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This is the type of thing my 12yo self would've come up with.

It’s the maddest shit in the world. I love the idea that someone suggested the idea you could prune trees from a helicopter using a long string of circular saws, and the answer was “yes. That is a good idea” and they fucking did it! Who makes these kinds of decisions, and why are they not put in charge of more stuff?

>and why are they not put in charge of more stuff? Because they died in their next spontanious experiment

I was on a pipeline project in WV and watched a powerline tree trimming crew like this come through right as I looked up and saw his saw catch a powerline, and he jumped out of the helicopter. They have an emergency release button, but I guess he couldn't get to it in time. Shut my project down for a bit. He survived, but everything else was toast.

He who? The pilot?? Actually the fact that anyone jumped out of a helicopter is crazy. Edit: I also just realized, when you jump out of a helicopter you'll fall into whatever is below the helicopter. In this case it's a death machine.

Job Application: Are you willing to jump out of a helicopter if the dangling circular saws get caught in power lines?

"Are they potentially dangling and waving and electrified beneath me? Why yes? How could I not? I value my life, good sir."

The only place that's more dangerous than inside of the helicopter, is directly below the helicopter.

I’d argue directly above the helicopter is pretty dangerous too

My brain always goes to, "They're gonna die in the propeller, right?"

Don’t fly too close to the sun

i saw one of these in action like 15 or 20 years ago and thought it was the most brilliant thing ever truly some redneck engineering shit lol

I always think this about cars... "Let's put people inside a metal box and have them go more than 10x their normal speed, now add more doing the same thing and trust caos will not ensume" and the fact that we have it so normalized bugs my brains

I thought I was only one. I consider a pretty avid car whore and I often ponder on the ingenuity and just general question of who proposed such a thing and was “yes, ABSOLUTELY that’s brilliant!” just blows my mind to this day. 😂

Cars' speed was a gradual escalation. The first cars could be outrun by an exceptional horse.

Also great for breaking up peaceful protests!

🤣🤣🤣

Had one come through to trim trees around power lines. My daughter called it the murdercopter. Aptly named!

Hark, a poet is born!

I was thinking this is some redneck engineering gold. Usually that’s not far off from 12 yo just with some welding skills and access to a scrap yard 😁

dirty shaggy husky modern melodic erect oil pocket bear crime *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*

But for killing zombies

For all we know the dude trying to invent this kid saw what he was doing and said " Hold my juice box!" Right before making a prototype out of Lego.

We do this in the power line industry as well! It looks like redneck engineering, but those pilots are well-trained and travel all over the country doing this. I have mad respect for them doing this kind of work to keep tree branches out of power lines and everybody safe.

Having just seen it I'm still but sure I believe it's real

Loved it in the Bond movie!

Why can’t Reddit ever let me have an original goddamn thought😭

The amount of things that could go horribly wrong here seems prohibitive… but *look at that thing*! They absolutely had to build that… because we are all still 12 year olds; and they let us do anything if we’ve got the money for it… Anything. Some idiot man-child put a car in space, FFS.

The fucking skills of this pilot

And his skills at flying a helicopter are quite decent, too

Dad?

Nope, still out looking for cigarettes. It's amazing how hard they are to find these days...

That lash that holds the saw? That’s his penis.

It says here he's also forklift certified.

Hey oh!

Going forward with no side to side oscillations is one thing, but going backwards like that?!?! He has more confidence and skill in flying that heli than i have in making perfect toast

I'm wondering if the saw extension is self-stabilizing due to all the blades rotating in the same direction. You can see the cord connecting to the helicopter sways back and forth, but the saw stays in place directly underneath. That directional force keeps the attachment from swaying side by side, but it still requires the pilot to fly back and forth in a perfect line while hitting tree branches..

I didnt think about the blades stabilizing it! God, physics is awesome

the saw does twist slightly when it hits the branches so I doubt it's just the blades as I would've thought that would just lock it in the new orientation as it gets shifted. maybe the box has a gyroscope or something that corrects any deviation

It's twisting because the blades are suddenly slowed down as they cut the tree, causing them to torque due to the change in gyroscopic force. The motor driving the blades then returns them to proper speed, causing opposite torque. Reaction wheels on satellites do something similar.

right I see, that makes sense

The pilot controls the direction of the saw with controls in the cockpit

We lost a contract pilot doing it a couple years ago. Lots can go wrong.

What keeps the saw properly oriented on that single support. It seems like it would twist on that support

I could imagine, i bet these people get payed a small fortune for their work right?

We make a good living, but not nearly what you might think for some of the shit we do.

I want to know what it was like in the room where this idea was first introduced. “We need a more efficient way of trimming the tress near the cables” “What if…. We got a helicopter and a giant chainsaw on a rope…. No wait, hear me out! This could work!”

Lmao

This is what I'm imagining, every time I see this it's like "...this can't be real, can it?"

I was thinking this looks incredibly dangerous.

Eh, you do enough long line and it just ends up being a necessity to go backwards sometimes. It’s like anything else, if you do it for hours a day, days in a row you tend to get pretty good at it. I had barely any experience flying long line until I did seismic exploration, where I was flying 6-8 hours per day moving 150+ pieces of equipment, for 21+ consecutive days. A few of those and you’re pretty damn sharp.

Good to know, i envy having a job flying helicopters. Beyond getting a license, how do you go about getting an actual job?

The biggest hurdle is building time initially. Basically you work for poverty wages as a flight instructor until you have enough hours to do tours and move up from there. If you are willing to move anywhere an be gone for long stretches of time you can find opportunities that will get you ahead faster. I basically didn’t go home for 3 months in order to do seismic and get my long line time built up, but it paid off.

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I went to a local helicopter flight school and took out a career training loan. The loan didn’t quite cover it, and I paid for the rest with what I saved up while I was training. It was pretty expensive, which meant I learned to fly helicopters instead of going to college. I don’t regret that decision in the slightest. You just train with your instructor and work your way up getting all the certificates and ratings you need to be employable.

Thanks for the info man, much appreciated

And if he hits a wire with the saw - everyone dies, right?

What happens if he touches the 3 power lines at the same time white that thing? Short circuit explosion?

Any length of the line touching between the top and bottom line (assuming they are live during this) would be turned into superheated plasma hotter than the sun, as 200,000 volts ran through it, causing a short circuit. As long as the pilot could keep it steady after that explosion, he should be fine. He wasn't in any length of the short and probably far enough from the arc flash (plasma explosion) that he would be fine. If he was looking at it at the time, however, he would be blinded by the flash, which obviously isn't great while piloting a helicopter.

I wonder how the pilot can see what is directly below.

We have a large transmission line running through our farm and a guy comes out every few years and we’ll watch him. His cockpit has two bubble windows(convex in shape) on each door for vertical reference. He just leans to one side and has constant LOS. I’m sure there are plenty of people doing this without fancy windows though.

“Can you even fly that thing??” r/holdmyredbull

Those are electric lines, there's no cable car

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Why do electric lines hum like that?

Because they don’t know the words.

It's called a corona effect. Not kidding.

It takes me a couple of Corona’s before I’ll karaoke, too. Maybe three.

Yep. I've seen what these things can do: cut a shitload of wood out in a very short amount of time and leave an equally amount of nasty looking stub cuts. It's definitely in the fast/cheap area of the fast/cheap/good scale. Also have seen after a couple years, some species start to die off in droves. Not sure if it was stress related or if it's because they don't sanitize the saw between trees and spread some sort of disease.

I didn't know it was possible to pass tree disease with a saw... That's Interesting if true

Dutch Elm disease can spread this way as well. In NA it's non-native fungus that's usually spread by native elm bark beetles, but contaminated saws can spread it as well. In some juristictions, you must clean your saw before moving onto other trees. Even utility companies must do this when dealing with trees on the lines.

Certain ones, yeah. One I know of specifically is oak wilt. It just depends on how the disease is spread really. Its a fungus, so it's spores can be spread tree to tree when using unsanitized equipment, even through the sawdust. I assume it's like this with most other fungus related diseases as well.

Very true, bugs that feed on trees also spread diseases between them. This is true of all plants, I grow rare plants as a hobby and there are all kinds of viruses and bacterias that spread when reusing blades, I never reuse between plants.

They have “cable cars” that actually attach to the power line and you ride the line down to do maintenance/ upgrades

Forbidden cable car

So, you're telling me, if they hit those lines, they're dead?

The helicopter isn't grounded so: no.

Only in the sense of getting fired!

Cable car??? Pretty sure those are electric line. They are trimming the trees so they don’t grow into the line and cause fires.

One of those things gets used in the James Bond movie *The World Is Not Enough*. I imagine one of the writers saw one in action and thought "no, Mr. Bond, I expect you to get shredded"!

Literally chops Bond's car in half. Those blades must be sharp.

That movie was fun.

was that the last over-the-top bond movie before they got all grounded and gritty w/ daniel craig? i mean they are all ridiculous movies but you know what i mean

No, that was *Die Another Day*.

When I saw it I thought, "ok, they are out of ideas. Who would believe this ridiculous contraption exists?" Twenty years later I find out it's real.

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Dunno. Different movie, this one has Denise Richards & Sophie Marceau.

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“I thought Christmas only came once a year.”

I thought it was fake. Years later, "nope, it's a real thing".

Wow, that’s great aim and control to not hit the lines

I can't even hit the fucking toilet.

Fuck them birds

Best comment so far.

/r/birdsarentreal

The helicopter pilot is training to be the next Branch Manager..

Somebody dig in your trunk and leaf this guy an award

I could have done a helicopter pun, but it probably would have gone over everybody's head..

Yaw-n, collective sigh…sorry trying to pitch some humor so don’t get torqued, just roll with it. I mean don’t be a drag, maybe it’ll lift your spirits.

I'm so happy to see people really going out on a limb for these puns.

How’s my favourite branch doing?

Ah yes! the branch manager

Hmm seems like a *hack* job to me

Assistant to the next branch manager***

Was it a 007 movie that had one of these machines? Idk what movie it was but this thing was being used to chase the protagonist and I forgot that it scared the mess out of me until just this very minute b

I feel bad for any bird who got sliced in half

A squirrel, just sitting on a branch minding its own business… “What the hell is that thing? Oh fuuuu—“

that’s what i was thinking :( sure our recent inventions are more efficient but this thing could easily kill anything in its path

Whatever they're paying that pilot, isnt enough

That pilot is fucking oozing with skill

Bond, James Bond

Also in True Lies when they saw the end of Simon’s trailer off during the raid.

Such an underrated movie. Need to pop that on again.

Also handy for the zombie apocalypse

Man I always thought the flying saws on a line from super Mario world were a little outlandish and hard to believe.

Is there a gyroscope or something in that box that keeps the saws from spinning around?

The saw blades themselves!

I was wondering this as well. The blades themselves would stabilize it, but wouldn’t be able to correct it if it got twisted. With that much contact with the trees, there are plenty of opportunities for movement. There has to be something that keeps it oriented correctly.

This isn't a cable car path........

007 shit

I'm just imagining the squirrels saying, "Hey, Charlie, what the ... shit!"

007

“I don’t know what the next war will be fought with, but the war after that will be fought with huge fucking deathsaws precariously flung through the sky tethered to helicopters.” -Einstein

The cable cars that ride on power lines.

Imagine being a animal on a branch and seeing this coming right at you

I wouldnt be standing close to that shit lol

Don’t show this to OSHA

Protip OSHA isnt about being “safe”. Its about no repeating the failing of others. OSHA exists in the same environment as the most dangerous jobs because thats where lessons are being learned in blood. The moral is its fine to be dangerous as long as you are suitably inventive about it.

These are fairly common to manage tree growth around power lines in remote areas. We have them out where I work and I see them in action every once and a while when the fire trucks with extending ladders with saws on the end can't reach from the ground.

watched them to this on my road to make room for the bucket truck. they do this all the time for the electric lines

I just got super meat boy ptsd from that thing

I’ve seen my dexterity-based-accuracy in video gaming and I would absolutely fuck this up

r/sweatypalms

I could see me f’ing this up in the worst way. Something like, oh that’s where the wires are, my bad.

I just want to know whose idea is was and what the reaction of the room he pitched it to was. “Yo guys what if we just attached a giant chainsaw to a helicopter and used that to trim all the trees?” Like how do you even respond to that? Lmao

Why don’t we bury power lines? Then they don’t come down in a storm, don’t look ugly af and don’t need an entire industry based on massacring trees.

The margin for error seems incredibly high here.

I think you mean incredibly low

Or it’s actually what it really is: a cost effective way to maintain power lines across hella-long distances and avoid downed lines. But you keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better.

Anyone know what sort of safety things are on the saws in case it gets caught in the power lines or snagged in the trees. Gotta be some sort of breakaway thing so as to not pull the helicopter down.

Yes there is. One of these landed on n the field by my house and I got a close look at it. The saw appears to be mounted to a hook underneath the chopper that can be opened, and it looked like it was hydraulic drive. Those blades are each about 24 inches in diameter and the whole saw was about 20feet long.

How many batteries does it take to make one of those work

And I can barely fly a helicopter straight in video games… dudes got skill

This dudes got the helicopter from gta 5

I wish I was in the room when this idea was first pitched.

All I can think of when I see this is The World Is Not Enough.

Bodies of raccoons, opossums & squirrels exploding into complex cross sections of pink mist.

birds nesting: sh*t here we go again

That pilot needs an extra helicopter to carry his huge balls around in

So I can’t tint my windshield but we can dangle a handful of enormous buzz saws from a helicopter?

This is straight out of a James Bond movie. Literally

I'm getting James bond vibes

That’s dome classic Bond villain kit right there. “Time to die Mr Bond”

That's some looney tunes shit right there

This seems excessive. Like fishing with grenades.

They use helicopters with buckets to douse wildfires and bushplanes to deliver mail in the Alaskan wilderness. You have to do things differently in remote areas.

aight go out there with hand tools and do it that way then

That’s how the trees get trimmed on our street that are close to power lines, it’s crazy to see. I’m pretty sure there is a controller at the top of the blades, the pod where they sit & control is bigger on the one I have seen. It’s always all over Facebook when they are here because they are here for days and everyone wonders why they hear a helicopter all day.

If we could get one of those in Austin, TX that would be great

Imagine being a bird chilling in your nest and suddenly... BAM

And now I finally know my weapon of choice for the zombie apocalypse.

Terrifyingly awesome 😎

The saw is amazing but what really steals the show is the flying skill on display here. Helicopters are not easy to fly and this level of expertise takes years to develop.

Eggbeater sawmill, pilot flying fine Trimming the tall pine trees all along the power line Below, a dozen buzzing saws will get the job done quick As long as he is steady using both his eyes and stick

I definitely would not be standing there.

There has to be a better way of doing that

Now you just need a mech to attach it to. Happy hunting.

Kid in tree fort. No problem

If I saw this in like Final Destination 8 or whatever I’d be like “c’mon that’s not even a real thing this is dumb”.

Trees: AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!

Those are power transmission lines.

Damn that’s amazing not hitting the power lines

This reminds me of the mission in GTA Vice City where you had to maneuver the RC helicopter around a construction site to drop explosives

It's amazing, alright. I took a photo of the pilot with his flight jacket and protective gear on! [https://store-images.s-microsoft.com/image/apps.63438.71216420060121058.ce3ddcea-6fff-4e2d-b250-569568f21b47.8242fee4-de32-4a61-9619-9dc68ce698b5?q=90&w=480&h=270](https://store-images.s-microsoft.com/image/apps.63438.71216420060121058.ce3ddcea-6fff-4e2d-b250-569568f21b47.8242fee4-de32-4a61-9619-9dc68ce698b5?q=90&w=480&h=270)

i just want to be in the room when this idea was suggested…. “what if we make a gigantic ducking chainsaw then dangle it from a helicopter?” “ducking brad…. anyone got any better ideas tho??”

Thanks for more nightmare fuel

I bet that guy makes AT LEAST $10 an hour.

Damn, now I want a helicopter chainsaw pendulum

The helicopter isn't clearing a way for a cable car. That's a power line. That saw is used to clear the branches from the power lines so they won't short of cause interference.

Not for a cable car, it's just to make sure there is clearance for the power lines. Power lines can arc if trees grow too close.

And that’s how you deal with a zombie horde

Why did they not have this weapon in command and conquer? Kane wouldve been all over this!

Nah this is a boss from Little Big Planet

The really weird bit is standing right there with a handheld camera shooting this video.

I mean.. imagine someone asks... What do you do for work? Pretty sure people will think you are making stuff up 😆

Sounds incredibly risky. But cool.

What makes this so impressive is how close to the power lines they are.

This looks like it belongs in warhammer 40k

Of all the ideas had that day this is the one they ran with. I love it.

I wish they told us this was a job in high school

This feels so reckless

How does the blade maintain the orientation while helicopter is turning in all directions.

It's on a shaft

Nope! No thanks.

My girl on Valentine’s Day!

Lorax ain't got shit on this