Powerlines

[Guest Fred Bear]

Hello all. Just wanted to post here in regards to the dangers of powerlines. These particularly 'nasty' ones were spotted by my wife Emma on my parents property out of Bathurst. I used to fly my Thruster out of here. My airstrip was some 200m West of where these pics were taken.

 

They run across the middle of the pic and this pic was taken maybe 30m away. See how hard they are to spot?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From this angle you have hardly any hope even at 50kts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost directly underneath and still hard to spot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My point fellow aviators is please please watch out for powerlines. They are a proven killer. If you can survey an area before you fly in/around it, take the 5mins to do it. It may save your life. Emma and I were just saying we think it should be mandatory for the Federal Govt to put the 'balls' on all powerlines where there are flight activities close by. It would save so many lives. Better solution still, bury the lines!

 

 

[Guest Guest]

Gday,

 

I still cant see them in the top photo, but they are definately killers, I am unlucky enough to know fellow pilots who unfortunately found them the hard way..

 

Lately I have been doing some arieal work with a helicopter company operating at low levels, some of the major lines across near Glenn Innes and Ebor are upto 2 km's along ridges etc, some with airstrips nearby.. I cannot believe how close we had to get to see them to be aware of them... We had to get at such an angle at around 50 metres away before we could see 3 bare wires slinging down of a distance of 2km's. The Fed Govt should settle down on the security costs of local airport and focus on a more proven killer in aviation!! Balloons should be just compulsory near any flight paths, or airstrips..

 

Cheers

 

Sam

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

Sam,

 

Thanks for your comments. Totally agree. I have seen the aftermath of pilots hitting them (having worked for the Dept of Forensic Medicine for 10yrs) and it is not a pretty picture. Fellow pilots should be well aware. That is my original point. You cannot see them until you are on top of them. Even if you could fly as slow as 20kts you would not see them in time. I have high lighted the first pic to make the wires easier to see.

 

 

NOTE: Maybe save the pic and enlarge it and you should see it. Looking at getting something like this in the RAA magazine to make others aware.

 

darrenmasters

 

 

[Student Pilot]

Your wasting your time looking for lines, look for the poles.

 

Sam, your in thebright redchopper are you? I was working just near Ebor the other day if that was you. Just before the chopper came past inspecting lines I was flying under some on the ridge everytime I took off. The wind swung around so I then went out the other side of the ridge and could get another 100 kilo's off every load.

 

On inspection for lines look on hills and near trees for power poles, out west the worst to see are SWER wires which are single wire, these tend to be longer spans. They have just put new concrete poles out near Ebor and the height has gone up 9 metres, this makes the spans higher too. You would think that the power companies would not be fullfilling their duty of care by not putting balls on them. The mighty dollar is an allpowering force and if there's a choice between GA and big bucks with power companies then GA is always the one to come second.

 

 

[Guest Guest]

Farout, you still can't see them pointed out!!

 

Something should be done by the government, they havent even attempted and dont think they realise how dangerous they are! Even hovering in the chopper, the GPS told us they were there but it seriously took us 2-3 minutes at different angles to find them overhanging at a 2 km radius...at around 20-30 metres away. I think funding that is being used at many quiet aerodromes for security is ridiculus,it should be put toward a more satisfactory use of actually saving lives and preventing pilots finding out the hard way..

 

Cheers

 

Sam

 

 

[Guest Guest]

I wasnt in the chopper the other day inspecting (same company though based in Mudgee), A few months back we were doing an arieal baiting contract, Luckily the pilot knew where they were but he asked me if I could see them, I'd be lucky with Binoculars. You are right on the money, they have raised them up even higher off the ground, and if a pilot out from the sticks happens to be doing a low level, there is no way you would see that particular line at 60-100 knots.. I mean a few balloons would just make all the difference.. But unfortunately they wont learn until a life is lost! bateo

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

Sam agreed again and Student Pilot, I know you say looking for the lines is a waste of time look for the poles. Point is taken, definately so but sometimes wires run between poles at odd ends and sometimes poles are camo'ed so well you would not see them if your life depended on it. Especially so in drought affected areas (such as where this pic was taken) the soil/terrain is the same colour as the pole.

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

As I say put the damn things underground!

 

 

[Guest Guest]

Well it wouldnt only be safer underground from pilots but also bloody bushfires, wind storms, tree's and bits of material ruining them.. If you ask me it would end up being more effective in the long term??

 

 

[Guest danda]

I'll tell you a truestory of the dangers of power lines.

 

A friend of mine works for country energy his job is to control the power grid in NSW he knows the where abouts of almost every major power lines and this was the very thing that almost claimed his life, he clipped the lines and the results where catastrophic this true story has given me a healthy respect for these potential killers.

 

Thanks Darren for reminding all of us to be on the look out at all times.

 

Don

 

 

[Guest pelorus32]

I think that there's no doubt that ATSB and others are aware of the seriousness of this issue.

 

See here for a special report from ATSB:

 

http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/2006/wirestrikes_20050055.aspx

 

If I recall correctly one of the things that this report notes is that often the pilot actually knew that the wires were there. The recce was done properly, they identified the wires but through either a lapse of concentration or a lapse of situational awareness they hit them anyway.

 

Worth reading the report - it contains a lot more than that.

 

Regards

 

Mike

 

 

[Student Pilot]

Quite often with wirestrikes withAG work the pilot knows and does forget, the balls on the wires jog your memory

 

 

[Guest Leonardo]

Dayglo baloons should be mandatory for all new 'SWER' installations. Now how do we go about lobbying it?

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

I have no idea but it is a good one. "Bury powerlines, not pilots"!

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

I wonder if the AOPA have assisted pilots in this area before.??

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

I am sure this issue has come up many times in the past and pilots have tried many times in the past. Maybe there is someone on the forums here that may have some more 'power' so to speak. I know that we would probably get nowhere by talking to local councils. I think this is more a federal govt. thing here. I would love to see some on the powerlines out at The Oaks and other small airfields within NSW. Atleast that way we would see the damn things. For all of you that own your own strips, consider purchasing them. They might save your life one day.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

I find that the term "Duty of Care" usually gets some action.

 

 

[Yenn]

My theory is that there is a bloke in an office in Brisbane who's sole job is to look at the map and if he can see an area not covered with a power line to get one built there.

 

Seriously I always keep an eye open for forced landing areas and one of my checks is for houses or sheds because they will probably have a power supply. Never run along a road at low level, there will be crossing lines at most properties.

 

Another thing which cuts down the outlanding possibilities is the great area of hardwood forrests planted around here, green but deadly!

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

I'm pretty sure that every power line in NSW starts in the Hunter Valley.

 

 

[Galpin]

If Telstra can bury telehone cables, then what technically is stopping the electricity providers from doing likewise? Or is it more to do with the money!!

 

 

[Guest micgrace]

Hi

 

I don't think you will ever see largescale underground power cable. They are in fact more vunerable to lightning, cost much moreto install, repair, insulation etc is vastly increased.

 

But, on the other hand, some readily visible means to ID the @#%? things in the air should be mandatory instead of the environmentally friendly rubbish to make them inconspicuous with surroudings.

 

My 2 cents worth, Micgrace

 

 

[Admin]

Chris

 

I think we would need to get an idea of just how big a problem this is of airstrips that don't have the Balls placed on the power lines next to them.

 

Once we know this then we will have an idea of the extent of the problem or whether there is just the odd isolated case and I can perhaps go and have a chat with some people about it.

 

 

[Guest danda]

Correct me if i'm wrong but wasn't the two most recent accidents on private strips well thats the way i read it.

 

If that's so who's responsibility would that be?

 

Don

 

 

[facthunter]

I think the cost of putting powerlines underground is quite highandI dont know if there are losses through themgreater than ABOVE GROUND due to leakage, I have found that when selecting a suitable forced landing area when training, a remarkable number of times, a single wire earth return wire becomes obvious late in the sequence which would compromise the safety of the operation.( They always seem to be across the middle of the best looking paddock.) N...

 

 

[Student Pilot]

a single wire earth return wire becomes obvious late in the sequence which would compromise the safety of the operation.( They always seem to be across the middle of the best looking paddock.) N...

 

If you've commited yourself to landing in that paddock then the bestoptionis landing under the wires, in a three point attitude (to make the Aircraft lower) and as close to the ground as you can. Findwhich directionthe wire is going and try to cross under the wire at 90 degrees and as close to the pole if you can.

 

The same goes for flying over powerlines, find the direction, cross at 90 degrees if you can and go OVER the pole NOT midspan as the pole actually gives you the height of the line and as you've seen with the photo's it's no good trying to spot the wire.

 

Maybe some training with close proximity to fences and poles with a good CFI would be a good place to start. This could be covered with strip inspections/approach's.