Two New Helicopters Help Support Wildfire Mitigation Efforts

By Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, Energized by Edison Editor   B-Roll Link

As the helicopter, brightly painted yellow and green, makes its way toward the helipad at Chino Airport, the rotors are noticeably quieter, the size of the aircraft larger than most of the fleet.

This is one of the two new Bell 429 helicopters Southern California Edison recently acquired to help support its wildfire mitigation efforts as California prepares for another season of wildfires. There are now six aircraft in the utility’s Air Operations fleet.

“These are replacing our older helicopters. It is an investment for the company and to better support our infrastructure and our wildfire mitigation efforts,” said Torbjorn “TC” Corell, SCE Air Operations chief pilot, who recently led a team on two trips from Bell’s headquarters in Tennessee to fly the new aircraft back to Chino.

“We need aircraft to cover a large territory, 50,000 square miles,” he said. “We can’t do that with conventional methods. We need to use helicopters.”

  The new helicopters will play a large role in aerial line inspections in hard-to-reach, high-altitude locations like Big Creek. In addition to being more efficient than using trucks in remote, mountainous areas, these helicopters can be used in places where there is no vehicle access.

This Bell 429 can set heavier power poles, which can weigh 2,200 pounds. Mounted on the helicopters are high-definition cameras with infrared capabilities to take high-resolution images of the electrical equipment during inspections.

The helicopters will also be used in SCE’s Human External Cargo program, which includes placing marker balls on power lines. One of the aircraft will be equipped with a hoist that will be used to safely lower a lineman to lines and equipment in hard-to-access areas much like the Coast Guard uses. The hoist is a new work method that will be used to inspect large 500 kV transmission towers, an important tool in the utility’s wildfire mitigation efforts.

  “These helicopters can do more than our older helicopters can,” said Corell. “These are multi-mission aircraft. And as chief pilot, I help make sure we do this work safely. Safety is the No. 1 value in our company.”

One of SCE’s new Bell 429 helicopters was on display at the recent HAI HELI-EXPO in Anaheim, an international gathering of industry professionals, pilots and aircraft companies.

As crowds gathered to get a closer look at the new utility helicopter, they sat in the aircraft that seats eight people, including the pilot and co-pilot.

“These new helicopters have greater capabilities and are an important addition to our fleet to support our wildfire mitigation efforts,” said Tom Guntrip, SCE director of Transportation Services.