Many Morongo Basin residents have reported a low-flying helicopter hovering over their neighborhoods for hours this week. The black-and-yellow helicopter is from Southern California Edison, and the crew aboard the helicopter is using high-tech cameras and software to inspect power poles and wires from the air in high-risk fire areas.
The cameras use a radiometric infrared camera and HD imager to look for invisible flaws in the poles and wires. In addition to the high-definition imagery, the cameras use Infrared and Corona scanning and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), a remote sensing method. And the crew on board also look for deterioration of the poles, wires, and crossarms that can’t be seen from the ground. SCE intends to inspect 100 percent of its overhead lines in high-risk fire areas by the end of the year.
https://energized.edison.com/stories/aerial-inspections-of-electrical-equipment-help-reduce-risk
