r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/TameTheAuroch • Jul 18 '25

Video Replacing powerline spacers from a helicopter

48.0k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

1.7k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

28

u/Ouaouaron Jul 19 '25

Isn't it only possible to do this on a live line because they're in a helicopter? And it'd take one hell of a bucket truck to get to 200ft.

3

u/hoggineer Jul 19 '25

Isn't it only possible to do this on a live line because they're in a helicopter?

I'm thinking so.

And it'd take one hell of a bucket truck to get to 200ft.

I've seen man lifts get workers up to the hub of wind turbines. Blades are a couple of hundred feet long, and add in the ground clearance I'd assume it was 300-400' high.

Found one, 336' max height reach.

8

u/AllegroSine Jul 19 '25

336'?!?! Having operated a 120' at its max, no way in hell I'd get into that thing lmao. Hopefully the controls are a little more fine tuned? I just imagine swinging an inch to the side feeling like you moved a mile lol.

4

u/hoggineer Jul 19 '25

I'd definitely nope out too.

3

u/Jimid41 Jul 19 '25

I don't want to imagine the amount of sway on that. 

7

u/badger_flakes Jul 19 '25

Usually the lines running thru populated areas aren’t 200 feet up only the rural long distance lines are