Pipeline / Powerline patrol

[avbug]

AVBUG read what I wrote, not what you think I wrote.....PIPELINE...... most turns are required due to some construction or other unexpected object/leak ect ect. I would go on but apparently you know it all already.

If you're doing 60 degree to 90 degree banks while flying pipeline patrol, you're making some serious mistakes. It's not exactly a hard charging or particuarly challenging line of work.

 

[UndauntedFlyer]

Flying powerline/pipeline patrol must be one of the most dangerous flying jobs there is. Not as bad as crop dusting but next to it I would think. Never had the pleasure of earning a living in that way but it seems like a job to avoid. International single engine ferry pilot is another one to stay away from, or so it seems. There just is not enough money to risk your life in such a way. But if you do any of these things, God and good luck must be with you.

 

[670X]

If you're doing 60 degree to 90 degree banks while flying pipeline patrol, you're making some serious mistakes. It's not exactly a hard charging or particuarly challenging line of work.

A serious mistake to one is a thorough inspection and delightful day to another.

Sorry AVBUg if 4K miles a week of single pilot cross country in all sorts of weather not to mention the Rocky Mountains sounds "Not exactly hard or challenging."
If I get that jaded in the future I will put a gun in my mouth. Life must really suck for you, or did I just hear a song about you? Yeah I think that Bucky guy sang it
something like "I'm so much cooler online"?
How's the "Six Pack" coming? or the "Three way" chat's. LMAO

Pipeline beats working any day of the week...now where is my XM guide?

 

[avbug]

If I get that jaded in the future I will put a gun in my mouth.

Careful now. That's just enough to cost you your medical, you know. Mental instability.

Much like your delousions of an exciting life.

If you want to play drama queen and yank the airplane around unnecessarily, have a ball. Chances are you'll wind up in one, some day. I've spent a good share of my career beneath powerlines within a few feet of the ground in a number of different aircraft, invariably in mountainous terrain, generally under adverse conditions...and still don't see it as a great drama.

Perhaps you're young enough to be just that little bit arrogant and just that little bit adventurous that powerline or pipeline flying really is that exciting to you. Good for you. Enjoy it. The truth is you sound like the kids who start banner towing and proclaim it to be the most dangerous endevor in this lifetime. Such inexperienced claims are a little like listening to a ten year old with his new BMX bike proclaiming himself to be the baddest boy on the block. The problem is that nobody really cares, and the youthful exuberance is okay for the ten year old.

Not for you.

Get a grip. It's pipeline patrol (which really doesn't differ significantly from powerline patrol by the way...been there, done both)...not combat. I grew up flying in the rocky mountains, and unless you were raised in the flats of Kansas, it's just not that big a deal.

If you're doing 90 degree banks while flying your pipeline patrol, it's a sign of inexperience, poor piloting technique, and poor judgement and skill. At least you've endevored to make yourself known.

 

[WestHouston]

Careful now. That's just enough to cost you your medical, you know. Mental instability.

Much like your delousions of an exciting life.

If you want to play drama queen and yank the airplane around unnecessarily, have a ball. Chances are you'll wind up in one, some day. I've spent a good share of my career beneath powerlines within a few feet of the ground in a number of different aircraft, invariably in mountainous terrain, generally under adverse conditions...and still don't see it as a great drama.

Perhaps you're young enough to be just that little bit arrogant and just that little bit adventurous that powerline or pipeline flying really is that exciting to you. Good for you. Enjoy it. The truth is you sound like the kids who start banner towing and proclaim it to be the most dangerous endevor in this lifetime. Such inexperienced claims are a little like listening to a ten year old with his new BMX bike proclaiming himself to be the baddest boy on the block. The problem is that nobody really cares, and the youthful exuberance is okay for the ten year old.

Not for you.

Get a grip. It's pipeline patrol (which really doesn't differ significantly from powerline patrol by the way...been there, done both)...not combat. I grew up flying in the rocky mountains, and unless you were raised in the flats of Kansas, it's just not that big a deal.

If you're doing 90 degree banks while flying your pipeline patrol, it's a sign of inexperience, poor piloting technique, and poor judgement and skill. At least you've endevored to make yourself known.

Not to keep beating this horse, but why do you say banking 60-90 degrees on a pipeline route is a sign of inexperience and whatnot? I flew a route with a guy the other day and he did fly the airplane in this manner. When I asked him why he said to follow the right-of-way exactly is the only sure way to not stray into unexpected obstacles, and see all of the pipeline. I'm not arguing, I just want to know what your reasoning is behind that statement. You said you did fly pipeline? Did you find it unecessary to bank that steep?

 

[avbug]

Yes, I have flown powerline and pipeline patrol, as well as other low level flying such as ag (crop dusting) and firefighting.

See my previous comments. Nothing has changed.

 

[WestHouston]

Yes, I have flown powerline and pipeline patrol, as well as other low level flying such as ag (crop dusting) and firefighting.

See my previous comments. Nothing has changed.

Ok. I guess I don't follow. You said it was poor technique, inexperience, and so on, my question is why? I'm going to be doing this soon and am trying to understand it better. Thanks in advance.

 

[24 carat]

Are we all on the same page regarding the turns here?

I get the feeling some people talk about 90 degrees banked turns (which would be ludricous at low level), yet other people actually seem to mean a turn of 90 degrees left or 90 degrees right, which would then be made with an appropriate bank of turn.

 

[svcta]

I get the feeling some people talk about 90 degrees banked turns (which would be ludricous at low level),

I've never done line patrol of any kind, but I have been very close to 90 deg. bank, if not there at well under 100' in the past. Time is money, and when you've got a time constraint in front of you minutes wasted in the air just don't work. For what it's worth, I never regarded it as dangerous as a knee jerk reaction. It was all fairly well calculated and it was something that you built up to. Besides, how else do you learn about top rudder?

 

[avbug]

I get the feeling some people talk about 90 degrees banked turns (which would be ludricous at low level), yet other people actually seem to mean a turn of 90 degrees left or 90 degrees right, which would then be made with an appropriate bank of turn.

60 to 90 degrees of bank, if you'll re-read the previous posts.

1-2 hundred feet all day with 60-90 degree banks is not really entry level flying.

The poster has been discussing banks, not the bend in the pipe or powerline.

Again, read the thread.

If you need to crank the airplane over to 90 degrees at low altitude, then you've made grave errors, or are about to. If you find something that needs a better look, then fly a circle around it and continue on your way. You'll spend more time seeing it, see it from several angles, and can do it at a lesser bank with greater safety, a greater ability to stay heads up and look around you (watching the powerline or pipeline continuously is a good way to get yourself killed. Take time to look around).

Same thing when spraying a field. I don't care how many times and how many years you've been into that same field. Get in the habit of diving into it and spraying, and one day it will kill you. I was there when a man who had sprayed the same field for 30 years got his vertical stab ripped off by an illegal powerline that had never been there before. It entered the field from an illegal tap, without any supports and was nearly invisible. Had he taken the time to fly around the field and look it over, then he would have seen it.

You can get away with your steep turns close to the ground for a long time, perhaps. You may even become complacent and think it's not a big deal. You may feel yourself ten feet tall and bullet proof. Chances are that if you're doing this job and don't own the business, you're doing it because you're inexperienced and don't know better, like the previous poster in this thread. It's still no excuse.

You're not ten feet tall, and you're not bullet proof.

 

[momalley81]

You can get away with your steep turns close to the ground for a long time, perhaps. You may even become complacent and think it's not a big deal. You may feel yourself ten feet tall and bullet proof. Chances are that if you're doing this job and don't own the business, you're doing it because you're inexperienced and don't know better, like the previous poster in this thread. It's still no excuse.

You're not ten feet tall, and you're not bullet proof.

+1

Used to maneuver like that all the time when I towed banners; did my best to minimize time between drop and pickup, as it was off the clock. Could be 10-15 banners a day, if I could shave 60 seconds, that was an extra 15 minutes of pay in my pocket. From 30' and 50 knots, we'd hit the release, go full power, and make a 60-70 degree banked climbing turn to downwind.

Did it all the time, thought I was a real badass, too.

Then a friend of mine's engine coughed in a Pawnee while in that turn. 70 degrees of bank, less than 100 feet and low airspeed. I think I mentioned this story on another board; he managed to get the wings level before he hit, but came down hard, nose low. Not enough energy to flare. He pulled himself out of the wreckage, but was in the hospital for more than a few months with severe burns.

Shook me up a bit; could have been any one of us; we were all painting ourselves into that corner. Lesson learned, bank angles were kept more reasonable, and we started waiting until we had sufficient energy to maneuver.

 

[WestHouston]

Ok. I see what you both are saying. I really wasn't trying to troll, it's just that the guy thats going to be training me was banking 60-90 degrees on the ride-along I did. Being 300'-500' agl; I think it's dangerous enough, and I definitely don't want to increase the danger level by doing anything unnecessary like a 90 bank if I don't have to. I appreciate everyone's insight and I assure you my wife does to!

 

[670X]

Westhouston hit me with a PM. I will help you out.

 

[dhawk41]

I did pipline for a year out of midland. It was a blast. I would highly suggest doing it just keep an eye out for those 299ft towers (no lights)

 

[avbug]

I will help you out.

Given your attitude and previous comments, that's an unlikely thing to happen.

Drag someone down the wrong path might be a better choice of words.