Large red spheres on power lines

Air Craft Warning!!!

Aircraft warning indicators; an aircraft landing/takeoff zone crosses the wires at that point. On the river, maybe a sailboat warning of low wires?

Depending on location, you can usually translate those big red/orange balls on a power line to mean one of two things:

AIRMEN! DANGER! PULL UP! THERE ARE WIRES HERE YOU PROBABLY CAN'T SEE!

if there's no water crossing under them. If they're over water, then the meaning is similar:

SAILORS! DANGER! MAKE SURE YOUR MAST WILL FIT UNDER!

A Cessna clipped a high-tension line on the outskirts of Bay City Michigan a few years back - According to what came out once the pilot was IDed, located, arrested, and charged, he was trying to "buzz" a buddy's house in a rented plane. Fortunately for him, the power line snapped, so he didn't actually crash, but it was a miracle that he didn't - When the plane was inspected (after he'd landed and beat-feet for "anywhere but here" without so much as a word to anyone about the incident), it was found that the left wing had been very nearly ripped off the plane. There was a 10 inch gap between the leading edge and the main fuselage, and near the outboard end of the wing, the clear impression of the cable - at the bottom of a "valley" mashed almost a foot deep into the leading edge. How the thing held together long enough for him to land it is beyond my wildest imagination.

2004.

We had some choppers hit those high power trans lines. One line goes over the cartinez/martinez river. Vallejo, CA 45 miles east of SF. A chopper hit it, so now those orange balls have been installed. The high towers are lighted for aircraft warning.

This was about seven years back. PG&E, made an announcement, they where doing it only for public safety.

xman

aircraft identification markers

We have some over a valley - near a lake. They are turning white. Planes and choppers dip out of the lake for local fires.

Martin

They also work for large birds. We have a river crossing where Pelicans seem to make a habit of flying into the mains, they cause a short and kill themselves and the power in the area. A few of these balls seems to have fixed the problem.

"john johnson" wrote in news:421466d5$0$1023$ snipped-for-privacy@news.optusnet.com.au:

I've also heard that they (the balls) help dampen the swayof the wires in high winds. granpaw

As well as the more obvious aviation uses already mentioned, I've seen them used where there is a lot of construction where crane operators or the like might tap a wire with a boom.....

That first ten inches or so is only thin aluminum skin. The wing's main spar is located there, and it's thick and massive and would take out a substantial fencpost if necessary. Striking the wire near the wingtip would do more damage, as the leverage would pull the wing back and wrinkle the whole thing. Those orange markers are often located over pipelines; the light airplanes and helicopters that regularly patrol the line are often only

100' up and need to see such obstacles. The pilots are watching for any unauthorized digging along the right-of-way. A few years ago near here a patroller found a farmer digging with his backhoe right over a large natural gas main, and had to buzz the hoe several times to scare the guy off it until a cop, radioed by the pilot, got there to stop him. He was within a couple of shovelfuls of striking the pipe and blowing himself up.

Dan

These spheres are the remnants of tofu-eating liberals which Gunner has carefully placed there as a reminder to us all. He painted them red for obvious reasons :-)

Auyp..its no longer legal to simply mount their heads on spikes at the city gates. Something about sanitation or some ridiculous notion such as that.

Gunner

Rule #35 "That which does not kill you, has made a huge tactical error"

...damn liberals, messing up yet another tradition...

'Round here, these folks sell most of the ones I see. Our state Aeronautics Dept. gave them away to those in need for years. Don't know if they still do.

Dale Scroggins

No. the things that are used for that are triangular peices of metal that swing on the wire. They are called ( I think ) vortex sheders. ...lew...

The kids were disappointed too. They used to love our Saturday excursions down to watch the crows and ravens cleaning out the eye sockets and cleaning off the skulls. We could always tell when spring was in the air as they would start pulling tufts of hair to build their nests with.

Gunner

Rule #35 "That which does not kill you, has made a huge tactical error"

The gas explosion in Edison, NJ a few years ago (36", 800 psi gas main blew open - Flames were several hundred feet high!) was due (IIRC) to someone burying a stolen truck next to the main. They had apparently hit the main with the backhoe and the dent eventually cause the pipe to fail.

-- Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)