YORK COUNTY—
A local electric company is going "up in the air" to keep your lights on by using helicopters to inspect lines and equipment.The crews with Adams Electric Cooperative, Inc. will be in the skies for the rest of the week, looking for all sorts of problems.
Shawn Dehoff, Journeyman First Class says, "sometimes bolts come loose, just from wind vibrations & things like that you see the top of the pole, which you can't see from the bottom on the ground, if that goes bad or the cross arms go bad."
York Line Superintendent, Mike Ward says, "we can find a lot of problems before it actually creates a major power outage & get it corrected that day or two days if it's an immediate issue and keep the lights flowing that way."
The choppers, provided by Lancaster Helicopters, are helping inspect more than 1,800 miles of overhead line in parts of York, Adams, Cumberland & Franklin counties throughout the week.
Dehoff says, "it's pretty neat, a little different than the normal routine."
Ward says, "by the Helicopter Patrol we can do the whole system in 2 to 2 1/2 days and it could take us two months by looking at everything on foot or by truck."
The line men really put their eyes to the test, looking for cracks and breaks; anything that could jeopardize the flow of power.
Dehoff says, ""it's easier to spot than what you'd think, you'd think that in a chopper you're moving around pretty fast, but it's pretty easy to spot things."
Crews say winter is the best time to conduct inspections because snow on the ground helps them see the lines and equipment better.
