Helicopter to inspect lines
A low-flying helicopter will be inspecting power lines in Butler County during the next two weeks, West Penn Power announced Wednesday.
The helicopter will be used to inspect the utility company’s entire transmission grid, consisting of 147 lines, to identify damage or issues that could lead to service interruptions, according to a news release.
This includes the Butler, Slippery Rock and Karns City areas. These inspections are routine.
The helicopters will be traveling low to the ground and flying at about 25 to 30 mph.
A spotter with the company will be looking for damaged wire, broken cross arms, failed insulators and other hardware problems that would not be visible from the ground.
The helicopter assigned to the job is black with red stripes. The Federal Communications Commission, local airports and other officials have been notified, according to the release.
