Eversource helicopter N1431W 02-22-17

Here’s How Often Eversource Helicopters Fly Over Darien — and Why

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Eversource schedules its helicopters to fly over major electricity transmission lines and equipment four times a year (most recently in late December, late February and late this month — starting about now or sometime soon). We asked a utility spokesman why that happens so often, and here’s what we found out:

Frank Poirot, a spokesman for Eversource, said the electric utility conducts two different types of regular inspections over major equipment, including transmission lines, each twice a year. Heat-Sensing Flights
Two trips each year are done with infrared, heat-sensing equipment to see whether lines are especially hot — a sign that the equipment is breaking down. The choppers will fly over the equipment once in the winter and once in the summer. “In the winter, we’ll see the greatest temperature differential, so that hot spot will show up right away,” Poirot said.

Eversource helicopter N1431W 02-22-17

Eversource Helicopter Coming to Darien — Again

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If it seems like announcements have been pretty frequent about the Eversource inspections helicopter coming by — it they have. It was coming in December, the utility announced. And again in February. And now its coming in late March. It could be here any time between March 23  through 24 or March 27 through March 31, the company said in a notification received by First Selectman Jayme Stevenson, who passed it on to local news organizations.

Eversource helicopter transmission line inspection 02-22-17

Buzz Coming: Eversource Helicopters to Fly Over Darien Checking High-Voltage Lines

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From today through March 1, Eversource helicopters will be flying over various Connecticut towns, including Darien, doing semi-annual inspections of high-voltage electrical lines and equipment. 

The chopper will be in the air from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in various towns, including all the shoreline towns from Greenwich to Fairfield, along with Wilton, Ridgefield and Redding in Fairfield County. The twice-a-year inspections involve “the use of a helicopter equipped with heat-sensing, infrared scanning technology which can detect potential equipment issues before they occur.” The utility says the inspections are an important way to reduce the number and duration of power outages.  

 

An Eversource news release about the helicopter inspections said:
The region’s transmission system is the backbone of the electric grid.  Overhead inspections of transmission lines and equipment – often located upwards of 100 feet in the air – help engineers detect potential problems in advance, allowing the company to schedule necessary maintenance and upgrades before reliability issues arise.