolding and nets are not there to protect the workers working the on the lines otherwise they would cover the full length of the line, not just roads. The purpose is to make it easier to raise/lower cables while installing new lines/refurbishing existing lines. They also protect road users if the line unexpectedly drops during the work.

[newfieboy]

Lots of it done in Canada.

[500guy]

Lots of it done in Canada.

By live you mean energized?

USA
Canada
UK
South Africa
Australia

They do helicopter power line work other places,
France,
Germany,
Norway,
Hong Kong,
Israel
South America...
But I'm not sure if they do any of it energized.

But yes, you are correct UK does make things as expensive as possible, as does France. The same work gets done in the US for about 1/10th the cost.

[tartare]

New Zild too.
Have seen great pix of a 500 putting some guys onto a line high over Tory Channel.

[oldpax]

1/10th the cost in USA ,how about safety?

[November Mike]

Try ChopperWorx in South Africa - market leaders in Africa :)

[500guy]

1/10th the cost in USA ,how about safety?

Old PAX.

In the US, about 80 aircraft in the power line construction / maintenance industry in the USA alone. (excluding power line patrol)
I would say at least 50 are flying any given day. Each does about 600-1000 hours a year. Lets call that 50,000 hours a year of power line construction and maintenance.

There is about 1 accident a year for the past few years. That is about 2:100,000 hours. (it was 2-3/year until 2012)

There seems to be about 1 accident a year in the north sea.
How many aircraft fly daily oil and gas in the north sea?

Regardless, It is a better rate than the Air ambulance rate in the USA, and government owned helicopters and about 1/3 the rate of privately owned helicopters. The only industry with a discernibly lower accident rate is oil and gas.

Certainly, there are opportunities for improvement. Mostly in the most common accident/incidents maintenance related causes, fuel exhaustion, rotor strikes, mis-rigged loads, electrical causes, external load control, and FOD.

[Gordy]

Old PAX.

Mostly in the most common accident/incidents maintenance related causes, fuel exhaustion, rotor strikes, mis-rigged loads, electrical causes, external load control, and FOD.

More notably in recent years, stuff flying out of the aircraft into the rotor system.

[500 above]

Cyprus does. D-HSPO crashed doing it.

Chopper crashes while cleaning pylons
By Jacqueline Agathocleous
THE PILOT and co-pilot of a helicopter employed by the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) to clean one of its pylons walked away with only slight injuries after the aircraft crashed near Moni yesterday

MxxxxxxMxxxxxxx, 40, and his co pilot Yxxxxxx Axxxxxxx, 25, were only slightly injured in the crash, which is being investigated by civil aviation authorities.

The pilots were cleaning the insulator of the Moni-Vasiliko 132MW transmission line at the time of the crash. The chopper fell from a low altitude of around 24 metres after its tail got caught in one of the pylon’s wires.

The two men were rushed to Limassol General Hospital for treatment, where it was found they hadn’t suffered serious injury. They were kept in however for precautionary reasons.

The scene of the crash was not inhabited, nor was it close to a road.

The accident was noticed straight away as when the helicopter tail got caught in the wire, the area suffered a black-out, which alerted the EAC switch board.

Fire services, police, Civil Aviation and the Labour Inspection Department rushed to the scene and rushed the two men to hospital.

The Chairman of the Air Accidents and Incidents Investigation Board, Costas Orphanos, yesterday said that the Committee was investigating all aspects of the matter. He added that initial investigations had shown that the helicopter’s tail had got caught in the EAC wires, which caused it to fall.

“It is too early to determine whether the helicopter was at a safe distance from the pylon and whether the necessary specifications had been followed,” said Orphanos. He said this would be determined once they have statements from the pilot and co pilot.

Orphanos said the reason the pilots hadn’t been electrocuted was because as soon as the tail had made contact with the wires, the electricity was cut off automatically


According to an EAC announcement, a sudden gust of wind had pushed the helicopter onto the wires. “At the time of the accident, there were two people on the helicopter, one of whom was fortunately only slightly injured.”

The Authority said cleaning their insulators was a regular part of their maintenance scheme, contributing to a reduction of possible faults that could provoke black outs.

“During this particular exercise, the helicopter necessarily flies at a low altitude and cleans the insulators with water. This happens once a year and a private company is employed following international tenders.”

The EAC said President Demetris Christofias had been informed about the incident and had expressed his concern for the injured men.





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