THE eagle-eyed among you may have spotted a distinctive yellow helicopter flying low over Hereford this afternoon (Friday, June 7).
It belongs to Western Power who own and operate a fleet of five helicopters from its helicopter unit headquarters at Bristol airport.
These are used in the electricity distribution industry for the maintenance and repair of networks and also during emergency and fault conditions.
They can survey about 130 kilometres to 160 kilometres of line during a five-hour fly, which is split into two sorties.
Flight Radar says that the helicopter took off at 1.20pm from Shobdon before travelling over North Herefordshire, down the western side of the city, and then circling the Allensmore, Cobhall Common and Goose Pool area.
ALSO READ:
- Cost of Hereford's moss carbon dioxide towers
- Caravans arrive on former traveller site
- Former chapel on sale in Herefordshire
The National Grid said that its helicopter crews do a vital job spotting potential network issues from the sky.
A spokesperson for the National Grid said: "During a five-hour fly the helicopters can cover between 60 and 100 kilometres of line.
"To put that in context, if we did that on the ground it would take a Land Rover 10 days to complete that inspection."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel