Wire strike avoidance

[Goldy]

I'm posting this video mostly for the low time or new student pilots that may not have had any formal training in this area.

 

While this new video is pretty decent, it misses two areas that most wire strike training emphasizes. So, I'll just tell you what those two are.

 

1. Dont fly over the wires, fly over the towers. How can they not stress this enough?

2. They talk about static lines, but never describe what they are, or why they are a hazard!

 

Ok, again, this is for the newer guys, so the rest of you dont bother telling me how elementary this all is.

 

The static line is found on higher voltage systems, which is traditionally on taller towers. This line does not carry any current so its much smaller. So small in fact, that while the big current carrying conductors sag between towers, the static line does not. It sits there like a spider just waiting for you. Hence, if you fly over the wires that you can see, you might be flying right into the static line that you cannot see. If you fly over the top of the tower, there's no way anything can get you.

 

That being said, the video is worth watching:

 

http://www.aopa.org/aopalive/?watch=V1Mmk4...;WT.mc_sect=sap

 

Fly safe,

 

Goldy

[Pohi]

Very good video, great information.

 

I recognize one of the helicopters in that video

[csw1000]

Good tip Goldy, and thanks. I had not heard about static wires before.

[klmmarine]

Good catch Goldy...

 

Another thing not mentioned enough in the video but a sage bit of advice I got at the RHC factory course, especially for new or low time pilots. Fly high. Simply fly at 500-1000' agl and you don't have to worry about flying into any of the wires.

[Inferno]

They do mention that in the video. This video focuses on flying low "in the wire environment" because many helicopter jobs require pilots to fly low and near wires. That's the whole point of the video......

Good catch Goldy...

 

Another thing not mentioned enough in the video but a sage bit of advice I got at the RHC factory course, especially for new or low time pilots. Fly high. Simply fly at 500-1000' agl and you don't have to worry about flying into any of the wires.

[Goldy]

Fly high. Simply fly at 500-1000' agl and you don't have to worry about flying into any of the wires.

 

Yes, the video is prepared for those pilots that fly lower, typically LE....I was up last night in a canyon that was fairly dark. I know there is a set of wires/towers half way down.....I kept trying to spot them, I had good moonlight, strong city lights just 2 miles away, but try as I could I never saw them. During daylight I know the top of the towers are at 400MSL, I try to fly over them at 800 during daylight. I approached them at night at 1200MSL, just to make sure !

 

Still made me alert and looking for them, even though I knew I had to be 800 feet over the top of them. I waited until I was over the city lights to descend and I don't even like flying high!

 

Goldy

[R22139RJ]

17 minutes in is RJ. Rest in Pieces.

Edited March 13, 2010 by R22139RJ

[Goldy]

17 minutes in is RJ. Rest in Pieces.

 

What the heck happened there?

[Inferno]

It struck high tension lines doing frost patrol in central cal.

What the heck happened there?