Helicopters Over Darien

Eversource’s Semiannual Helicopter Inspections Start Tuesday, Run Thru Aug 31

Eversource Helicopter Over Darien for Inspections Sometime From Monday, Aug 6 to to Aug 17

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

Eversource Helicopter Coming to Darien — Again

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

Eversource Helicopter Inspecting High-Voltage Lines in Darien, Elsewhere

Eversource Sending Helicopters Over High-Voltage Electric Lines in Darien, Elsewhere

Low Flying Helicopters Above Darien Are Surveying Electric Transmission Lines

Business

By DARIENITE.COM | August 12, 2019

Business

By David Gurliacci | August 4, 2018

Around Town

By David Gurliacci | March 23, 2017

Business

By David Gurliacci | March 20, 2017

Business

By David Gurliacci | February 22, 2017

Business

By David Gurliacci | December 12, 2016

Business

By David Gurliacci | March 30, 2016

Business

By David Gurliacci | January 25, 2016

Starting Tuesday, Aug. 13 and continuing through the month, Eversource will be conducting aerial inspections of high-voltage electrical equipment on rights of way throughout Connecticut. — an announcement from Eversource

This semiannual inspection is an important part of the company’s ongoing commitment to provide reliable electric service. The work involves the use of a blue and silver helicopter (tail # N1431W) equipped with heat-sensing, infrared scanning technology which can detect potential equipment problems before they occur. The aerial inspections continue through Aug.

Eversource helicopter transmission line inspection 02-22-17

Eversource is conducting aerial inspections of high-voltage electrical equipment in Connecticut towns, including Darien. Weather-permitting, these aerial inspections will start Monday, August 6 and continue through August 17. They will take place from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Using heat-sensing imaging equipment, the inspections are meant to identify potential problems with electric lines and equipment to target for repairs. — Here’s How Often Eversource Helicopters Fly Over Darien — and Why (March 23, 2017)

For identification purposes, the helicopter being used for Eversource’s transmission line inspections is a blue and silver Bell, with a registration number N1431W. “With more than 800 miles of transmission rights of way in Connecticut, these helicopter inspections are a crucial and effective part of our commitment to reducing the frequency and duration of power outages,” said President of Regional Electric Operations Craig Hallstrom.

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.

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.

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.

Eversource is conducting aerial inspections of its high-voltage electric equipment and lines in Connecticut. This annual inspection is an important part of the company’s ongoing commitment to providing reliable energy to customers. The work involves the use of a helicopter flying low over transmission lines to detect any potential equipment issues before system reliability is impacted. __________

— an announcement from Eversource

__________

“The helicopter inspections of our transmission lines are a crucial and effective part of our commitment to reducing the frequency and duration of power outages,” said Steve Gilkey, vice president of electric field operations at Eversource in Connecticut.

“Over a million customers in Connecticut depend on us for their electric service and that’s why we’re always working proactively to keep the system operating safely and reliably.”

Weather-permitting, the aerial inspections will continue through Dec.

This week, Eversource is conducting aerial inspections of vegetation growing near its high-voltage electric lines in Connecticut.

The aerial inspections began today [Wednesday] and, weather permitting, will continue to April 8. They will take place from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m.

This semiannual inspection is an important part of the company’s ongoing commitment to providing reliable electric service. The work involves the use of a helicopter flying low over Eversource’s transmission line corridors to check for any encroachment from trees or other vegetation. “The helicopter inspections of our transmission lines are a crucial and effective part of our commitment to reducing the frequency and duration of power outages,” said Steve Driscoll, Vice President of Operation Services. “Well over a million customers in Connecticut depend on us for their electric service and that’s why we’re always working proactively to keep the system operating safely and reliably.”

Editor’s note: This article was slightly adapted from an Eversource announcement. Helicopters were doing the same work for Eversource over Darien back in January.

« August 2022 »

The Darien Police Department has been getting “hundreds and hundreds” of calls from residents concerned about low-flying helicopters in the past week, says Sgt. Jeremiah Marron, a department spokesman. The choppers are surveying transmission lines with high-resolution cameras, according to a statement released by Eversource, formerly Connecticut Light & Power, and posted on the Internet by Darien Police. The project is “part of an ongoing effort to strengthen the power grid and increase reliability,” the utility said. “Photographs collected during these flights will help build a more detailed record of structures, lines and other electrical equipment which will increase the efficiency of maintaining the electric system in Connecticut,” the statement reads.