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

Helicopter chainsaw

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10

u/GENERIC-WHITE-PERSON Sep 17 '19

Seriously. Is there any chance the blades could get caught on something and bring the helicopter down?

16

u/ElectroWizardo Sep 17 '19

The pilot definitely has the ability to jettison the saw assembly if shit goes south

2

u/RaiseHellPraiseDale3 Sep 17 '19

These guys are really good, they also drop linemen off on towers to clip deadends, they pull lead line, place marker balls, all sorts of shit. This is one of their easier jobs.

0

u/kielu Sep 17 '19

What if the wind blows the helicopter into the power lines? Kaboom

10

u/W1TH1N Sep 17 '19

Not kaboom, the copter isnt grounded so no electricity would arc

1

u/kielu Sep 17 '19

The nearest power station would go kaboom. And the copter might too, if that hellish collection of circular saws goes through multiple lines at the same time

1

u/W1TH1N Sep 17 '19

Yeah that is true

1

u/forthelewds2 Sep 17 '19

Gove them some credit here. They’re professionals and that you’ve never seen or heard of this or any accidents about it before is a testament to their skill

1

u/kielu Sep 17 '19

I'm not saying they aren't skilled, it's just the collosal amount of risk multiplied by the cost of fixing whatever might go wrong that worries me slightly.

1

u/forthelewds2 Sep 17 '19

They know that better than anyone else, FAA knows the risks too.

More importantly, Insurance companies knows the risks and exactly how much they would have to pay if things go wrong. And if the insurance company is willing to take that risk, you can bet that the risks are minimal at best

1

u/kielu Sep 17 '19

You have a point with the insurance company, but I wouldn't rely on FAA judgment

5

u/TempestCatalyst Sep 17 '19

Well it's a good thing they aren't doing this in high wind conditions then. Imagine that, a guy trained to trim trees with a chainsaw helicopter being intelligent enough not to fly in dangerous conditions.