Why's There a Helicopter Flying Over My Neighborhood?

There are no worries to be had about the helicopter you might see flying overhead the next ten days or so.

New Englanders may notice increased helicopter activity in the coming weeks as National Grid undertakes its twice-a-year helicopter inspection of more than 2,900 miles of high-voltage transmission lines in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Vermont, said National Grid in an announcement.

National Grid is conducting comprehensive flights that includes brief stops at transmission line structures to observe any abnormalities.

“This is a normal maintenance that we do periodically to insure that our transmission lines are in good shape going into the peak load summer months,” said Wayland police, indicating that Middlesex County and Essex County in Massachusetts would likely see the chopper over the next ten days.

The helicopter color of the helicopter is black, and the tail numbers are N741SF.

“Spotting potential problems before they turn into service interruptions is an essential part of maintaining the safety and reliability of the transmission system that supplies power to National Grid’s 1.7 million New England electricity customers and other electric utility companies,” said Gerald Convery, National Grid’s Director of Electricity Transmission Inspections & Maintenance, in a release. “Particularly during the winter months when ice and high winds can impact our transmission equipment, we owe it to our customers to take pre-emptive measures to head off service interruptions whenever and wherever we can.”

Read the full announcement here.

Image via Shutterstock