Why will helicopters be buzzing and hovering low over the shore?
Uh-oh...dark choppers, circling and hovering overhead, on Friday the 13th. This can't be good. Well, actually, it's necessary.
The Hughes Md-500s will patrol Jersey Central Power and Light's (JCPL) service area for seven to 10 days, starting October 13, as crews aboard inspect overhead lines, Neptune Township police reported today.
The black, and black-and-silver helicopters flown by Chesapeake Bay Helicopters are expected to travel at 20 to 30 miles per hour, and occasionall hover over buildings and bridges near wire systems under inspection.
Five-hundred and 230 Kilovolt lines will undergo ultraviolet (UV/IR) inspections, using infrafred and ultriviolet-spectrum sensitive gear to view conductors, insulators,shield wires and related hardware. Routine patrols and inspections are scheduled for 115 KV lines.
Airborne crews signal their whereabouts to transmission lines maintenance workers on the ground, the FCC, and local airport operators daily, police said.