Above: East of Apple Valley, California, Wilson Construction’s Jay Clark (center, in orange) addresses the crew during the briefing, known as a tailboard, that opens each workday. How the team will coordinate to ensure safety that day is always on the agenda.


Left: A Wilson Construction MD Helicopters MD 530F deposits a line worker to a “goat’s horn” on a transmission tower east of Apple Valley to replace a static line.


Up, Up, and Away! Pilots thread rope through stringing blocks without the need for people on the towers, a delicate dance between agility and stability. But much work still needs to be done by hand on those towers, and there’s no faster elevator than a helicopter, up or down. Helicopters position workers at or on the lines to make repairs, install spacers,


or add devices to minimize the effects of wind, snow, and even noise. In some locations, they install devices to ward off birds or even bigger “birds”: aircraft. According to Wilson Construction production pilot Darin Sturdevant, the pilot’s


goal is to get the line technician “into the most comfortable position, which lets them work more quickly and efficiently. You are literally adjusting their position by inches.” And whether heading up or down, workers get a ride like no other, sometimes suspended 75 ft. below the aircraft.


DECEMBER 2021 ROTOR 49


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