helicopter with rescue ladder east of 295

platoonDaddy · Oct 9, 2018

Today around 1230 driving south of the city on 295, still inside the beltway, just east of me was a small unmarked bird with a rescue ladder just swinging away.

It appeared to be hovering, the ladder certainly wasn't near the ground.

Anyone else see the helicopter?

Mr H · Oct 9, 2018

Debating whether to evac Mayor Hairball from Arbutus???

Bullfrog · Oct 9, 2018

Picking up a worker who just put a new coat of invisible paint on one of the DC stealth surveillance towers.

Bob A · Oct 10, 2018

Bullfrog said:
Picking up a worker who just put a new coat of invisible paint on one of the DC stealth surveillance towers.

Must have spilled a bunch of that paint on himself.

RAF · Oct 10, 2018

They were working on the electrical lines on those towers. There were 2 people & a ladder hanging from that cable when they first started, they were there about all afternoon.

willtill · Oct 10, 2018

RAF said:
They were working on the electrical lines on those towers. There were 2 people & a ladder hanging from that cable when they first started, they were there about all afternoon.

Yep. They actually have been in the area for the last week or so. I saw them last week.

.

platoonDaddy · Oct 10, 2018

Forwarded your replies onto a friend who lives along the power lines in Odenton, his reply:

Very interesting. Haven't seen the ladder trick, however...

Over the years helos have been used along the power lines behind the house. Usually the helo will fly along the lines looking for anomalies, once or twice a year.

When a repair needs to be done, a work platform is attached to one of the helo's landing skids. A technician sits on the work platform as the the helo sidles up to the work area - usually at or near the towers. The technician first reaches out with a grounding hook before he touches the work.

It is amazing to watch the skills of the pilot holding the helo in a perfect hover as the technician does his work.

The helos operate out of the nearby substation so it's usually several days of activities to keep me entertained.

67temp · Oct 10, 2018

I've been seeing them off and on for the past two weeks. Normally it is a smaller helo and two guys on a tower. It looks like they are replacing the insulators on the towers. The helo picks up the insulators from the ground and moves it into place for the workers. The workers replace the insulator while the helo waits. After the workers replace the insulator the helo takes the old one and drops it off at a staging area and picks up a new one to deliver to the crew.

geda · Oct 10, 2018

I saw the same thing a few days ago on rt32 in Gamber. It was a small R66 or OH6
helicopter, with a some stuff hanging from it, moving around in a weird pattern. Getting closer there were 6ish bge trucks on a high voltage power line easement under it.

Clearly they are performing the yearly maintenance of the mind control transmitters and perhaps tweaking the frequency to adjust for the current levels of civil unrest.

Dave MP · Oct 11, 2018

geda said:
I saw the same thing a few days ago on rt32 in Gamber. It was a small R66 or OH6
helicopter, with a some stuff hanging from it, moving around in a weird pattern. Getting closer there were 6ish bge trucks on a high voltage power line easement under it.

Clearly they are performing the yearly maintenance of the mind control transmitters and perhaps tweaking the frequency to adjust for the current levels of civil unrest.

Or, it might have been something like this.

Applehd · Oct 11, 2018

This afternoon near Southwest Area park...

Dsnyder · Oct 11, 2018

The two helicopters have been working the big lines in eastern baltimore county this month also.

John from MD · Oct 11, 2018

It's an OH6 from a company in PA. My bud used to be Director of Flight Ops for them. They have UH-1's and Loach's and maybe a S61 for heavy lift. They do TV antenna installation, wire inspections and repair and R&R air conditioners at older malls where you can't get a crane in.

I observed a power line inspection over I97 once. The OH6 has a platform where the tech sits to inspect and repair as the case may be. If it is a hot line, he tethers himself to it so he won't get burned by the electricity. Those guys don't get paid enough even if they do get paid enough. :eek:

traveller · Oct 11, 2018

I always wonder what the contingency plan for the tech is in case the helicopter has a mechanical issue after he drops the tech on the line. Making those 500kV lines 'cold' so he can rappel down is not as easy as just flipping a switch.

John from MD · Oct 12, 2018

Applehd said:
This afternoon near Southwest Area park...

That looks like it might be using a tree saw but I have only seen those used in the deep forests in the Northwest. I would think most areas around here have ground access. :shrug:

willtill · Oct 12, 2018

John from MD said:
That looks like it might be using a tree saw but I have only seen those used in the deep forests in the Northwest. I would think most areas around here have ground access.

I've seen a helicopter borne tethered aerial saw trimming trees (along power lines) by I-97 northwest bound last year.

.

Applehd · Oct 12, 2018

They were replacing something on the high power lines... not tree trimming.

John from MD · Oct 12, 2018

Oh, ok, the pic was dark and I couldn't see what was at the end of the cable.

helicopter with rescue ladder east of 295

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