Helicopters Working for PG&E

May 5, 2020 Davis, CA

Two weeks ago PG&E had helicopters working to deliver material to work crews maintaining power lines and poles.  We were told that the work was taking place somewhere in the vicinity of Cazadero.  The staging area for material to be delivered was just north of Guerneville on Armstrong Woods Road.  The operations lasted several days with helicopters coming and going all day long.  Upset some of the residents.  It was very interesting to watch, not something you see every day.  There were two helicopters working and the round trip did not take too long so there was lots of activity.  This is what the staging area looks like.  Just above the cab of the pickup you can barely see the grappling hook hanging from the helicopter.

They are replacing at least one wooden pole with an iron pole.  Here they are returning with the old wooden pole.

And here they go with the new metal pole.

I have no idea how much the pole weighs but I had an opportunity to talk to the ground crew and asked them if it’s not possible to truck these poles in how do they get a drill rig in to augur out the holes.  He told me they dig them by hand.  Thirteen feet deep.  He did not know how they did it but said it was all hand work.  Yikes.

Here’s the smaller of the two helicopters at work.  The crew told me this one had a 1200 pound lift capacity.  I guess depending on fuel load and density altitude that day.

Well, that’s all for now.  Pretty exciting stuff.