Hovering Helicopter Will Inspect Power Lines In Holmdel

HOLMDEL, NJ — If you notice a helicopter hovering in the township skies next week, it will be authorized by JCP&L, the company says.

From Aug. 11 to 18, Helo-Air will begin performing what it called routine aerial patrols on certain JCP&L lines in the region, a news release from JCP&L posted to the township Facebook site says.

These patrols should take one week to complete, but are dependent on weather, the news release says.

The Helo-Air, Blue and White Bell 206, tail number N894HA, will be used.

"A routine visual patrol is a general inspection of the structures, conductors and all associated hardware on the transmission lines where the onboard inspector is looking for any outstanding issues or immediate threats to the reliability of the lines," the news release says.

The helicopter may also be seen hovering and/or circling to get a closer look at any problems that may be found during these patrols, it adds.

The contractor has been authorized to patrol the transmission circuits in their entirety (i.e. "breaker-to-breaker"), so patrols on certain lines may therefore extend into neighboring regions, the news release says.

The flight crew provides information on its daily location to both Transmission Lines Maintenance, FE East/NJ Transmission Operations, and also any local airports when in their airspace, the company said.