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Some Mass. towns will be visited by giant ‘copter-saw’ in the next few weeks
The more than 90-foot blade, which hangs off a helicopter, is being used by Eversource to cut trees along power lines.
A giant, rotating saw hanging from a helicopter is nothing to be concerned about — at least for the next few weeks.
Eversource, New England’s largest energy company, will be using what it called a “copter-saw” to trim trees along transmission lines in several Mass. communities in an effort to reduce power outages, the company said in a statement.
“As part of its efforts to ensure safe, reliable service for customers, the energy company will be using a low-flying helicopter to trim tree limbs from the sides of a power line corridor in Western Massachusetts starting this week,” Eversource said. “Highly skilled pilots (working) for Eversource will conduct the overhead trimming using rotating blades and a helicopter.”
The saw hanging from the helicopter is between 90 and 120 feet long and hangs approximately 200 feet off the ground depending on wire and tree heights, according to Eversource. The aircraft flies less than 25 miles per hour and completes around 1 to 3 miles of maintenance per day.
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Aerial trimming has proven to hold “tremendous safety and financial benefits” for Eversource by reducing the time required for maintenance and allowing crews to reach rocky or densely-vegetated areas more easily, the company said.
“[Aerial trimming] helps to significantly reduce the amount of time it takes climbing crews to conduct the work manually and reduces the risk of injury to tree crews,” the company said.
The helicopter can complete the required trimming in one day, while it could take several weeks for crews to complete the same job, Eversource said in a post on its X page.
Eversoure has been using the helicopter to trim trees for a “few” years now in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire, it said.
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“When a tree grows too close or falls onto these critical portions of the electric system, it can interrupt service for thousands of customers across multiple communities,” the company’s statement said. “The clearance area around transmission lines provides the necessary protection, which is why it’s essential to keep this space free of vegetation to prevent a public safety issue and outages for customers.”
The helicopter began flying Tuesday and will continue its work through April 6. Flights will take place between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., according to Eversource.
The blade will visit roads in 11 Massachusetts towns, including Hampden, Holyoke, and Chicopee. The contraption will also fly over two roads in Connecticut.
The helicopter itself is a red, silver, and black Hughes 369D, Eversoure said.
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