[youtube]http://youtu.be/Mfz1YrpMbBg[/youtube]

A friend of mine works clearing trees and mentioned this. Upon looking it up, I am wondering how the helicopter even flies with the size of the pilots stones.

Can you even get insurance for an operation like this?

There's another operation, out west I think, that does repairs on high tension lines from a helicopter. The lineman sits on a platform on the side of the helicopter and works while the pilot hovers next to the lines. In remote areas, they can fix a number of problems in less time than a ground crew could drive to each location. There's a safety factor in that the lineman and the helicopter aren't grounded so there's virtually zero chance of electrocution. One of the major news magazines had a good story on them a few years back.

He is a pretty good stick. Pretty tough to hold a steady pace with a variable dragging load.

How in the world do you keep the blades from twisting?

Tim

I have a friend that used to fly for this group. The rod that the saw is attached to is rigid, on the stick is a cooley hat switch that allows them to turn the saw about 30 deg. each direction.

He said sometimes they have to move the helicopter quite aggressively up down and side to side when the branches are thick. The old saws were chain driven now they are hydraulic.

Jay

That's not true at all. The lineman wears a metal suit so if they are electrocuted, the current goes through the suit and not through him. They also have a metal hook they put on the line that puts the helicopter into the circuit. Otherwise they risk the chance of the current arcing through the helicopter to ground and taking them all out.

Respect

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KESXvxOAP4c

Remember that James Bond movie where they cut apart a boat dock/ building with one of those things?