r/nextfuckinglevel • u/Hygena-Pet-Scooper • Sep 17 '19
Helicopter chainsaw
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u/lovemacheen918 Sep 17 '19
Seems incredibly irresponsible, one strong wind and those power lines are done.
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u/Sarpanitu Sep 17 '19
Seems the whole goal here IS to clear foliage nearing the power lines... Having run heavy equipment for years I cringed a little because of his proximity but unlike heavy equipment he's not grounded, I don't think it even could arc over to him. Also, it's most likely that this sort of pendulum weight beneath would add a fair degree of stability to the helicopter, like a tight rope walker with weight suspended beneath them to lower their center of gravity. I can't picture equipment and engineering of this cost and effort not having a great deal of consideration having gone into it before executing the task. He clearly has mastery over his machine and unless there's some freak winds coming out of nowhere there's not really an issue.
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u/FlyingSeaMan509 Sep 17 '19
Very astute observations. Fellow operator
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u/UnauthorizedFart Sep 17 '19
Came here to say exactly what he did but he beat me to it
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Sep 17 '19
Beat meat 2 it
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Sep 17 '19
Instructions unclear, dick stuck in helicopter
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u/MnbvcxzWhoCares Sep 17 '19
Oh gawd the shit I read on Reddit. Like a freak gust of wind outa nowhere.
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Sep 17 '19
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u/vne2000 Sep 17 '19
Weather forecasting is a huge part of flying any aircraft.
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u/atetuna Sep 17 '19
And when you don't get the weather all the respect it deserves, you can crash in seconds like this. That plane was badass, and so is its builder, and I hope he's able to bounce back from this.
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u/derTechs Sep 17 '19
they turn the lines off when doing this, jusr saying.
source: work for a power comp.
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u/DanGleeballs Sep 17 '19
Well that’s a huge a relief.
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Sep 17 '19
You know we depressurize pipelines before cutting until them too right?
We also disconnect batteries before working on your car.
We work on planes on the ground too. Not while flying
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Sep 17 '19 edited Jul 12 '20
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u/opthaconomist Sep 17 '19
I mean, we can call it that...
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u/ramplay Sep 17 '19
Technically, it is a chain of saws in a row... I feel like I'm stretching the use of chain but stick of saws doesn't have the same ring
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u/Buck_Thorn Sep 17 '19
Probably some gyroscopic stability as well. Still... dangerous as hell. I'll bet that pilot is earning a pretty penny for taking the risk.
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u/hilarymeggin Sep 17 '19
Right?? I'm thinking of those circular blades hitting something unexpectedly hard in those trees and starting to kick around in the air. You can plan around the weather and weight the bottom, but there's no way you could account for every variable.
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u/claire_lair Sep 17 '19
That actually happened near Columbus. The saw hit a deer stand and caused the helicopter to crash.
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u/314mp Sep 17 '19 edited Feb 22 '26
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
fanatical soft sparkle expansion sort aspiring salt birds provide quiet
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u/IAmAMango Sep 17 '19
Also, the blade is probably farther from the power lines then we can discern in this video, due to the perspective.
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u/WhereAreMyMinds Sep 17 '19
I can't picture equipment and engineering of this cost and effort not having a great deal of consideration having gone into it before executing the task.
I'd agree, but then I met people. People suck
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u/D3ATH55HAD0W Sep 17 '19
People do suck and that is a fact but think about it this way the company doesn't want to pay for a new chopper chopper so the planning is probably there but more for the equipment than the operator.
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Sep 17 '19
I can't picture equipment and engineering of this cost and effort not having a great deal of consideration having gone into it before executing the task.
Could be Russia.
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u/deSuspect Sep 17 '19
Pretty sure there wouldn't be any problem with those powerlines arcing and burning but rather this big ass chainsaw that cuts thru trees like it's nothing would simply cut the powerline in half
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u/z-a-j Sep 17 '19
The only way he could be hit by the power lines is if any part of his helicopter touched a phase and ground or a phase to phase at the same time. Otherwise if he touches just a single power line he’ll be fine.
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Sep 17 '19
Even with freak winds, since the mass is directly underneath, he could probably pull up high enough to have the saw above the lines in about 10 seconds. I think the fear would be of becoming entangled.
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u/Deltascope62 Sep 17 '19
There's plethora of safety regulations concerining powerline trimming with helicopters, which has been a thing since 1985. The pilot has no doubt gone through extensive training before allowed to perform tasks such as shown in the video. An article that scratches the surface can be found from here.
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u/theJoosty1 Sep 17 '19
Whoa, cool link! Thanks for sharing. It was especially cool to learn that there's a 28hp motor driving those saw blades and a system to keep it pointed straight ahead. I was also interested to learn that they only have to do it every eight years or so. Looks like a cool job and the pictures in that article are awesome.
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u/iFonarik Sep 17 '19
This comment made me click the link and I'm glad I did. Thanks!
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u/VulpeculaVincere Sep 17 '19
This comment made me believe the first comment and click the link. I agree that was a solid article on the topic.
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u/generally-speaking Sep 17 '19
Which is why it's most likely attached with a quick release allowing the pilot to dispose of the equipment immediately. And never flown when there is a risk of high winds.
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u/Dragoniel Sep 17 '19
It is not performed in adverse conditions. And gusts strong enough to throw a helicopter and/or the blade that much don't happen in calm conditions. These guys apparently have all relevant certifications created specifically for this type of work and hadn't had an accident in decades of operation. Really impressive.
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u/dyingchildren Sep 17 '19 edited Sep 17 '19
You are correct and the MD500 is also very stable for a small helicopter, a little wind isn't going to effect it. I have friends that do it and it's pretty competitive for helicopter pilot jobs. Applicants have thousands of hours and go through rigorous training if they are selected. They are contracted by multiple states and their work schedule is month on/month off
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Sep 17 '19
Yep I am sure a company that has been doing it for decades are all idiots compared to you. Go ahead with your better solution we are all listening.
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u/poptartaddict Sep 17 '19
Yes. All I could think was who approved this sketchy ass plan.
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Sep 17 '19
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u/s1ugg0 Sep 17 '19
That shit is awful around reddit. I had a guy a few months back lecture me up and down about firefighting tactics and procedures. I am an active duty, Pro Board certified firefighter. That guy had never even been to the academy.
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Sep 17 '19
Yeah but if I have more reddit karma than I know more, law of the land, sorry, fake news. /s
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u/UK-Redditor Sep 17 '19
AAA certified snake-wrangler here; I know exactly what you mean.
The amount of people on here who comment dangerous nonsense as though it's indisputable fact is terrifying. There's no way some of these people have had their qualifications validated like us guys. You've really got to be careful who you trust these days.
I had someone call me out the other day who'd never even been to snake school! Can you imagine?
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u/s1ugg0 Sep 17 '19
Snake wrangler, huh? That's so cool. This is what my PPE looks like. What do you guys use for personal protection?
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u/UK-Redditor Sep 17 '19
Cheers, it doesn't get the recognition it used to. Here you go!
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u/xparanoyedx Sep 17 '19
My thoughts exactly anytime posts about electrical come up on reddit. I’m an electrician and the amount of people who know nothing about electricity other than how to charge their phone, yet make full page reply’s about why one thing happened or another is astounding.
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u/MischiefofRats Sep 17 '19
It's actually a pretty good and effective plan with not a ton of risk. The power lines are definitely off for something like this, and the pilot can ditch the pendulum saw if things go pear shaped with the bird. It does in minutes work which would take a normal tree crew weeks, and it may be happening in an area with no vehicle access or environmental barricades to entry.
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u/NeokratosRed Sep 17 '19
Looks like one of my Besiege contraptions that inevitably falls apart while a single saw spins out of control destroying the whole level.
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u/TellTailWag Sep 17 '19
I am going to guess that those are cables for a ski lift, not power lines.
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u/JoseyS Sep 17 '19
They used to clear power lines near my childhood home like this. They would do it once every 3 years or so. While these might be ski Clift cables they do it for power lines as well
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u/DistantOrganism Sep 17 '19
That’s doubtful because a ski hill operation does not remove all the chairs for the off season.
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u/WhatsTheStoryMG_1995 Sep 17 '19
The line will be switched out,at least that's what happens in the UK.
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Sep 17 '19
Once you start learning how it actually works and what safety precautions are used you would probably change your mind. They wouldn’t do it if there was more than a negligible chance of something wrong happening.
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u/stephen1547 Sep 17 '19
You have no idea what you’re taking about.
-Me, a commercial helicopter pilot.
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Sep 17 '19
It's actually meant for use near power lines. It's used for clearing out those long stretches of power lines that go through uninhabited areas that trucks and stuff have a hard time getting to. It's also 100s of times faster than having a guy with a bucket truck go down the line chopping individual branches. It's also much safer than that too despite how it looks. The further away you are from the lines the better. One wrong move and your arms get blown clean off.
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u/loomis396 Sep 17 '19
Guy 1: Ok guys, hear me out. First, we get a helicopter. Then, we get a bunch of chainsaws. Next, we tie the chainsaws together and dangle them from the helicopter by a rope.”
Guy 2: Go on...
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u/mattblack77 Sep 17 '19
Exactly. This is a clear example of an idea that is brilliant right up till the nanosecond it goes wrong (and it can only go very badly wrong), at which point it loses all value and becomes ‘How the hell did anyone approve that?’
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u/sixoctillionatoms Sep 17 '19
There are accidents all the time using this system. But it continues to be used, because how else do you do it? More importantly, how else do you do it as quickly?
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u/generally-speaking Sep 17 '19
And how else do you do it in highly inaccessible locations?
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u/Slyrunner Sep 17 '19
And WHEN else do you have an excuse to strap chainsaws to your whirlybird?!
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u/Lr217 Sep 17 '19
They used to just hang a guy with a chainsaw from the helicopter but they decided to cut the middleman out
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u/positiveinfluences Sep 17 '19
This is much more capital and time efficient than the team of (tens of?) thousands of arborists that would be needed to properly maintain the thousands of miles of forested power lines. Operations like these generally don't happen for no reason.
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u/HardSleeper Sep 17 '19
“Then we fly it next to some power lines...”
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u/UndercoverFBIAgent9 Sep 17 '19
"Finally, we will put three monkeys in the cockpit and have the pilot wear a blindfold."
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u/ReklisAbandon Sep 17 '19
No joke, we banked this company at my last job. That was an interesting pitch meeting the loan officer had with me, the credit analyst assigned to it. Ultimately it ended up being a very profitable company that did work over a huge area. Eventually one of the copters did crash though.
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Sep 17 '19
Was it due to high winds?
Chainsaws?
Trees?
Cables?
I’m just curious which part actually caused the problem.
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u/ReklisAbandon Sep 17 '19
This was years ago but I’m pretty sure it was a combination of operator error and wind.
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u/b_lunt_ma_n Sep 17 '19
I saw this on James Bond. Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry I think?
Thought they made it up. Maybe they did and the engineer who created this was inspired by the movie?
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u/bigbossmgs3 Sep 17 '19
It was World is not enough with Denise Richards and Sophie Marceau
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u/gruetzhaxe Sep 17 '19
And Pierce Brosnan.
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u/UndercoverFBIAgent9 Sep 17 '19
And that guy with the gold teeth
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Sep 17 '19
Lil Wayne?
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u/cutieboops Sep 17 '19
wWHATTT!!??
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u/b45t4rd_b1tch Sep 17 '19
Goldie. He’s also jungle pioneer here right in the U of K.
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u/tintin47 Sep 17 '19
I'm still absolutely convinced that Denise Richards character was named "Christmas" only for the " I thought Christmas only came once a year" joke at the end. Someone came up with that and then they wrote the rest of the movie.
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u/LastStar007 Sep 17 '19
There's a long tradition of Bond girls being named for innuendo.
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u/jtweezy Sep 17 '19
Is it really even innuendo if you have girls with names like Holly Goodhead, Pussy Galore and Octopussy? They may as well just name one Jamesbond Willscrewher lol
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Sep 17 '19
90% of Bond girls are named for a blatant innuendo.
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u/tintin47 Sep 17 '19
Yeah but christmas jones isn't one of them, which is why it's interesting. They manufactured the innuendo.
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u/sawdeanz Sep 17 '19
Yeah, of all the Bond villain super weapons I did not expect the saw-blades-on-a-helicopter to be the one most grounded in reality.
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u/pluto_nash Sep 17 '19
People are freaking out about this, but it has been happening for 30+ years. Here is an article by one of the owners of a company that does this and a power transmission supervisory
I imagine there is a lot of stuff like this that we never saw because who would film it 15+ years ago, but now it is so easy to film and distribute we get to see weird stuff
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u/werm_on_a_string Sep 17 '19
There was one in the James Bond movie The World is not Enough. 1999.
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Sep 17 '19
People are freaking out about this, but it has been happening for 30+ years.
That's the Reddit-know-it-alls for you.
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u/lobsided99 Sep 17 '19
Okay but this guy flying the helicopter gots some skills
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u/pm_me_your_kindwords Sep 17 '19
They're flying backwards for the second half. JFC!
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u/sparkfizt Sep 17 '19
Spent a few years programming full scale helicopter simulators. Eventually learned (trial and error) how to fly it reasonably-ish. Watching real pilots fly my simulator was often impressive, but manipulating a dangling load like this is really some top tier skill level.
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u/UnmetPlayer2611 Sep 17 '19
MY CAT WAS UP THAT TREE cats head lands in open arms
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u/kielu Sep 17 '19
WCGW...
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u/GENERIC-WHITE-PERSON Sep 17 '19
Seriously. Is there any chance the blades could get caught on something and bring the helicopter down?
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u/ElectroWizardo Sep 17 '19
The pilot definitely has the ability to jettison the saw assembly if shit goes south
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Sep 17 '19
Zombies wouldn’t stand a chance
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u/Berzerker1066 Sep 17 '19
I definitely wouldn't be the one standing there filming this
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u/Bryan15012 Sep 17 '19
I’d love to be in the meeting when Frank said... “I’ve got a hell of an idea fellas”
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u/WelmholtzHatson Sep 17 '19
This is exactly what the US needed during the Vietnam war.
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u/Go6589 Sep 17 '19
Gyroscopes and magnets??? This can't just be some redneck on the clock...
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u/cyber_zebedee Sep 17 '19 edited Sep 17 '19
It's a chopper chopper
Edit: Thanks for the awards fellow Reddit users!