Above: An MD 500D operated by Aerial Solutions trims back the forest near Toccoa, Georgia.


Right: Outside Clarkesville, Georgia, an MD 500D operated by Rotor Blade trims a power-line right-of-way.


One constant maintenance activity is vegetation management. Where trees


border the right-of-way surrounding power lines, their growth, both horizontal and vertical, must be monitored and, when necessary, contained. Once again, helicopters are uniquely efficient at the task. Aerial saws have a


fearsome look and a tree-trimming ability to match. Twenty-seven feet of spinning blades, slung on a 90-ft.-long combination cable and flexible conduit providing directional control, make quick work of errant limbs. For the too-tall trees, “top- ping” saws cut through the trunk and direct the falling timber away from the lines.


Providing an Essential Service The world is increasingly interconnected, and much of that connectivity is powered by electricity. Coupled with a growing reliance on renewable energy and the move toward electric vehicles (cars and aircraft alike), this means the need for electric power keeps growing. The market for helicopter services to keep that power up and running is growing too. Perhaps no other sector of helicopter operations affects so many people in


so many ways, minute by minute. When our power is on, we tend not to give it much thought. When it isn’t … we struggle. Some helicopter industry sectors, such as law enforcement or air ambulance, are acknowledged as serving society. Let’s add utility operations to that list.


52 ROTOR DECEMBER 2021


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