Powerlines

[Admin]

- I remember when I sat my test and I had to do a simulated engine failure everything went well till I was on final and I suddenly realised the paddock I had picked from 2,000ft above had a power line running through the middle of it - needless to say the examiner said "lets do that again shall we?".

 

When picking a paddock to land in a dead giveaway that I had forgotton to do was to look away from the paddock and see if there are any houses, sheds etc and if so, sure enough there will most likely be a power line somewhere close by.

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

All good advice above.

 

 

[Guest Perry]

Folks,

 

Yep this is an emotive topic.

 

Powerlines are inevitable as long as we have energy needs similar to that which we have required for the last50 years. Undergrounding costs heaps more than overhead lines as already pointed out and we will have to foot a bill for such that will jump our collective electricity costs up to prohibitive numbers. Undergrounding also brings substantial risk of contact for those who like digging.

 

My practical advice here is stay well away from powerlines and any other obstruction when between 0 and 500 feet (getting to a legal agl).

 

If you need to make an emergency landing, consider unseen obstructions as your first resort. Having spent many hours inspecting power lines from the comfort of a Bell 407, I have habitually developed an instruction to brief all passengers to keep an additional lookout and advise any likely obstruction relative to the points of a clock to give me easy positional referenceas the pilot in command. Even untrained extra eyes are a bonus!

 

Avoid landing on or near roads as far as possible as most powerlines occur inareas requiring easy access - only land here if you have walked the area before. Always conduct a proper precautionary search and landing if not in engine out configuration.

 

Having visited many private airstrips over the past few years in Aus, I would like to plead with airstripowners to invest in making obstructions within the approachvisible so thatpilots unfamiliar with such obstructions have a greater chance of spotting these (even if it means a landing fee to recoup costs = cheaper than losing my prized possession). This is an area whereI believe the risk ofcollision issubstantially higher than anywhere else.I have noticed many strips recently developed in the shadow ofpowerlines feeding the homestead of theowner without much considerationfor the likely impact of the obstruction.

 

I have found some innovative means to removing the obstruction ranging from strategically placed trees/buildings acting as a visible barrier through to some effective clamp-type warning markers that can besimply appliedvia live-line works to the conductors.

 

A colleague of mine even considered a post graduatedegree in developing an early warning system for helicopters conducting aerial works around powerlines-unfotunately it became cost prohibitive. Who knows, I am sure with rapid technology advances that there will come morecost effective solutions for automatic obstruction identification. This may become applicable to aviators similar tosafety systems such as ballistic chutes...

 

 

[Guest micgrace]

Hi

 

Another nasty practice that seems to be popping up is housing developmentat the end of strips.

 

Take for instance my fav. strip at Boonah Qld. On 04, at the end of the strip the local council has seen fit to do a housing development. There is acres of vacant ground in all directions but, since they already own the land off the strip (and the strip) they decided to use it.

 

On 22, there are plenty of power lines and barbed wire fences to contend with if forced to do an outlanding. But it is possible to outland as no buildings. Also, on 04, you takeoff downhill (4* slope) with a permenant crosswind to make life interesting. It has claimed plenty.

 

It would probably be only a matter of time before someone has an engine failure here and winds up in someones backyard. (or worse) I'm not real happy till about 800' ASL and can glide clear if required.

 

There should be some sort of development restriction on approach/takeoff ends of strips.

 

What does everyone think?

 

Micgrace

 

 

[BigPete]

Local Council here opened up land at one end strip for Industrial development. Huge bloody sheds going up. On a hot day on final its not unusual to gain height as you try to line up the runway.

 

regards

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

I say if you want to build a house near an airfield and you know it's there, deal with it. Just like the people under our flight paths in our domestic airports. You knew the planes were there so if you did not like it why'd you move there? A little off topic now I know, sorry...:)