There’s other choppers hovering over Ballarat this week and next, and this time it’s not the police air-wing chasing stolen cars.
Powercor are conducting an aerial vegetation survey which sees its helicopters criss-cross the city.
They’re using advanced Light Detection technology to identify the distance of trees to powerlines.
Headed up by a team of highly qualified pilots, the Powercor flights are taking place over two weeks, covering Ballarat itself but also Daylesford, Skipton, Smythesdale, Clunes, Buninyong and surrounding areas.
Powercor Head of Vegetation Management, Chris Heinz, said the program was a critical part of keeping the network safe and reliable for customers.
“Our work is about reducing the risk of trees and branches coming into contact with powerlines, which can lead to power outages and fires”.
“By inspecting the entire network every year, we are able to determine where and when we need to cut trees and branches away from powerlines,” he said.
Weather permitting, the Bell 505 helicopters fly at an altitude of just over 300 metres, capturing enormous amounts of data to form an accurate image of powerlines across the region.
