WSBTV Antennae replacement Atlanta
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: London/Atlanta
Posts: 370
WSBTV Antennae replacement Atlanta
Happened this week.
Always admire the accuracy needed in contracts like this, and admire the guys with big balls to climb 900ft to unbolt the old and then guide the new antenna into place. Here is the news clip I found, pretty sure others may have better film of the operation.
https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atl...line/997941294
Always admire the accuracy needed in contracts like this, and admire the guys with big balls to climb 900ft to unbolt the old and then guide the new antenna into place. Here is the news clip I found, pretty sure others may have better film of the operation.
https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atl...line/997941294
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: uk
Posts: 254
Helicopter Sikorsky S-61N Serial 61-490 Built in 1971
Registrations:
N906CH
C-FHHD
G-BFPF
N61NW
ZS-HDK
used by:
Northwest Helicopters CHI Aviation (Construction Helicopters Inc)
Hayes Forest Services
British Airways Helicopters
Caledonian Helicopters
Court Helicopters.
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: UK
Age: 78
Posts: 198
Just to clarify the above, as G-BFPF this helicopter was with British Airways Helicopters from 1978 until July 81 when as British Caledonian Helicopters we operated it until Bristow took us over in November 1987. The ownership of all the ex-British Caledonian machines was then re-registered to Caledonian Helicopters at Redhill - to all intents and purposes they were Bristow machines. Until they were repainted in Bristow colours they were operated with the word "British" merely painted over. In early 1989 PF left the UK for Court Helicopters in South Africa. Good to see her still operational as a short 61.
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Age: 55
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Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Alberta
Posts: 140
What Guide Wires, They may have had a short alignment pin at the top but there are no guide wires used in this process as the risk to the tower crew would be to high to be acceptable.
BK
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: NW England
Posts: 95
The wires are visible at 1:21 and immediately afterwards the antenna can be seen rapidly rotating left and right as it lines up.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: London/Atlanta
Posts: 370
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Den Haag
Age: 55
Posts: 5,208
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This will also help stabilize the load from starting to swing when being lowered into place, as it acts like an anchor, and is making the job for the pilot a lot easier. You can see this from the gopro video how the antenna is offset to target, then it slides sideways in, then twists ("the pilot" align the holes

Bksmithca,
Nubian
What Guide Wires, They may have had a short alignment pin at the top but there are no guide wires used in this process as the risk to the tower crew would be to high to be acceptable.
BK
What Guide Wires, They may have had a short alignment pin at the top but there are no guide wires used in this process as the risk to the tower crew would be to high to be acceptable.
BK
Cheers
Last edited by Nubian; 24th Oct 2019 at 14:53. Reason: adding comments
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: London/Atlanta
Posts: 370
By all means. I’m used to tower construction, so go right ahead. This technique of having 2 guidewires hanging from the flange is used extencively, as it makes sure the sections are alligned properly on top of eachother in a simple way.
This will also help stabilize the load from starting to swing when being lowered into place, as it acts like an anchor, and is making the job for the pilot a lot easier. You can see this from the gopro video how the antenna is offset to target, then it slides sideways in, then twists ("the pilot" align the holes

Bksmithca,
If you know this type of work and look for details as someone doing this type work, you see it quite easily.
Cheers
https://www.liveleak.com/view?t=9qDu0_1573537613