FERGUS FALLS, Minn. – Help wanted: Must be willing to dangle from a helicopter while installing power lines and related devices. Work in winds up to 30 mph. Airborne linemen fitting that job description and their pilot partners have been providing a windshield spectacle for those driving along Interstate 94, where a high-voltage power line is under construction. The aerobatics involve helicopter crews helping install the $640 million CapX2020 transmission line between Monticello, Minn., and Fargo, N.D., scheduled to go into service early next year. In a field near Dalton, about five miles east of Fergus Falls, the helicopter crew on Thursday was installing spacers, short metal spans used to keep apart adjacent power lines. A gentle 6-mile-per-hour breeze from the southwest was cooperating with the helicopter, hovering like an overgrown hummingbird between 150-foot tall metal towers while the linemen fastened a spacer while seated near the chopper’s left skid.
“Perfect,” said Mike Fried, safety consultant for Xcel Energy, one of the CapX2020 utility partners, summarizing the benign wind conditions as the helicopter engine and rotor droned nearby. Wind, in fact, is the reason for the spacers, devices used to prevent “galloping” – a wave-like motion that can develop under certain conditions. Without the spacers, the lines could connect, causing a short-circuit. The helicopter teams can work faster than ground crews using cranes or “cherry pickers,” and also can operate in areas where heavy machinery has difficulty reaching or would cause damage, Fried said. “You get around all the lakes and wet areas,” he said, adding that placing special mats in muddy fields sometimes is an option. Last fall, he said, lingering soggy fields in many locations demonstrated the benefits of using the helicopter crews, provided by Air2, based in Timonium, Md. “They found the helicopter to be very useful so they’re doing a lot of helicopter work,” Fried said. “It all depends on weather and topography.” [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246782","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] Variable wind gusts and winds shifting in direction pose the biggest obstacles – and safety hazards – in using helicopters, said Nick Hebert, Air2’s director of line operations. The helicopter teams can work in steady, consistent winds of up to 30 miles an hour, he said. “It’s really a pilot’s discretion.” Helicopter linemen are experienced journeyman linemen who receive additional training, involving safety and techniques, Hebert said. Some pilots flew similar helicopters in the military, while others flew helicopters used in logging or other commercial work, he said. “It’s a mixed breed,” Hebert said. Hebert added: “It takes a special kind of pilot as well as a special kind of lineman.” Linemen must be able to work efficiently, because of the cost of the helicopters and associated ground crews, he said. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246783","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"350","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] Asked if the jobs command pay premiums, he merely said Air2 offers competitive pay in a specialized industry involving about five rival national firms providing helicopter services for transmission line maintenance and construction. Besides installing spacers and other power line devices, the helicopter crews also can help position the lines for installation. The tethered lineman tugs a rope attached to prepare a line, later placed with machinery, since it is too heavy the helicopter to lift, Fried said. “We call it pulling rope,” he said. When the winds cooperate, helicopter crews work much more quickly than ground crews, accomplishing in a day what a ground crew might get done in a week, Fried said. But that requires cooperative winds and weather that isn’t too wet. Even cranes and “cherry picker” buckets can’t operate when the wind gusts are too strong. “Very rarely do we get five days in a row,” Fried said. “It’s usually a couple days here, a couple days there.” [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246784","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] If the weather cooperates, work on installing the 345-kilovolt transmission line should cross the Red River into North Dakota before December, with completion expected in spring, he said. The new power line will add capacity and increase reliability between North Dakota, with burgeoning wind-power capacity, and the Twin Cities. Northwest of Fargo-Moorhead, the new transmission line will connect to the Bison substation near Mapleton, N.D. “It’s a conduit for a lot of the wind power coming out of North Dakota,” Fried said. There’s that word again – wind. Powerful, not always cooperative, almost always sweeping the prairie. Tweets by @DLNewspapersFERGUS FALLS, Minn. – Help wanted: Must be willing to dangle from a helicopter while installing power lines and related devices. Work in winds up to 30 mph. Airborne linemen fitting that job description and their pilot partners have been providing a windshield spectacle for those driving along Interstate 94, where a high-voltage power line is under construction. The aerobatics involve helicopter crews helping install the $640 million CapX2020 transmission line between Monticello, Minn., and Fargo, N.D., scheduled to go into service early next year. In a field near Dalton, about five miles east of Fergus Falls, the helicopter crew on Thursday was installing spacers, short metal spans used to keep apart adjacent power lines. A gentle 6-mile-per-hour breeze from the southwest was cooperating with the helicopter, hovering like an overgrown hummingbird between 150-foot tall metal towers while the linemen fastened a spacer while seated near the chopper’s left skid. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246781","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"350","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] “Perfect,” said Mike Fried, safety consultant for Xcel Energy, one of the CapX2020 utility partners, summarizing the benign wind conditions as the helicopter engine and rotor droned nearby. Wind, in fact, is the reason for the spacers, devices used to prevent “galloping” – a wave-like motion that can develop under certain conditions. Without the spacers, the lines could connect, causing a short-circuit. The helicopter teams can work faster than ground crews using cranes or “cherry pickers,” and also can operate in areas where heavy machinery has difficulty reaching or would cause damage, Fried said. “You get around all the lakes and wet areas,” he said, adding that placing special mats in muddy fields sometimes is an option. Last fall, he said, lingering soggy fields in many locations demonstrated the benefits of using the helicopter crews, provided by Air2, based in Timonium, Md. “They found the helicopter to be very useful so they’re doing a lot of helicopter work,” Fried said. “It all depends on weather and topography.”
Variable wind gusts and winds shifting in direction pose the biggest obstacles – and safety hazards – in using helicopters, said Nick Hebert, Air2’s director of line operations. The helicopter teams can work in steady, consistent winds of up to 30 miles an hour, he said. “It’s really a pilot’s discretion.” Helicopter linemen are experienced journeyman linemen who receive additional training, involving safety and techniques, Hebert said. Some pilots flew similar helicopters in the military, while others flew helicopters used in logging or other commercial work, he said. “It’s a mixed breed,” Hebert said. Hebert added: “It takes a special kind of pilot as well as a special kind of lineman.” Linemen must be able to work efficiently, because of the cost of the helicopters and associated ground crews, he said. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246783","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"350","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] Asked if the jobs command pay premiums, he merely said Air2 offers competitive pay in a specialized industry involving about five rival national firms providing helicopter services for transmission line maintenance and construction. Besides installing spacers and other power line devices, the helicopter crews also can help position the lines for installation. The tethered lineman tugs a rope attached to prepare a line, later placed with machinery, since it is too heavy the helicopter to lift, Fried said. “We call it pulling rope,” he said. When the winds cooperate, helicopter crews work much more quickly than ground crews, accomplishing in a day what a ground crew might get done in a week, Fried said. But that requires cooperative winds and weather that isn’t too wet. Even cranes and “cherry picker” buckets can’t operate when the wind gusts are too strong. “Very rarely do we get five days in a row,” Fried said. “It’s usually a couple days here, a couple days there.” [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246784","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] If the weather cooperates, work on installing the 345-kilovolt transmission line should cross the Red River into North Dakota before December, with completion expected in spring, he said. The new power line will add capacity and increase reliability between North Dakota, with burgeoning wind-power capacity, and the Twin Cities. Northwest of Fargo-Moorhead, the new transmission line will connect to the Bison substation near Mapleton, N.D. “It’s a conduit for a lot of the wind power coming out of North Dakota,” Fried said. There’s that word again – wind. Powerful, not always cooperative, almost always sweeping the prairie. Tweets by @DLNewspapersFERGUS FALLS, Minn. – Help wanted: Must be willing to dangle from a helicopter while installing power lines and related devices. Work in winds up to 30 mph. Airborne linemen fitting that job description and their pilot partners have been providing a windshield spectacle for those driving along Interstate 94, where a high-voltage power line is under construction. The aerobatics involve helicopter crews helping install the $640 million CapX2020 transmission line between Monticello, Minn., and Fargo, N.D., scheduled to go into service early next year. In a field near Dalton, about five miles east of Fergus Falls, the helicopter crew on Thursday was installing spacers, short metal spans used to keep apart adjacent power lines. A gentle 6-mile-per-hour breeze from the southwest was cooperating with the helicopter, hovering like an overgrown hummingbird between 150-foot tall metal towers while the linemen fastened a spacer while seated near the chopper’s left skid. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246781","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"350","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] “Perfect,” said Mike Fried, safety consultant for Xcel Energy, one of the CapX2020 utility partners, summarizing the benign wind conditions as the helicopter engine and rotor droned nearby. Wind, in fact, is the reason for the spacers, devices used to prevent “galloping” – a wave-like motion that can develop under certain conditions. Without the spacers, the lines could connect, causing a short-circuit. The helicopter teams can work faster than ground crews using cranes or “cherry pickers,” and also can operate in areas where heavy machinery has difficulty reaching or would cause damage, Fried said. “You get around all the lakes and wet areas,” he said, adding that placing special mats in muddy fields sometimes is an option. Last fall, he said, lingering soggy fields in many locations demonstrated the benefits of using the helicopter crews, provided by Air2, based in Timonium, Md. “They found the helicopter to be very useful so they’re doing a lot of helicopter work,” Fried said. “It all depends on weather and topography.” [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246782","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] Variable wind gusts and winds shifting in direction pose the biggest obstacles – and safety hazards – in using helicopters, said Nick Hebert, Air2’s director of line operations. The helicopter teams can work in steady, consistent winds of up to 30 miles an hour, he said. “It’s really a pilot’s discretion.” Helicopter linemen are experienced journeyman linemen who receive additional training, involving safety and techniques, Hebert said. Some pilots flew similar helicopters in the military, while others flew helicopters used in logging or other commercial work, he said. “It’s a mixed breed,” Hebert said. Hebert added: “It takes a special kind of pilot as well as a special kind of lineman.” Linemen must be able to work efficiently, because of the cost of the helicopters and associated ground crews, he said.
Asked if the jobs command pay premiums, he merely said Air2 offers competitive pay in a specialized industry involving about five rival national firms providing helicopter services for transmission line maintenance and construction. Besides installing spacers and other power line devices, the helicopter crews also can help position the lines for installation. The tethered lineman tugs a rope attached to prepare a line, later placed with machinery, since it is too heavy the helicopter to lift, Fried said. “We call it pulling rope,” he said. When the winds cooperate, helicopter crews work much more quickly than ground crews, accomplishing in a day what a ground crew might get done in a week, Fried said. But that requires cooperative winds and weather that isn’t too wet. Even cranes and “cherry picker” buckets can’t operate when the wind gusts are too strong. “Very rarely do we get five days in a row,” Fried said. “It’s usually a couple days here, a couple days there.” [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246784","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] If the weather cooperates, work on installing the 345-kilovolt transmission line should cross the Red River into North Dakota before December, with completion expected in spring, he said. The new power line will add capacity and increase reliability between North Dakota, with burgeoning wind-power capacity, and the Twin Cities. Northwest of Fargo-Moorhead, the new transmission line will connect to the Bison substation near Mapleton, N.D. “It’s a conduit for a lot of the wind power coming out of North Dakota,” Fried said. There’s that word again – wind. Powerful, not always cooperative, almost always sweeping the prairie. Tweets by @DLNewspapersFERGUS FALLS, Minn. – Help wanted: Must be willing to dangle from a helicopter while installing power lines and related devices. Work in winds up to 30 mph. Airborne linemen fitting that job description and their pilot partners have been providing a windshield spectacle for those driving along Interstate 94, where a high-voltage power line is under construction. The aerobatics involve helicopter crews helping install the $640 million CapX2020 transmission line between Monticello, Minn., and Fargo, N.D., scheduled to go into service early next year. In a field near Dalton, about five miles east of Fergus Falls, the helicopter crew on Thursday was installing spacers, short metal spans used to keep apart adjacent power lines. A gentle 6-mile-per-hour breeze from the southwest was cooperating with the helicopter, hovering like an overgrown hummingbird between 150-foot tall metal towers while the linemen fastened a spacer while seated near the chopper’s left skid. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246781","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"350","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] “Perfect,” said Mike Fried, safety consultant for Xcel Energy, one of the CapX2020 utility partners, summarizing the benign wind conditions as the helicopter engine and rotor droned nearby. Wind, in fact, is the reason for the spacers, devices used to prevent “galloping” – a wave-like motion that can develop under certain conditions. Without the spacers, the lines could connect, causing a short-circuit. The helicopter teams can work faster than ground crews using cranes or “cherry pickers,” and also can operate in areas where heavy machinery has difficulty reaching or would cause damage, Fried said. “You get around all the lakes and wet areas,” he said, adding that placing special mats in muddy fields sometimes is an option. Last fall, he said, lingering soggy fields in many locations demonstrated the benefits of using the helicopter crews, provided by Air2, based in Timonium, Md. “They found the helicopter to be very useful so they’re doing a lot of helicopter work,” Fried said. “It all depends on weather and topography.” [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246782","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] Variable wind gusts and winds shifting in direction pose the biggest obstacles – and safety hazards – in using helicopters, said Nick Hebert, Air2’s director of line operations. The helicopter teams can work in steady, consistent winds of up to 30 miles an hour, he said. “It’s really a pilot’s discretion.” Helicopter linemen are experienced journeyman linemen who receive additional training, involving safety and techniques, Hebert said. Some pilots flew similar helicopters in the military, while others flew helicopters used in logging or other commercial work, he said. “It’s a mixed breed,” Hebert said. Hebert added: “It takes a special kind of pilot as well as a special kind of lineman.” Linemen must be able to work efficiently, because of the cost of the helicopters and associated ground crews, he said. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246783","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"350","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] Asked if the jobs command pay premiums, he merely said Air2 offers competitive pay in a specialized industry involving about five rival national firms providing helicopter services for transmission line maintenance and construction. Besides installing spacers and other power line devices, the helicopter crews also can help position the lines for installation. The tethered lineman tugs a rope attached to prepare a line, later placed with machinery, since it is too heavy the helicopter to lift, Fried said. “We call it pulling rope,” he said. When the winds cooperate, helicopter crews work much more quickly than ground crews, accomplishing in a day what a ground crew might get done in a week, Fried said. But that requires cooperative winds and weather that isn’t too wet. Even cranes and “cherry picker” buckets can’t operate when the wind gusts are too strong. “Very rarely do we get five days in a row,” Fried said. “It’s usually a couple days here, a couple days there.”
If the weather cooperates, work on installing the 345-kilovolt transmission line should cross the Red River into North Dakota before December, with completion expected in spring, he said. The new power line will add capacity and increase reliability between North Dakota, with burgeoning wind-power capacity, and the Twin Cities. Northwest of Fargo-Moorhead, the new transmission line will connect to the Bison substation near Mapleton, N.D. “It’s a conduit for a lot of the wind power coming out of North Dakota,” Fried said. There’s that word again – wind. Powerful, not always cooperative, almost always sweeping the prairie. Tweets by @DLNewspapersFERGUS FALLS, Minn. – Help wanted: Must be willing to dangle from a helicopter while installing power lines and related devices. Work in winds up to 30 mph.Airborne linemen fitting that job description and their pilot partners have been providing a windshield spectacle for those driving along Interstate 94, where a high-voltage power line is under construction.The aerobatics involve helicopter crews helping install the $640 million CapX2020 transmission line between Monticello, Minn., and Fargo, N.D., scheduled to go into service early next year.In a field near Dalton, about five miles east of Fergus Falls, the helicopter crew on Thursday was installing spacers, short metal spans used to keep apart adjacent power lines.A gentle 6-mile-per-hour breeze from the southwest was cooperating with the helicopter, hovering like an overgrown hummingbird between 150-foot tall metal towers while the linemen fastened a spacer while seated near the chopper’s left skid.
“Perfect,” said Mike Fried, safety consultant for Xcel Energy, one of the CapX2020 utility partners, summarizing the benign wind conditions as the helicopter engine and rotor droned nearby.Wind, in fact, is the reason for the spacers, devices used to prevent “galloping” – a wave-like motion that can develop under certain conditions. Without the spacers, the lines could connect, causing a short-circuit.The helicopter teams can work faster than ground crews using cranes or “cherry pickers,” and also can operate in areas where heavy machinery has difficulty reaching or would cause damage, Fried said.“You get around all the lakes and wet areas,” he said, adding that placing special mats in muddy fields sometimes is an option.Last fall, he said, lingering soggy fields in many locations demonstrated the benefits of using the helicopter crews, provided by Air2, based in Timonium, Md.“They found the helicopter to be very useful so they’re doing a lot of helicopter work,” Fried said. “It all depends on weather and topography.”[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246782","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]Variable wind gusts and winds shifting in direction pose the biggest obstacles – and safety hazards – in using helicopters, said Nick Hebert, Air2’s director of line operations.The helicopter teams can work in steady, consistent winds of up to 30 miles an hour, he said. “It’s really a pilot’s discretion.”Helicopter linemen are experienced journeyman linemen who receive additional training, involving safety and techniques, Hebert said.Some pilots flew similar helicopters in the military, while others flew helicopters used in logging or other commercial work, he said.“It’s a mixed breed,” Hebert said.Hebert added: “It takes a special kind of pilot as well as a special kind of lineman.”Linemen must be able to work efficiently, because of the cost of the helicopters and associated ground crews, he said.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246783","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"350","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]Asked if the jobs command pay premiums, he merely said Air2 offers competitive pay in a specialized industry involving about five rival national firms providing helicopter services for transmission line maintenance and construction.Besides installing spacers and other power line devices, the helicopter crews also can help position the lines for installation.The tethered lineman tugs a rope attached to prepare a line, later placed with machinery, since it is too heavy the helicopter to lift, Fried said. “We call it pulling rope,” he said.When the winds cooperate, helicopter crews work much more quickly than ground crews, accomplishing in a day what a ground crew might get done in a week, Fried said.But that requires cooperative winds and weather that isn’t too wet. Even cranes and “cherry picker” buckets can’t operate when the wind gusts are too strong.“Very rarely do we get five days in a row,” Fried said. “It’s usually a couple days here, a couple days there.”[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246784","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]If the weather cooperates, work on installing the 345-kilovolt transmission line should cross the Red River into North Dakota before December, with completion expected in spring, he said.The new power line will add capacity and increase reliability between North Dakota, with burgeoning wind-power capacity, and the Twin Cities.Northwest of Fargo-Moorhead, the new transmission line will connect to the Bison substation near Mapleton, N.D.“It’s a conduit for a lot of the wind power coming out of North Dakota,” Fried said.There’s that word again – wind. Powerful, not always cooperative, almost always sweeping the prairie.Tweets by @DLNewspapersFERGUS FALLS, Minn. – Help wanted: Must be willing to dangle from a helicopter while installing power lines and related devices. Work in winds up to 30 mph.Airborne linemen fitting that job description and their pilot partners have been providing a windshield spectacle for those driving along Interstate 94, where a high-voltage power line is under construction.The aerobatics involve helicopter crews helping install the $640 million CapX2020 transmission line between Monticello, Minn., and Fargo, N.D., scheduled to go into service early next year.In a field near Dalton, about five miles east of Fergus Falls, the helicopter crew on Thursday was installing spacers, short metal spans used to keep apart adjacent power lines.A gentle 6-mile-per-hour breeze from the southwest was cooperating with the helicopter, hovering like an overgrown hummingbird between 150-foot tall metal towers while the linemen fastened a spacer while seated near the chopper’s left skid.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246781","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"350","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]“Perfect,” said Mike Fried, safety consultant for Xcel Energy, one of the CapX2020 utility partners, summarizing the benign wind conditions as the helicopter engine and rotor droned nearby.Wind, in fact, is the reason for the spacers, devices used to prevent “galloping” – a wave-like motion that can develop under certain conditions. Without the spacers, the lines could connect, causing a short-circuit.The helicopter teams can work faster than ground crews using cranes or “cherry pickers,” and also can operate in areas where heavy machinery has difficulty reaching or would cause damage, Fried said.“You get around all the lakes and wet areas,” he said, adding that placing special mats in muddy fields sometimes is an option.Last fall, he said, lingering soggy fields in many locations demonstrated the benefits of using the helicopter crews, provided by Air2, based in Timonium, Md.“They found the helicopter to be very useful so they’re doing a lot of helicopter work,” Fried said. “It all depends on weather and topography.”
Variable wind gusts and winds shifting in direction pose the biggest obstacles – and safety hazards – in using helicopters, said Nick Hebert, Air2’s director of line operations.The helicopter teams can work in steady, consistent winds of up to 30 miles an hour, he said. “It’s really a pilot’s discretion.”Helicopter linemen are experienced journeyman linemen who receive additional training, involving safety and techniques, Hebert said.Some pilots flew similar helicopters in the military, while others flew helicopters used in logging or other commercial work, he said.“It’s a mixed breed,” Hebert said.Hebert added: “It takes a special kind of pilot as well as a special kind of lineman.”Linemen must be able to work efficiently, because of the cost of the helicopters and associated ground crews, he said.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246783","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"350","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]Asked if the jobs command pay premiums, he merely said Air2 offers competitive pay in a specialized industry involving about five rival national firms providing helicopter services for transmission line maintenance and construction.Besides installing spacers and other power line devices, the helicopter crews also can help position the lines for installation.The tethered lineman tugs a rope attached to prepare a line, later placed with machinery, since it is too heavy the helicopter to lift, Fried said. “We call it pulling rope,” he said.When the winds cooperate, helicopter crews work much more quickly than ground crews, accomplishing in a day what a ground crew might get done in a week, Fried said.But that requires cooperative winds and weather that isn’t too wet. Even cranes and “cherry picker” buckets can’t operate when the wind gusts are too strong.“Very rarely do we get five days in a row,” Fried said. “It’s usually a couple days here, a couple days there.”[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246784","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]If the weather cooperates, work on installing the 345-kilovolt transmission line should cross the Red River into North Dakota before December, with completion expected in spring, he said.The new power line will add capacity and increase reliability between North Dakota, with burgeoning wind-power capacity, and the Twin Cities.Northwest of Fargo-Moorhead, the new transmission line will connect to the Bison substation near Mapleton, N.D.“It’s a conduit for a lot of the wind power coming out of North Dakota,” Fried said.There’s that word again – wind. Powerful, not always cooperative, almost always sweeping the prairie.Tweets by @DLNewspapersFERGUS FALLS, Minn. – Help wanted: Must be willing to dangle from a helicopter while installing power lines and related devices. Work in winds up to 30 mph.Airborne linemen fitting that job description and their pilot partners have been providing a windshield spectacle for those driving along Interstate 94, where a high-voltage power line is under construction.The aerobatics involve helicopter crews helping install the $640 million CapX2020 transmission line between Monticello, Minn., and Fargo, N.D., scheduled to go into service early next year.In a field near Dalton, about five miles east of Fergus Falls, the helicopter crew on Thursday was installing spacers, short metal spans used to keep apart adjacent power lines.A gentle 6-mile-per-hour breeze from the southwest was cooperating with the helicopter, hovering like an overgrown hummingbird between 150-foot tall metal towers while the linemen fastened a spacer while seated near the chopper’s left skid.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246781","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"350","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]“Perfect,” said Mike Fried, safety consultant for Xcel Energy, one of the CapX2020 utility partners, summarizing the benign wind conditions as the helicopter engine and rotor droned nearby.Wind, in fact, is the reason for the spacers, devices used to prevent “galloping” – a wave-like motion that can develop under certain conditions. Without the spacers, the lines could connect, causing a short-circuit.The helicopter teams can work faster than ground crews using cranes or “cherry pickers,” and also can operate in areas where heavy machinery has difficulty reaching or would cause damage, Fried said.“You get around all the lakes and wet areas,” he said, adding that placing special mats in muddy fields sometimes is an option.Last fall, he said, lingering soggy fields in many locations demonstrated the benefits of using the helicopter crews, provided by Air2, based in Timonium, Md.“They found the helicopter to be very useful so they’re doing a lot of helicopter work,” Fried said. “It all depends on weather and topography.”[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246782","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]Variable wind gusts and winds shifting in direction pose the biggest obstacles – and safety hazards – in using helicopters, said Nick Hebert, Air2’s director of line operations.The helicopter teams can work in steady, consistent winds of up to 30 miles an hour, he said. “It’s really a pilot’s discretion.”Helicopter linemen are experienced journeyman linemen who receive additional training, involving safety and techniques, Hebert said.Some pilots flew similar helicopters in the military, while others flew helicopters used in logging or other commercial work, he said.“It’s a mixed breed,” Hebert said.Hebert added: “It takes a special kind of pilot as well as a special kind of lineman.”Linemen must be able to work efficiently, because of the cost of the helicopters and associated ground crews, he said.
Asked if the jobs command pay premiums, he merely said Air2 offers competitive pay in a specialized industry involving about five rival national firms providing helicopter services for transmission line maintenance and construction.Besides installing spacers and other power line devices, the helicopter crews also can help position the lines for installation.The tethered lineman tugs a rope attached to prepare a line, later placed with machinery, since it is too heavy the helicopter to lift, Fried said. “We call it pulling rope,” he said.When the winds cooperate, helicopter crews work much more quickly than ground crews, accomplishing in a day what a ground crew might get done in a week, Fried said.But that requires cooperative winds and weather that isn’t too wet. Even cranes and “cherry picker” buckets can’t operate when the wind gusts are too strong.“Very rarely do we get five days in a row,” Fried said. “It’s usually a couple days here, a couple days there.”[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246784","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]If the weather cooperates, work on installing the 345-kilovolt transmission line should cross the Red River into North Dakota before December, with completion expected in spring, he said.The new power line will add capacity and increase reliability between North Dakota, with burgeoning wind-power capacity, and the Twin Cities.Northwest of Fargo-Moorhead, the new transmission line will connect to the Bison substation near Mapleton, N.D.“It’s a conduit for a lot of the wind power coming out of North Dakota,” Fried said.There’s that word again – wind. Powerful, not always cooperative, almost always sweeping the prairie.Tweets by @DLNewspapersFERGUS FALLS, Minn. – Help wanted: Must be willing to dangle from a helicopter while installing power lines and related devices. Work in winds up to 30 mph.Airborne linemen fitting that job description and their pilot partners have been providing a windshield spectacle for those driving along Interstate 94, where a high-voltage power line is under construction.The aerobatics involve helicopter crews helping install the $640 million CapX2020 transmission line between Monticello, Minn., and Fargo, N.D., scheduled to go into service early next year.In a field near Dalton, about five miles east of Fergus Falls, the helicopter crew on Thursday was installing spacers, short metal spans used to keep apart adjacent power lines.A gentle 6-mile-per-hour breeze from the southwest was cooperating with the helicopter, hovering like an overgrown hummingbird between 150-foot tall metal towers while the linemen fastened a spacer while seated near the chopper’s left skid.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246781","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"350","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]“Perfect,” said Mike Fried, safety consultant for Xcel Energy, one of the CapX2020 utility partners, summarizing the benign wind conditions as the helicopter engine and rotor droned nearby.Wind, in fact, is the reason for the spacers, devices used to prevent “galloping” – a wave-like motion that can develop under certain conditions. Without the spacers, the lines could connect, causing a short-circuit.The helicopter teams can work faster than ground crews using cranes or “cherry pickers,” and also can operate in areas where heavy machinery has difficulty reaching or would cause damage, Fried said.“You get around all the lakes and wet areas,” he said, adding that placing special mats in muddy fields sometimes is an option.Last fall, he said, lingering soggy fields in many locations demonstrated the benefits of using the helicopter crews, provided by Air2, based in Timonium, Md.“They found the helicopter to be very useful so they’re doing a lot of helicopter work,” Fried said. “It all depends on weather and topography.”[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246782","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]Variable wind gusts and winds shifting in direction pose the biggest obstacles – and safety hazards – in using helicopters, said Nick Hebert, Air2’s director of line operations.The helicopter teams can work in steady, consistent winds of up to 30 miles an hour, he said. “It’s really a pilot’s discretion.”Helicopter linemen are experienced journeyman linemen who receive additional training, involving safety and techniques, Hebert said.Some pilots flew similar helicopters in the military, while others flew helicopters used in logging or other commercial work, he said.“It’s a mixed breed,” Hebert said.Hebert added: “It takes a special kind of pilot as well as a special kind of lineman.”Linemen must be able to work efficiently, because of the cost of the helicopters and associated ground crews, he said.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1246783","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"350","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]Asked if the jobs command pay premiums, he merely said Air2 offers competitive pay in a specialized industry involving about five rival national firms providing helicopter services for transmission line maintenance and construction.Besides installing spacers and other power line devices, the helicopter crews also can help position the lines for installation.The tethered lineman tugs a rope attached to prepare a line, later placed with machinery, since it is too heavy the helicopter to lift, Fried said. “We call it pulling rope,” he said.When the winds cooperate, helicopter crews work much more quickly than ground crews, accomplishing in a day what a ground crew might get done in a week, Fried said.But that requires cooperative winds and weather that isn’t too wet. Even cranes and “cherry picker” buckets can’t operate when the wind gusts are too strong.“Very rarely do we get five days in a row,” Fried said. “It’s usually a couple days here, a couple days there.”
If the weather cooperates, work on installing the 345-kilovolt transmission line should cross the Red River into North Dakota before December, with completion expected in spring, he said.The new power line will add capacity and increase reliability between North Dakota, with burgeoning wind-power capacity, and the Twin Cities.Northwest of Fargo-Moorhead, the new transmission line will connect to the Bison substation near Mapleton, N.D.“It’s a conduit for a lot of the wind power coming out of North Dakota,” Fried said.There’s that word again – wind. Powerful, not always cooperative, almost always sweeping the prairie.Tweets by @DLNewspapers
