OUR ELECTRIC COMPANY

and it's "air force"

I heard the jarring thump of a large helicopter’s blades pounding the air.

But, something was not right. Its machinery sounded like it was in serious need of lubrication.

I grabbed my camera and searched the sky through the canopy of trees surrounding my home and discovered what looked like an avian escapee from Jurassic Park trying to devour a slice of my east woods.

It was a helicopter all right—but it had a stinger-like appendage dangling from its belly containing a silhouette of black balls that were chomping branches of my 90 foot pine trees into woodsy debris.

Turns out AEP, the local electric company, was using this aerial gizmo and clearing the power line easements that previous, ground-bound crews were unable to reach during recent years of similar effort.

His stinger was a long, skinny shaft that suspended a small engine that spun saw blades some 2 feet in diameter stacked along the lower end of its vertical boom.

The helicopter pilot put on a dazzling display of airmanship. He jockeyed his machine like a yo-yo; the shaft swinging gently back and forth as he exploded branches protruding toward the power lines.

He slowly adjusted his altitude to accommodate the hilly terrain and the height of the trees.

I wasn’t surprised my power was out but I never saw any damage to local lines.

I learned later a line crew worked the same area as the helicopter; standing by to make hasty repairs to any damage that resulted.  Maybe they had the power turned off as a safety precaution.

In an article in the Roanoke (VA) Times on the same day of my experience their power company said one helicopter can accomplish as much as eight to10 ground crews. They went on to explain it costs about $35 per tree to prune a power line’s path with the crews but only $10 per tree with a helicopter and its solitary—but highly skilled pilot.

The aerial apparatus of these airborne lumberjacks can cut through 16 inches of tree and bark with ease according to the news story.

In my neighborhood we have a recurrent history of power outages, so, I certainly applaud this skilful pilot and his employers for their dazzling effort.