At AirOcean Aviation in Wallingford, the rotors on a helicopter slowly begin to spin. The sound of the engine grows louder and crew members begin to prepare for takeoff.
After the aircraft receives clearance over the radio, the helicopter gently lifts off the ground, glides across the tarmac and begins to circle.
In just minutes, the helicopter rises above Route 5 in Wallingford, and is traveling about 115 mph at a height of 1,200 feet, heading south to Branford to begin a power line inspection.
Eversource Energy began inspecting power line circuits via helicopter in the early 1950s to closely observe trees growing near lines. Helicopter inspections became a more frequent practice following an August 2003 outage that affected western Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania.
“Our reliability standards, after that outage...became more robust,” Eversource spokesman Frank Poirot said.
Currently, Eversource conducts two infrared inspections, a vegetation management inspection and a visual equipment inspection of all lines each year. The statewide utility also occasionally conducts spontaneous flights following a severe storm that may have damaged a circuit.
For visual equipment inspections, crew members rely on spotting issues with the naked eye.
“For the most part, we can see just from the cockpit of the helicopter, what’s going on,” Poirot said.
Recently, Eversource began compiling a high-resolution photo database of all circuits.
About two separate two-hour flights are held each day. The inspection crew includes specialists from each department, depending on the nature of the flight.
Power line structures are located about every 600 feet through 800 miles of right-of-way. Eversource has about 1,600 miles of circuits in the state alone.
AirOcean is considered the base of operations, though helicopters occasionally refuel or park at other airports around the state.
Some weather elements, including the rain, snow, fog and gusty winds, can inhibit the ability to fly.
Power lines typically experience wear due to weather elements. Animals, such as woodpeckers, can also damage poles.
Monday’s route began at AirOcean Aviation in Wallingford. After rising to about 1,200 feet and traveling as fast as 115 mph, inspections began in Branford. When crews are inspecting lines, the helicopter typically travels about 25 mph and maintains a distance of about 50 feet from power lines. Under special circumstances, the helicopter can fly within 20 feet of the lines.
When inspecting lines from the air, Eversource crew members look for significant anomalies while the pilot is solely responsible for managing the aircraft.
On Monday, Eversource transmission department planner Jerry Withinton oversaw the flight and directed Hayden to areas in need of inspection. In the cockpit, Withinton used an iPad which has detailed maps of line and pole structure throughout the region.
Poirot said the main goal of the inspections is to improve service to customers.
“We’re leveraging as much technology as we can in order to do that,” he said.