Johe02
Like most people I got my break by being in the right place at the right time and that part is all down to luck, I happened to be freelancing (pleasure flying/occasional charter) for a company that had a powerline contract but unfortunatly the pilot lost his medical, I was checked out on friday and powerlining on monday (the observer was very surprised to see me as we knew each other, and he knew I was relativly low time) but to the credit of the observer he gave me a chance, we started on the 44kv (double wooden pole) lines as these ran in a ring main pattern from the sub station and back, and after a week of confidance building (his AND mine) we progresed on the 11kv lines ( single wooden pole) the ops manual stated "one and one half rotor spans offset and above the lines " the patrol would be flown at approximatly 40kts indicated and where possible into wind. We flew on average four hours per day and approximatly 350 hours per year for a little over three years, without incident, execpt for chasing and containing armed robbers that is, oh and just failing to become FOD to a Tuccano whilst sat at 50' agl surveying a flashover on a transformer at Brigg in Humberside, and many more.
I have since become an QHI (H), best fun you could ever have in a helicopter with a complete stranger, a North sea commander, 90% proceedural bordom with 10% of full on terror!!, but My best moments of flying to date is powerlining, I would like to give some credit to a Mr Keith Walker ( YEB obsever and Engineer) for not only being a very reliable obsever in every sense of the word but also for being a thoroughly profesional engineer making sure that if I approached any limitation and there were many, then he brought it to my attention. all that and CRM wasn't even thought of then.