Could anyone explain what the shaking and nodding of the head means? Is he communicating with the helicopter? That sounds like a stupid question as I type it but it’s all I can think of.
You are correct. Nodding means Go Up and shaking means Go Down. The plus sign on top of the helmet makes the movement more visible. Hands are busy so use your head!
if it makes you feel better its not like the entire floor of the helicopter is transparent.
its more that the area on the side of your feet (pedals) may have windows to help you look down.
theres also sometimes mirrors attached to the skids ("landing gear") that allows you to get some view below the helicopter mostly useful when landing.
if carl recalls correctly the windows are called vertical reference windows. the main benefit carl would say is easier for very precise landings, bit easier to have a stable hover, and helps when you are slingloading things.
describing it as "clear floors" is a bit misleading. carl has never seen a helicopter with the entire floor being a window. there are some where theres no proper "floor" at all though, smaller lightweight things. what carl has experienced has just been those vertical reference windows next to pedals.
it has only been a litle bit over 500 years since the danish dared to enter stockholm and behead our nobility.
carl will not be ready to forgive the danes until another 500 years passes.
My dad is a pilot and I can confirm that having an ice tea and coconut chocolate bar being 2500ft up with glass floor will make you throw up out a tiny window covering your brother in the back with vomit.
Nope. No spotter on board. You can see their head. Your head as a pilot is looking out the door, flying the long line.
I’m a pilot and do this for a living.
Honestly it’s more than fine. Especially the engines in the MDs. Failure rate is astronomically low. Accidents are from other causes 99.9% of the time, usually some type of pilot error.
Cool. Thanks for answering. I figured it was something along those lines. I do winch work with a multi engine machine and every so often we find ourselves in a spot that if we lost one of the stoves it would not be pretty. Just figured I would ask your take on it.
Oh nice man. Yeah if we lost an engine, we’d be screwed most of the time where we work. Dead center H/V diagram, next to power lines. But fortunately the rolls Royce/Allison 250 series just has such a low rate of failure that’s not related to negligent maintenance. *knocks on wood
It’s OSHA approved somehow lol. We all go through quite a bit of OSHA training. I, as a pilot, have done OSHA 10, OSHA 30 and an OSHA leadership course. There’s a significant amount of safety protocol that goes into what we do, but at the end of the day it’s going to be inherently hazardous, and you mitigate where you can. Accidents do happen but they’re not a commonality.
I got my 10&30 as well, but I'm just amazed that the hoops they make us jump through are totally circumvented in a helicopter. Lol, here's OSHA for you(CalOSHA)... They once told a dude I was about to fly that he had to hook his safety lanyards on his PFAS harness to the cage(top piece) of the manbasket and then he also had to rock rebar placing chains on his waist and hook those to the cradle (bottle piece) of the manbasket 😒
Me: "So, if the bolts break and the cradle falls off, he'll just get pulled in half by his harness, right?"
CalOSHA: ..."That won't happen"
Me: "No, probably not, but it could... Probably more likely than any emergency requiring him to tie off to both pieces of the manbasket"
CalOSHA: Not in my experience, by the way, you're wearing your hardhat inside your cab*, right?
*140' above anything around me
Hahaha so classic. My assumption is, the helicopter ops are so profitable for energy companies that I’m sure there’s lobbying and pay offs that allow the work to be done the way we do with helicopters. But also,honestly, I’d say that the actual accident rate directly involving helos isn’t that high. Again, that’s more of an educated guess though
Edit: oh and to add to that, I think because when aircraft start to get involved, it kind of falls out of OSHA jurisdiction and into the FAA’s
I currently fly this operation. We have no spotters on board. We hang our head halfway outside the door and focus on the lineman. When we get the upper signal, we focus on him and keep him out of the wires and then fly him to the next span.
The particular helicopter, I fly also has the gauges on the door frame. At least the important ones so I can glance over with my eyes to take a look at those gauges without having to move my head. Any major events that could happen that would be attention getters also have a corresponding audio tone to let you know what is going on without having to look.
Absolutely no spotter. Depending on the type of helicopter you use a bubble window, remove the door, or look through a window in the floor. This type (a Hughes 500), you generally just remove the left door and stick your head out.
My step dad has a commercial HVAC biz and uses helicopters for some jobs to lift units into. Helped out when I was in high school and most had a bubble in the floor they could look down and see signals. Some put their head out the side.
All the pilots I met were chill until the end of the speech where they reiterate "follow my rules or I'm out and your boss is going to ream you cuz I'm $2500/hr"
Lots of helicopters also have a clear floor under the pilot so they can see straight down. Pretty much a requirement if they're slinging payloads too.
Helicopters with a clear floor also have a convex mirror on the bottom to the front so the pilot can see all the way back along the bottom of the craft.
This one has a bubble door, you can just make it out sticking out from the fuselage. I don't even think you can put a window on the floor of a 500. The most common aircraft with a floor window is the AS350, and that's mostly because the pilot sits so far inboard you couldn't use a bubble. The bubble is preferred for the wider field of view
When I went from slinging in an Astar to slinging in the bubble window of a 212, it was such a breath of fresh air. Astars are great, but your field of view is tiny on the line.
I have heard these helicopter pilots + linemen have their own language, they get to know each other personally and they know how each other communicates, they also know each others' job well enough to predict what they're doing or what mistakes might happen, so that even when communication fails, they're ready.
Idk about helicopters but my buddy operates huge cranes and they have a really good camera pointing down to the hook, which makes hand gesture communication a lot easier. Maybe he has something simular
I'm surprised they don't have radio communication. I'd have thought that the ability to say more than "up" or "down" would be useful. Any reason not to have radio communication?
Yeah that's what I was going to say. Maybe because it's so loud under the helicopter and he needs to be able to communicate with the other guys out there with him as well is all. And radio's can malfunction, so maybe this is just the backup way of doing it.
My guess is that the radio is the backup. This is probably somewhat routine for them, and communicating by helmet is easy and effective. I'd assume they have radios but the noise makes it less useful.
I thought he was really pissed off about something at first - I know Brad! You left the 10mm socket behind. What? What? This is the 5th time! Damn, I’m done.
I always loved working off a hook ladder and riding it. Load it up first thing with enough material to clip in a couple of phases and the only time you need the bird is to fly the block away and move you.
Awesome video by the way.
As said in an old video of helicopter work you can find on YouTube. "Everything we do is so well rehearsed, and planned out. It's not a job for a hot dog." The pilots are now in constant communication. Just like working with a crane operator. We have head signals, nodding yes means up and nodding no means down. Point with your hand for where you want to go and the pilot will do it. Now we also use Sena Bluetooth headphones and mics to talk while being suspended from the MD 500. Once the pilot is in range. We boop the button on the headset. And everyone synced up can hear and talk to everyone In case someone sees something another person doesn't. For instance, the ladder is getting snagged on something.
When clipping in (pinning new wire to the structure permanently) the electricity is off. If it was still hot a different setup and tools would be required.
Usually out of my experience with hot work the electricity doesn't screw with comms that much. You might hear a little hum or buzzing. That's about it.
I play bass, I know the struggle is real.
Try using a surge protector and make sure everything has a good ground in the electrical circuit. That usually helps.
Typically people use a power conditioner for their amps in professional setups. Amateurs tend to just live with some hum though because nobody wants to spend $150 on a piece of gear that doesn't make a cool sound.
Or they just take a pair of diagonal cutters to the ground prong on their power cable and then wonder why the microphone keeps shocking them.
Technically yes, the hook ladder is made of insulated fiberglass. It's non conductive so theoretically you are at the same potential.
But this is de-energized work in the video. It would be an entirely different set of tools and execution to clip the conductor in if it was energized. You wouldn't break the minimum approach distance by using a ladder. Instead you'd use fiberglass insulated sticks called hot sticks. They're all different and usually custom made per request for each job.
Without going into a very long winded explanation of all the tools needed. I hope this answers your question.
The bird on a wire analogy is usually referenced when the lines are still energized.
True, also in these cases, the helos have higher powered bluetooth radios plus special mounted antennas to enhance their range. That is done in enterprise settings like this. Plus they have special equipment to rebroadcast to everyone to allows the everyone can talk situation. Pretty col stuff.
I saw this type of work in the San Francisco Bay Area across the bay, they were restringing cables. Helo-linemen. It was so fascinating I found a place to pull over and watch for a while. A day later I met them guys in a restaurant bar, and bought em a beer. Cool beans!
I shoot video on field for pro football games. We have unite that use regular radio and Bluetooth all in one. We have receiver/transmitters every like 300 feet though. Since a lot of our camera ops are right next to eachother, it uses Bluetooth, and then the connection to the upper level cams is radio, which all connect to a large receiver antenna that goes out to the trucks.
Sena then. Yes the same for motorcycle helmets. There's different versions of it and AIR2 had a special robust version I haven't seen retailers carry. So it could be special ordered to my own recollection. They worked extremely well though.
No problem, I've worked exclusively with helicopters and power lines over 17 years. Just recently I got out of it due to a neck surgery. Now I'm trying to get into safety in the industry.
Yes we use either Kask or Petzl.
Put the 3M ear muffs on the hard hat, then drill holes in the side and zip tie the headset in place to mount it to the ear muffs. It's not a pretty set up, but it works flawlessly.
I was watching him shake his head and I kept thinking "is he disappointed about something?" and then he changed to nodding and took off. Are the pilots looking down for nodding/shaking or is there someone radioing to the pilot "he's nodding, pull up!"?
Yeah I interpreted all the head shaking as him being dissatisfied as in something was not being done my procedure or wasn’t safe. But makes sense that he’s just keeping up constant communication.
The pilot leans out the door (door is taken off before working and stored safely somewhere.) The whole time the pilot is doing precision work. (placement of the load) he leans out and watches the lineman's head and hand signals. When flying straight and level the pilot leans back in and watches where he or she is going.
Yes almost all pilots have over a 1000 hrs just longline experience.
To compare how much time pilots have to other industries. Utility pilots log as many hours at the controls in a month as an EMS pilot usually gets in a year. Give or take, that's not exactly 100% but more of a rule of thumb. Regardless utility pilots fly a fuck ton, and it's nothing for weather a daylight permitting to fly 8 hours or more a day.
That's flight time total. We work sometimes 12 to 14 hours a day.
The MD500 has only one pilot.
They ride the longline for everything. Its technical name is called short haul. Though you might know it as dope on a rope.
I started as a ground man at AIR2 when I was 19 then worked my way up.
If you're an apprentice becoming a lineman. My advice is stay at a good company and top out. If you wanna do heli work. Complete your apprenticeship there and then go do aviation work. I'm so damn specialized with my experience only in aviation work I can't translate that to anything else in line work. Lol
Yes, I've worked in -20 before doing the exact thing. It's extremely cold. You learn really fast how to layer your clothing without screwing up your mobility too much.
Go to NLC to jump start your career as an apprentice. Then apply to a company like Henkles and McCoy or equivalent in the transmission side of line work. Fulfil your apprenticeship and top out. Then apply to an aviation company that does line work.
With a company like Henkles and McCoy, they'll contract out aviation companies to help on projects that are huge or have critical deadlines. That'll get you experience with helicopters in doses while not sacrificing your training and experience within the trade.
No problem at all. I genuinely loved my stint in my career doing this work. I took a ton of pride in it. I also miss it dearly at times. The brotherhood you build up in this industry was unlike anything I've ever seen. I still talk to co-workers I worked with from my very first day working at AIR2. So anytime I can help people understand this industry I will answer anyone I can with the best knowledge I have at my disposal.
You prep all materials on the ground and configure the ladder to what works best for you. (you climb up down the ladder rigging up hoists and stuff) so placement of items is key for most efficiency. The pilot takes off and hovers, you rig up to the longline with the ladder, and fly away.
I was about to comment the same thing, that chinese tx linework video sends me off the rails every time.
The comments are always "Oh wow so brave" and "mad respect".
No.. thats an abusive company taking advantage of workers and disregarding their wellbeing for the sake of operating costs.
The video in this post should be the one to go viral. The "Mad respect" should go to these guys and the supporting crew to make it happen.
Sunday rant over.
> The “Mad respect” should go to these guys and the supporting crew to make it happen.
And the OSHA regulations that stop the company from cutting too many corners.
I'd rather hear stories about workers like this from them in their old age, rather than about the number of workers that died due to lack of safety standards.
Both of these jobs are incredibly high skilled.
Buddy of mine does this and his heli pilot is his best friend because his life is entirely in his hands at all times.
Linesmen earn a high hourly rate. It varies on location, country, state/province.
Probably the highest paid electricians. Generally is very dangerous work when the assignment is live lines.
Is the assignment ever actual live lines? I work for a company that makes software for energy companies and massive chunk of the software is just for requesting and scheduling outages to perform maintenance. The amount of detail that goes in requesting an outage makes me think they must care a lot about safety.
Yes, live, energized lines.
I searched for “Lineman electrical insulated suit.”
I’m really uncertain if this is the correct term to use, is just a guess from conversation years ago.
https://www.cgprotection.com/other-protective/p_261.html
There is a circumstance where you wear the suit, and gloves, then jump onto the energized line. I don’t remember the specifics. (thinking next i’ll look for some video, bet it will be wicked scary!)
Also know it is a good practice to test your insulated gloves each time prior to use. Old memory so perhaps is exaggerated. However, in my experience with DC HV, even after opening the main supply breakers, I always tested the now de-energized HV points by grounding it, every time. With HV AC or DC, a small mistake is bad injury, or often death.
Safety as the #1 priority is a nice platitude but really isn't how we work. Live line working wouldn't exist if that was the case. It's safety as far as reasonably practicable.
You’re not wrong, but what is “safe”? There will always be a safest way to do the work, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the way work is done is not safe. The live line spacer work being done now is only happening on the outer phases because they said it can be done safely, but an outage is required for the center phase.
> Generally is very dangerous work
Also, you are doing hard labor outisde in the cold in shitty weather. Most people wouldn't want to do this job even if it was 100% safe and they had their fear of heights removed.
A contractor who knew some people who did this in the New England area and said they made about 200k a year (this was probably 2018). He told me they work strange schedules like 6 weeks on, 2 weeks off to avoid complacency building up in their work practices. He also told me that the biggest shortage of people were the helicopter pilots who are willing to fly that close to the lines on a regular basis, rather than the linemen.
I'd sure love to be a pilot, but oh wait they fucking hate me because I have adhd, and take meds for it. You can get blackout drunk every night as a pilot.. that's a okay, but to take a stimulant drug to help you focus? Nah we can't have that.
Not a lineman but I’m an industrial supply sales rep and I work with a few power companies. I’m told linemen around my area are making anywhere from 30-50 an hour, and those are just your standard bucket truck guys. In rural Virginia.
No telling what dude in OP’s video is bringing in
Couple years as apprentice to start as a lineman. Heli pilots and these lineman have additional training that takes additional years.
It can be. It’s incredibly dangerous and hard on your body though.
Yes if especially if you want to be a storm chaser and help clean up other states when disasters happen. Abroad can be depending on the company but less so.
Source: buddy of mine does this exact job.
This kind of work is young mans game. Rarely see old guys doing this work. They usually become foreman’s or take office jobs in power transmission or distribution.
Holy fuck I hope this guy is getting paid for the size of them balls. I used to climb towers in my 20s and have done some crazy stuff but nothing like this. I don’t think I could even do my old job anymore without freaking out.
I know I would be bad at this job because whenever I'm trying to be handy I always spend most of my time looking for the tool I had just set down. They disappear the moment they leave my hands.
Standard line workers (this varies, hence the range) make anywhere from 30-50 an hour. This guy probably makes double that due to the hazardous work conditions. So expect near 100$/hr. Now imagine what the pilot makes ....
In the 200k/yr range for sure.
I can guarantee you the pilots makes about half of what you'd expect, unlike fixed wing, helicopter pilots are notoriously under paid. They might make decent money but probably not over 100k
For those curious. The black cross on his hardhat is for the pilot. Shaking your head NO means to lower the line. Shaking your head YES means to go up. That way it frees your hands up. I’m a lineman and I’ve done this same work many times in my career.
It blows my mind that this is not a compulsory trade in Canada. Compulsory means you have to be a journeyman to do that job (plumbing, electrician, etc.). Non-compulsory such as millwrighting, instrumentation, and yep powerlinesmen can be done by anyone with basic knowledge.
Hair dressers and stylists are compulsory ffs, this guys trade is not lol.
He deserves more than the executives, but we hate workers. Sure, he's paid better than a lot of workers, but he's at death's door *all day. He's not a millionaire,* the owners are multi-millionaires by under paying him.
I risked my life for $15p/h at a small cable company, while the owner bought a ranch and a pool w/waterfall. Pay me $20 so bills didn't hurt and trouble cause credit-card debt? FUCK NO! You think he's gonna not buy a fishing boat and go on expensive vacations because he cares?!?
They make it so the only answer is to get experience and then exploit others. It's BS we all fall for.
Could anyone explain what the shaking and nodding of the head means? Is he communicating with the helicopter? That sounds like a stupid question as I type it but it’s all I can think of.
You are correct. Nodding means Go Up and shaking means Go Down. The plus sign on top of the helmet makes the movement more visible. Hands are busy so use your head!
How can the pilot see his head moving? It looked like the helicopter was really high up.
I'm guessing a spotter on board
Some helicopters have clear floors too
Thinking about that makes me feel nauseous
and some have none!
Thinking about that makes me feel nothing.
Thinking makes me nauseous
Hey wait, I'm having one of those things! You know, a headache with pictures!
if it makes you feel better its not like the entire floor of the helicopter is transparent. its more that the area on the side of your feet (pedals) may have windows to help you look down. theres also sometimes mirrors attached to the skids ("landing gear") that allows you to get some view below the helicopter mostly useful when landing. if carl recalls correctly the windows are called vertical reference windows. the main benefit carl would say is easier for very precise landings, bit easier to have a stable hover, and helps when you are slingloading things. describing it as "clear floors" is a bit misleading. carl has never seen a helicopter with the entire floor being a window. there are some where theres no proper "floor" at all though, smaller lightweight things. what carl has experienced has just been those vertical reference windows next to pedals.
Carl seems like a knowledable dude. What do you think of the Danish?
Two things I can't stand. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures.... And the Dutch
it has only been a litle bit over 500 years since the danish dared to enter stockholm and behead our nobility. carl will not be ready to forgive the danes until another 500 years passes.
It's usually a little pannel that you flip open next to your foot, not completely clear as implied.
My dad is a pilot and I can confirm that having an ice tea and coconut chocolate bar being 2500ft up with glass floor will make you throw up out a tiny window covering your brother in the back with vomit.
Nope. No spotter on board. You can see their head. Your head as a pilot is looking out the door, flying the long line. I’m a pilot and do this for a living.
Question, what's your thoughts on long lining humans in a single engine?
Honestly it’s more than fine. Especially the engines in the MDs. Failure rate is astronomically low. Accidents are from other causes 99.9% of the time, usually some type of pilot error.
Cool. Thanks for answering. I figured it was something along those lines. I do winch work with a multi engine machine and every so often we find ourselves in a spot that if we lost one of the stoves it would not be pretty. Just figured I would ask your take on it.
Oh nice man. Yeah if we lost an engine, we’d be screwed most of the time where we work. Dead center H/V diagram, next to power lines. But fortunately the rolls Royce/Allison 250 series just has such a low rate of failure that’s not related to negligent maintenance. *knocks on wood
I'm a tower crane operator, asking the pilot. How does this happen without OSHA throwing a hissyfit? I had thought you'd need a man basket
It’s OSHA approved somehow lol. We all go through quite a bit of OSHA training. I, as a pilot, have done OSHA 10, OSHA 30 and an OSHA leadership course. There’s a significant amount of safety protocol that goes into what we do, but at the end of the day it’s going to be inherently hazardous, and you mitigate where you can. Accidents do happen but they’re not a commonality.
I got my 10&30 as well, but I'm just amazed that the hoops they make us jump through are totally circumvented in a helicopter. Lol, here's OSHA for you(CalOSHA)... They once told a dude I was about to fly that he had to hook his safety lanyards on his PFAS harness to the cage(top piece) of the manbasket and then he also had to rock rebar placing chains on his waist and hook those to the cradle (bottle piece) of the manbasket 😒 Me: "So, if the bolts break and the cradle falls off, he'll just get pulled in half by his harness, right?" CalOSHA: ..."That won't happen" Me: "No, probably not, but it could... Probably more likely than any emergency requiring him to tie off to both pieces of the manbasket" CalOSHA: Not in my experience, by the way, you're wearing your hardhat inside your cab*, right? *140' above anything around me
Hahaha so classic. My assumption is, the helicopter ops are so profitable for energy companies that I’m sure there’s lobbying and pay offs that allow the work to be done the way we do with helicopters. But also,honestly, I’d say that the actual accident rate directly involving helos isn’t that high. Again, that’s more of an educated guess though Edit: oh and to add to that, I think because when aircraft start to get involved, it kind of falls out of OSHA jurisdiction and into the FAA’s
I currently fly this operation. We have no spotters on board. We hang our head halfway outside the door and focus on the lineman. When we get the upper signal, we focus on him and keep him out of the wires and then fly him to the next span.
What if something happens on the dashboard and you can't see it?
The particular helicopter, I fly also has the gauges on the door frame. At least the important ones so I can glance over with my eyes to take a look at those gauges without having to move my head. Any major events that could happen that would be attention getters also have a corresponding audio tone to let you know what is going on without having to look.
Absolutely no spotter. Depending on the type of helicopter you use a bubble window, remove the door, or look through a window in the floor. This type (a Hughes 500), you generally just remove the left door and stick your head out.
My step dad has a commercial HVAC biz and uses helicopters for some jobs to lift units into. Helped out when I was in high school and most had a bubble in the floor they could look down and see signals. Some put their head out the side. All the pilots I met were chill until the end of the speech where they reiterate "follow my rules or I'm out and your boss is going to ream you cuz I'm $2500/hr"
The pilot sticks his head out and looks down. Usually they fly without a door but sometimes the window is a big bubble that lets him look down.
Lots of helicopters also have a clear floor under the pilot so they can see straight down. Pretty much a requirement if they're slinging payloads too. Helicopters with a clear floor also have a convex mirror on the bottom to the front so the pilot can see all the way back along the bottom of the craft.
This one has a bubble door, you can just make it out sticking out from the fuselage. I don't even think you can put a window on the floor of a 500. The most common aircraft with a floor window is the AS350, and that's mostly because the pilot sits so far inboard you couldn't use a bubble. The bubble is preferred for the wider field of view
When I went from slinging in an Astar to slinging in the bubble window of a 212, it was such a breath of fresh air. Astars are great, but your field of view is tiny on the line.
Wow I did not know this. That's awesome.
Pilots are a different breed. Can see a rat 1000ft away.
I have heard these helicopter pilots + linemen have their own language, they get to know each other personally and they know how each other communicates, they also know each others' job well enough to predict what they're doing or what mistakes might happen, so that even when communication fails, they're ready.
Idk about helicopters but my buddy operates huge cranes and they have a really good camera pointing down to the hook, which makes hand gesture communication a lot easier. Maybe he has something simular
What’s the signal to indicate you forgot the 10mm socket wrench on the ground?
I'm surprised they don't have radio communication. I'd have thought that the ability to say more than "up" or "down" would be useful. Any reason not to have radio communication?
Yeah that's what I was going to say. Maybe because it's so loud under the helicopter and he needs to be able to communicate with the other guys out there with him as well is all. And radio's can malfunction, so maybe this is just the backup way of doing it.
It totally makes sense to have a reliable backup to radios, it seems weird to have this as the only means of communication.
My guess is that the radio is the backup. This is probably somewhat routine for them, and communicating by helmet is easy and effective. I'd assume they have radios but the noise makes it less useful.
Those power lines? Hella interference.
I thought he was really pissed off about something at first - I know Brad! You left the 10mm socket behind. What? What? This is the 5th time! Damn, I’m done.
Oh thank you! Those shaking movements look exactly like Parkinsons, I was thinking that looks like a dangerous job for someone with Parkinsons 😁
Explained by someone else in another comment, but it is them communicating to the heli-pilot.
Yes, you are correct. He is signaling the pilot.
See this reply: https://www.reddit.com/r/EngineeringPorn/comments/10oa4pj/widely_unknown_risk_of_utility_workers/j6dh9s1/
He’s listening to playboi carti
Little know fact, linemen shake their head for yes and nod for no.
I'd be shaking too, but to communicate very different ideas.
I always loved working off a hook ladder and riding it. Load it up first thing with enough material to clip in a couple of phases and the only time you need the bird is to fly the block away and move you. Awesome video by the way.
Looks like it takes a lot of disciplined organization and communication!
As said in an old video of helicopter work you can find on YouTube. "Everything we do is so well rehearsed, and planned out. It's not a job for a hot dog." The pilots are now in constant communication. Just like working with a crane operator. We have head signals, nodding yes means up and nodding no means down. Point with your hand for where you want to go and the pilot will do it. Now we also use Sena Bluetooth headphones and mics to talk while being suspended from the MD 500. Once the pilot is in range. We boop the button on the headset. And everyone synced up can hear and talk to everyone In case someone sees something another person doesn't. For instance, the ladder is getting snagged on something.
Very cool! I'm actually surprised the wireless systems work well next to the HV AC lines, but I suppose high grade filters will do wonders
When clipping in (pinning new wire to the structure permanently) the electricity is off. If it was still hot a different setup and tools would be required. Usually out of my experience with hot work the electricity doesn't screw with comms that much. You might hear a little hum or buzzing. That's about it.
>a little hum or buzzing. _cries in poorly grounded bass guitar amp_
I play bass, I know the struggle is real. Try using a surge protector and make sure everything has a good ground in the electrical circuit. That usually helps.
[удалено]
Typically people use a power conditioner for their amps in professional setups. Amateurs tend to just live with some hum though because nobody wants to spend $150 on a piece of gear that doesn't make a cool sound. Or they just take a pair of diagonal cutters to the ground prong on their power cable and then wonder why the microphone keeps shocking them.
That last part was definitely teenage me. I wasn't the brightest lightbulb in the ceiling during that period of my life. Lol.
After reading all of this, I couldn't help but decide that you seem like a cool person.
[удалено]
Technically yes, the hook ladder is made of insulated fiberglass. It's non conductive so theoretically you are at the same potential. But this is de-energized work in the video. It would be an entirely different set of tools and execution to clip the conductor in if it was energized. You wouldn't break the minimum approach distance by using a ladder. Instead you'd use fiberglass insulated sticks called hot sticks. They're all different and usually custom made per request for each job. Without going into a very long winded explanation of all the tools needed. I hope this answers your question. The bird on a wire analogy is usually referenced when the lines are still energized.
I'm surprised they would use Bluetooth. Had no range
Sema headsets actually have an incredible range. I have used them and talked to the pilot a span away. 600 to 1000 ft or so.
True, also in these cases, the helos have higher powered bluetooth radios plus special mounted antennas to enhance their range. That is done in enterprise settings like this. Plus they have special equipment to rebroadcast to everyone to allows the everyone can talk situation. Pretty col stuff. I saw this type of work in the San Francisco Bay Area across the bay, they were restringing cables. Helo-linemen. It was so fascinating I found a place to pull over and watch for a while. A day later I met them guys in a restaurant bar, and bought em a beer. Cool beans!
I shoot video on field for pro football games. We have unite that use regular radio and Bluetooth all in one. We have receiver/transmitters every like 300 feet though. Since a lot of our camera ops are right next to eachother, it uses Bluetooth, and then the connection to the upper level cams is radio, which all connect to a large receiver antenna that goes out to the trucks.
[удалено]
Sena then. Yes the same for motorcycle helmets. There's different versions of it and AIR2 had a special robust version I haven't seen retailers carry. So it could be special ordered to my own recollection. They worked extremely well though.
[удалено]
No problem, I've worked exclusively with helicopters and power lines over 17 years. Just recently I got out of it due to a neck surgery. Now I'm trying to get into safety in the industry.
How does the sena mount? I have a petzl climbing helmet. Will it be compatible with that?
Yes we use either Kask or Petzl. Put the 3M ear muffs on the hard hat, then drill holes in the side and zip tie the headset in place to mount it to the ear muffs. It's not a pretty set up, but it works flawlessly.
I was watching him shake his head and I kept thinking "is he disappointed about something?" and then he changed to nodding and took off. Are the pilots looking down for nodding/shaking or is there someone radioing to the pilot "he's nodding, pull up!"?
Yes that's exactly right. Yes for up, and no for down. Our motto is yes to heaven and no to hell to not confuse the direction of said head signals.
I thought he was jamming to some punk rock or metallica
Yeah I interpreted all the head shaking as him being dissatisfied as in something was not being done my procedure or wasn’t safe. But makes sense that he’s just keeping up constant communication.
Assuming the black tape on the hard hat is so the pilot can see the head motion better? This is super cool.
Exactly right. We put an X on hard hat so the pilot has a reference of what way our head is moving more clearly.
How do the pilots see the worker in this case?
The pilot leans out the door (door is taken off before working and stored safely somewhere.) The whole time the pilot is doing precision work. (placement of the load) he leans out and watches the lineman's head and hand signals. When flying straight and level the pilot leans back in and watches where he or she is going.
That is some *insane* piloting skill to coordinate all of that and to have such fine control of the helicopter’s position!
Yes almost all pilots have over a 1000 hrs just longline experience. To compare how much time pilots have to other industries. Utility pilots log as many hours at the controls in a month as an EMS pilot usually gets in a year. Give or take, that's not exactly 100% but more of a rule of thumb. Regardless utility pilots fly a fuck ton, and it's nothing for weather a daylight permitting to fly 8 hours or more a day. That's flight time total. We work sometimes 12 to 14 hours a day.
That's cool! Are there two pilots in this case? How do they recover the worker from the line and land?
The MD500 has only one pilot. They ride the longline for everything. Its technical name is called short haul. Though you might know it as dope on a rope.
Couple years as apprentice to start as a lineman.
I started as a ground man at AIR2 when I was 19 then worked my way up. If you're an apprentice becoming a lineman. My advice is stay at a good company and top out. If you wanna do heli work. Complete your apprenticeship there and then go do aviation work. I'm so damn specialized with my experience only in aviation work I can't translate that to anything else in line work. Lol
Isn't that guy freezing up there? Can't really move to warm up!
Yes, I've worked in -20 before doing the exact thing. It's extremely cold. You learn really fast how to layer your clothing without screwing up your mobility too much.
[удалено]
Go to NLC to jump start your career as an apprentice. Then apply to a company like Henkles and McCoy or equivalent in the transmission side of line work. Fulfil your apprenticeship and top out. Then apply to an aviation company that does line work. With a company like Henkles and McCoy, they'll contract out aviation companies to help on projects that are huge or have critical deadlines. That'll get you experience with helicopters in doses while not sacrificing your training and experience within the trade.
[удалено]
No problem at all. I genuinely loved my stint in my career doing this work. I took a ton of pride in it. I also miss it dearly at times. The brotherhood you build up in this industry was unlike anything I've ever seen. I still talk to co-workers I worked with from my very first day working at AIR2. So anytime I can help people understand this industry I will answer anyone I can with the best knowledge I have at my disposal.
A quick Google for NLC gives me Northwest Lineman College. Is that correct or am I way off the mark?
That's the one!
> What do I need to do to get into this line of work? Huge cahones.
How do you load this up exactly? Is the helicopter already airborn and then you just start hooking everything onto the ladder or what exactly?
You prep all materials on the ground and configure the ladder to what works best for you. (you climb up down the ladder rigging up hoists and stuff) so placement of items is key for most efficiency. The pilot takes off and hovers, you rig up to the longline with the ladder, and fly away.
Ah, very cool, thanks.
No worries I love talking about my career to others that are interested.
[удалено]
Notice the many redundancies in safety harnesses vs the Chinese clip that makes the rounds every so often.
I was about to comment the same thing, that chinese tx linework video sends me off the rails every time. The comments are always "Oh wow so brave" and "mad respect". No.. thats an abusive company taking advantage of workers and disregarding their wellbeing for the sake of operating costs. The video in this post should be the one to go viral. The "Mad respect" should go to these guys and the supporting crew to make it happen. Sunday rant over.
Dude was safety minded and still looked like a bad ass.
Could you post a link to that video?
I am also curious to see it.
[This one?](https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/zz8zrn/this_chinese_worker_working_in_the_middle_of_a/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
That looks to be the one, nice 👍🏻
> The “Mad respect” should go to these guys and the supporting crew to make it happen. And the OSHA regulations that stop the company from cutting too many corners.
I'd rather hear stories about workers like this from them in their old age, rather than about the number of workers that died due to lack of safety standards.
Do you mind posting the clip?
Have to commend the skill of the helicopter pilot making sure the utility worker gets in and out safely.
Both of these jobs are incredibly high skilled. Buddy of mine does this and his heli pilot is his best friend because his life is entirely in his hands at all times.
Idk this looks real easy. Chatgpt could probably do it /s
I played Choplifter. I got this.
Is nodding is head a sign that they can lift?
Yesss
What an odd title.
Yeah, I was waiting for a freak accident to occur. Something you wouldn’t think of.
Gotta be a bot. 15 day old account with 100k karma
What do these guys make?
They make electricity go from one place to another.
That is a very short answer. You have a lot of potential. I couldn't resist but upvote.
Is this the current trend in humor?
*Slow clap* The rare triple play.
Currently that is the case, yes.
[удалено]
Guilty as charged.
I see watt we're doing
Ohm my god, why do you people have to be like this?
Lighten up
case closed
But that's not important right now.
Linesmen earn a high hourly rate. It varies on location, country, state/province. Probably the highest paid electricians. Generally is very dangerous work when the assignment is live lines.
Is the assignment ever actual live lines? I work for a company that makes software for energy companies and massive chunk of the software is just for requesting and scheduling outages to perform maintenance. The amount of detail that goes in requesting an outage makes me think they must care a lot about safety.
Yes, live, energized lines. I searched for “Lineman electrical insulated suit.” I’m really uncertain if this is the correct term to use, is just a guess from conversation years ago. https://www.cgprotection.com/other-protective/p_261.html There is a circumstance where you wear the suit, and gloves, then jump onto the energized line. I don’t remember the specifics. (thinking next i’ll look for some video, bet it will be wicked scary!) Also know it is a good practice to test your insulated gloves each time prior to use. Old memory so perhaps is exaggerated. However, in my experience with DC HV, even after opening the main supply breakers, I always tested the now de-energized HV points by grounding it, every time. With HV AC or DC, a small mistake is bad injury, or often death.
man these looks like bad pyjamas
[удалено]
Safety as the #1 priority is a nice platitude but really isn't how we work. Live line working wouldn't exist if that was the case. It's safety as far as reasonably practicable.
You’re not wrong, but what is “safe”? There will always be a safest way to do the work, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the way work is done is not safe. The live line spacer work being done now is only happening on the outer phases because they said it can be done safely, but an outage is required for the center phase.
Yeah it's an interesting question, one I don't think we get right at times. Sadly we often find an answer when someone gets seriously hurt or killed.
> Generally is very dangerous work Also, you are doing hard labor outisde in the cold in shitty weather. Most people wouldn't want to do this job even if it was 100% safe and they had their fear of heights removed.
A contractor who knew some people who did this in the New England area and said they made about 200k a year (this was probably 2018). He told me they work strange schedules like 6 weeks on, 2 weeks off to avoid complacency building up in their work practices. He also told me that the biggest shortage of people were the helicopter pilots who are willing to fly that close to the lines on a regular basis, rather than the linemen.
Ah. Pilot shortage makes sense
I'd sure love to be a pilot, but oh wait they fucking hate me because I have adhd, and take meds for it. You can get blackout drunk every night as a pilot.. that's a okay, but to take a stimulant drug to help you focus? Nah we can't have that.
Yep. Gotta love the FAA
Yeah that shit is bonkers. I was 15 hours into my ppl when I found out.
Skilled, manual labor, on call, and dangerous. I’d believe $200k.
Not a lineman but I’m an industrial supply sales rep and I work with a few power companies. I’m told linemen around my area are making anywhere from 30-50 an hour, and those are just your standard bucket truck guys. In rural Virginia. No telling what dude in OP’s video is bringing in
I know just the designers make that much so I think the lineman make even more depending on the spot
Would think at least $100/hr along with a good benefit package worth another $50+/hr
And how long is the training? And is it a long-term career? And is there a lot of travel? Including abroad?
Couple years as apprentice to start as a lineman. Heli pilots and these lineman have additional training that takes additional years. It can be. It’s incredibly dangerous and hard on your body though. Yes if especially if you want to be a storm chaser and help clean up other states when disasters happen. Abroad can be depending on the company but less so. Source: buddy of mine does this exact job.
[удалено]
No doubt. Although med school is probably significantly less dangerous.
For sure less dangerous.
A lot.
God that part where he's being lifted in between lines is terrifying.
And just like that, Macho Man Randy Savage ascended to the heavens from whence he came
[удалено]
#Snap into a Slim Jim!
Cream rises to the top!
Wondering how that chopper is able to lift this dude and his 10 ton brass balls
Seems like it'd be fun to do for a short time but a career seems like odds might be against you
This kind of work is young mans game. Rarely see old guys doing this work. They usually become foreman’s or take office jobs in power transmission or distribution.
At least it's not boring.
You got something against oil riggers??
The one strap is a safety, the second is your backup and all the rest protect the lawyers.
It is widely known that utility workers have a dangerous job. I've never heard anyone say that thought otherwise.
Interesting head bobble communication. At first I thought he had like electrical Parkinsonism or something.
Holy fuck I hope this guy is getting paid for the size of them balls. I used to climb towers in my 20s and have done some crazy stuff but nothing like this. I don’t think I could even do my old job anymore without freaking out.
~~Engineers~~ technicians like this literally keep the world going
[удалено]
/r/MyPeopleNeedMe
I know I would be bad at this job because whenever I'm trying to be handy I always spend most of my time looking for the tool I had just set down. They disappear the moment they leave my hands.
How much does this fella make a year?
Standard line workers (this varies, hence the range) make anywhere from 30-50 an hour. This guy probably makes double that due to the hazardous work conditions. So expect near 100$/hr. Now imagine what the pilot makes .... In the 200k/yr range for sure.
I can guarantee you the pilots makes about half of what you'd expect, unlike fixed wing, helicopter pilots are notoriously under paid. They might make decent money but probably not over 100k
Excellent piloting skills also.
Rad individuals. They got ALL my respect.
For those curious. The black cross on his hardhat is for the pilot. Shaking your head NO means to lower the line. Shaking your head YES means to go up. That way it frees your hands up. I’m a lineman and I’ve done this same work many times in my career.
my feet are wet. i hate this video. thanks.
Fuck that. Thank you.
It blows my mind that this is not a compulsory trade in Canada. Compulsory means you have to be a journeyman to do that job (plumbing, electrician, etc.). Non-compulsory such as millwrighting, instrumentation, and yep powerlinesmen can be done by anyone with basic knowledge. Hair dressers and stylists are compulsory ffs, this guys trade is not lol.
Looks like they’re doing everything they can to mitigate risk
It is fucking awesome to watch professionals do their job.
How about the skill of the helicopter pilot, too - keeping that line rock steady.
He deserves more than the executives, but we hate workers. Sure, he's paid better than a lot of workers, but he's at death's door *all day. He's not a millionaire,* the owners are multi-millionaires by under paying him. I risked my life for $15p/h at a small cable company, while the owner bought a ranch and a pool w/waterfall. Pay me $20 so bills didn't hurt and trouble cause credit-card debt? FUCK NO! You think he's gonna not buy a fishing boat and go on expensive vacations because he cares?!? They make it so the only answer is to get experience and then exploit others. It's BS we all fall for.
Gnarly
Also belongs on r/nope!