Repairing Live power lines
 

Just don't get between power and ground. :D

So they put a support over an area that got hit and created a resistor in the line ? And then the wrap passes current over and around the hit section?

Check this guy out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tzga6qAaBA

oh good lord, I thought buzzing the lines with a chopper was bad.... I couldnt do that job. I'm glad there is people out there who can though.

Should get substantial danger pay. The risk is not electrocution as much as it is something happening with the helicopter. Any error in judgement or mechanical issues with the copter you are probably dead.

How does that guy sit down with that pair?

That helicopter pilot was concentrating hard and making a lot of adjustments to keep it in the right place. What would happen if he sneezed?

a zap. a fire ball and rolling blackouts

Had a tree branch in a storm rip the service wire anchor off the house, resulting in live line on the ground in the rain.
Power company sent out a guy to fix it. In the rain he screwed in a new insulator and winched the live line back into place with a come along.

I thought he was nuts. Now I know what job he was really after.

Linemen are nuts, period! My grandfather was a lineman for NU for 20 years through the 50's and 60's before working his way up the ranks. Some of his home electrical repairs were downright frightening. I guess when you regularly deal with high voltage and extra-high voltage powerlines, 120V seems like child's play.

In a previous job, I was constantly working with 480v 3phase. Had to remember to respect the 120vac control circuitry. Don't even want to think about working on a 230kv line. And I suspect that chopper pilot is one of those guys who could open beer bottles on the ground if you attached an opener to the bottom of his chopper.

That pilot and the lineman could open beer bottles with their eyelids. That's some tough stuff there.

If you were hiring a helicopter pilot for that job, how would you know if they were good enough? Do the lineman have any say in who their pilot is?

That must be nerve-wracking for the pilots who do that. I remember the video of the guy who got out of the helicopter and slid along the lines inspecting them.

I can't help but think of the first person to ever try this. I don't care if an army of folks with PHD's in electrical engineering say it can be done, it still took the most nerve to try it first.

I can't help but wonder what became of the first one to try it?

"Oh, it didn't work out too well for Bob. But we're pretty sure we know why and it should work this time."