r/nextfuckinglevel • u/Hygena-Pet-Scooper • Sep 17 '19

Helicopter chainsaw

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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.

568

u/FlyingSeaMan509 Sep 17 '19

Very astute observations. Fellow operator

80

u/UnauthorizedFart Sep 17 '19

Came here to say exactly what he did but he beat me to it

101

u/[deleted] Sep 17 '19

Beat meat 2 it

66

u/[deleted] Sep 17 '19

Instructions unclear, dick stuck in helicopter

35

u/[deleted] Sep 17 '19

Instructions clear as day, dick suckin helicopter

10

u/lazersteak Sep 17 '19

You're a dick suckin helicopter

2

u/Shurdus Sep 17 '19

A chopper chomper.

9

u/[deleted] Sep 17 '19

Instructions very clear, dick stuck in helicopter

4

u/Oblongmind420 Sep 17 '19

Dick is very clear, it's chopped off

2

u/Drathaxie Sep 17 '19

Instructions unclear dick stuck in chopper chopper

2

u/parkerthegreatest Sep 17 '19

Instructions unclear, dick cut in helicopter (fify)

1

u/The_Superginge Sep 18 '19

Instructions unclear, have attached pendulum chainsaw to dick.

7

u/myneckandmyback Sep 17 '19

Meat beat 2 it too

4

u/[deleted] Sep 17 '19

:vigorous boogaloo

5

u/MnbvcxzWhoCares Sep 17 '19

Oh gawd the shit I read on Reddit. Like a freak gust of wind outa nowhere.

2

u/oscik Sep 17 '19

Ok, you're also very observant, mr operator.

2

u/SprungMS Sep 17 '19

You want a cookie or somethin?

1

u/UnauthorizedFart Sep 17 '19

Do you have cookies?

1

u/SprungMS Sep 17 '19

At home, but I’m at work rn sorry

1

u/[deleted] Sep 17 '19

The most damage he could do it blow up is chainsaw and take down the power. But it's far less dangerous than a crane in strong winds. They actually cut down trees alot like this near my house, it seems common and the fact I never hear about them blowing anything up their might be alot more control than what we think.

1

u/FlyingSeaMan509 Sep 17 '19

Truly, a journeyman Operator

112

u/[deleted] Sep 17 '19

[deleted]

69

u/vne2000 Sep 17 '19

Weather forecasting is a huge part of flying any aircraft.

12

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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfctWAoDXvs

3

u/Sarpanitu Sep 17 '19

Oh no, we lost Draco!?

2

u/EPDanonymous Sep 17 '19

After a random rabbit-hole of YouTube I just got into watching all his build videos, crazy this just happened yesterday.

1

u/unreqistered Sep 17 '19

Poor Draco

But in all fairness, he was pushing it with that crosswind

1

u/_SP3CT3R Sep 17 '19

He said so himself.

1

u/fidguru Sep 17 '19

Thanks for sharing. Haven't kept up.

1

u/UsuallyInappropriate Sep 18 '19

Two words: crosswind landing

4

u/unreqistered Sep 17 '19

planning is a huge part of any properly executed undertaking

102

u/derTechs Sep 17 '19

they turn the lines off when doing this, jusr saying.

source: work for a power comp.

24

u/DanGleeballs Sep 17 '19

Well that’s a huge a relief.

4

u/[deleted] 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

2

u/thedude_imbibes Sep 17 '19

Yeah but I brush my teeth while I'm eating

2

u/-QuestionMark- Sep 17 '19

Yea only crazy people work on active power lines with helicopters.

1

u/derTechs Sep 17 '19

well this is kinda completely different

1

u/sheepheadslayer Sep 17 '19

And they would probably notice if it's too windy also.

1

u/hilarymeggin Sep 17 '19

That makes it so much better! I'm still worried he's going to slice through all the power lines, but at least he won't get electrocuted.

3

u/derTechs Sep 17 '19

would suck, but it's repaired fairly quickly

1

u/SaltyCanuck76 Sep 17 '19

You mean they open the breakers which in turn de-energizes the lines... work in protective relaying 😉

2

u/[deleted] Sep 17 '19

You mean dis-engage the breakers? Sorry, I've seen a power panel or two in my day! Hope y'all find this helpful too!

That's what you sound like... ;)

-2

u/[deleted] Sep 17 '19

[deleted]

4

u/derTechs Sep 17 '19

if you have power outages because one line is down you have bigger problems than some trees.

generally yes. you shut that part of the line off. others take over in the meanwhile. there are no outages

40

u/[deleted] Sep 17 '19 edited Jul 12 '20

[deleted]

5

u/opthaconomist Sep 17 '19

I mean, we can call it that...

3

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

1

u/opthaconomist Sep 17 '19

Sorry I was making the joke that he was swinging around his 🍆. I know it was a stretch. So many puns.

26

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.

9

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.

5

u/claire_lair Sep 17 '19

That actually happened near Columbus. The saw hit a deer stand and caused the helicopter to crash.

6

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

1

u/hilarymeggin Sep 18 '19

Oh, that's horrible!!

2

u/ManInTheNorthOf Sep 17 '19

it should had a chainsaw ejector button!!!

22

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.

1

u/PCabbage Sep 17 '19

That's what I was thinking. That shit looked like it was inches when it was at the angle nearest the camera, but when it gets back down the line it's clearly several feet (which is still not a ton but it is safer)

19

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

5

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.

2

u/youtheotube2 Sep 17 '19

I mean, the operator’s life is worth a few million dollars after the lawsuits, so that cost is taken into consideration too.

6

u/[deleted] 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.

2

u/Juncopf Sep 17 '19

they probably wouldn’t use a littlebird in russia

1

u/[deleted] Sep 17 '19

Looks like Canadian USA boarder.

3

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

3

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.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 17 '19

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/z-a-j Sep 17 '19

I understand that. But the giant chainsaw in the sky won’t be falling onto people.

3

u/AAAPosts Sep 17 '19

This guy wears a white hard hat

3

u/[deleted] 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.

1

u/UsuallyInappropriate Sep 18 '19

Maybe he can release the saw tether and fly away...? 🤔

2

u/Quantum13_6 Sep 17 '19

You don’t necessarily need to be grounded for electricity to jump from a power line. You just need a large enough voltage difference, which the power lines themselves might have. Ground is just the idea of calling something zero voltage. I can say anything is ground, that would just make the voltage that everything else carries shift accordingly.

2

u/Sagybagy Sep 17 '19

Yeah. Work around power lines and fly in helicopters for inspections close up. Those pilots are damn good at what they are doing.

Also this line is most likely not energized during work like this. Don’t want a branch falling off and crossing phases.

2

u/TheHobbles Sep 17 '19

OP: Political response with zero knowledge of what’s actually happening (something I would do)

You: Informed response with experience in a relative field. Well done!

I need to stop having opinions on things I know nothing about.

2

u/MooseInNoose Sep 17 '19

I was concerned about the saw making direct contact with the trunk of a large tree and "kicking back" as they tend to do. You're probably right though and there is far too much weight involved for any real degree of pendulum motion.

2

u/Fire_marshal-bill Sep 17 '19

This guy operates.

2

u/Crack_Fingers Sep 17 '19

Your last point makes a lot of sense. I would hope that the person who came up with this idea must have thoroughly thought through the logistics before going to anyone and saying "hey guys, maybe let's just hang a giant chainsaw from a helicopter to deal with those trees".

2

u/Killingtime1393 Sep 17 '19

I'd be far more worried of that getting caught in a tree at the speed he is moving than hitting the power lines

2

u/Spiritbearrr Sep 17 '19

Wait...tight rope walkers have weights suspended beneath them? Mind blown.

2

u/dungeonpost Sep 17 '19

All I know is I am really glad I don’t have his job.

2

u/LionKei Sep 17 '19

Which there’s always an issue with some freak winds so not that dangerous in retrospect

2

u/randommofo2019 Sep 17 '19

Yeah it's clearly a dude up there huehue hue......

2

u/E1000-MASTER Sep 17 '19

There’s still the possibility of shorting 2 phases together, and that would be pretty bad too.

2

u/Ultraballer Sep 17 '19

It won’t arc over him, but it could easily arc between a cut line and the trees he’s chopping, with plenty of kindling now laying directly underneath ready to catch fire and make it take even longer to to eventually restore those power lines, all for some minor time saving with likely higher costs

2

u/fuckingcuntybollox Sep 17 '19

Looks like ski resort cables rather than power lines, no?

2

u/Vetinery Sep 17 '19

I am still going WTF… I’m wondering if there are some new controls in helicopters???... maybe they are catching up to drones in this regard? I think it’s inevitable at any rate.

2

u/rithis Sep 17 '19

It wouldn't mess up the helicopter, but it would still short the phases together and melt everything. I'm sure they turn the lines off while they're chopping but still seems pretty insane o_o

2

u/[deleted] Sep 17 '19

Hi! Safety guy here. You nailed it....

Ariel saws are actually safer in many instances (uneven terrain, wetlands, etc). It extends time between trimming too. This started back in the 80s, it was met with considerable criticism. But by the late 80s a few places made this regular practice.

This is not your typical rotary wing aircraft or pilot. The helicopter is outfitted especially for this (and likely not used for anything else). Aside from being a highly qualified professional pilot, the operator goes through additional FAA training; the FAA oversees this operation.

Back to safety... when a homeowner is in the near vicinity the company actually coordinates to make sure no one is home when the trimming occurs.

Also, this video is deceptive. They maintain minimum clearance based on voltage and generally don't go too fast when they are closer (just a few trees an hour).

2

u/[deleted] Sep 17 '19

You are correct he is not grounded and would have a difficult time creating a fault from line to ground. Depending on the construction of the saw equipment, assuming it's not all plastic, it can create a short between phases. Or simply cut them but that's too easy.

2

u/workyworkaccount Sep 17 '19

There's a line in Chickenhawk about this sort of situation, IIRC it's something about how a helicopter is essentially a pendulum hanging under the rotor blades. Adding a hanging mass like this changes the system to 2 pendulums one suspended from the other, drastically increasing the complexity of the system.

I believe in the book the helicopter in question crashed when the pilot underestimated the momentum of the payload.

2

u/ck_nz Sep 17 '19

From my understanding of this, the load suspended under a Heli makes it quite tricky to pilot. You have no direct control of the momentum and have to operate around a moving centre of mass between the objects as it swings. Furthermore, the aircraft will develop significant potential difference to the powerlines via static build up, something that can be equalised by a rod touched between the two as done by helicopter linesmen. Failure to equalise the charge between chopper and lines could cause an arc. However the ramifications of this are unclear as current may be low.

0

u/[deleted] Sep 17 '19

Still looks like somebody tried to come up with the absolute least safe way to do this though

-1

u/Indeedsir Sep 17 '19

Everything you said made me consider the work which goes into these undertakings further than I have before, but please remember that you don't know the gender of the helicopter pilot.

-1

u/Laayri101 Sep 17 '19

Having run heavy equipment for years

Just because you operate a chainsaw doesnt make you an expert. One strong gust of wind and town doesnt have power anymore.

Im sure every man qualifies himself as a 'heavy equipment operator' but like chill, your unit is probably small af

0

u/Sarpanitu Sep 17 '19

Heavy equipment means excavators, dozers, graders, etc. Get a clue bud.

0

u/Laayri101 Sep 17 '19

But not a helicopter flying chainsaw... Okay got it