A few weeks ago Matt and I noticed a helicopter hovering around the folk school as we went to the post office one day. The next day it was in the same area and seemed to be dragging something on a long line. We were very curious as you might imagine.
Several days later we learned it was a helicopter sawing operation that was cutting right aways for the electric company. On subsequent trips we got better looks at the giant row of saws the helicopter pulls along beneath it.
One day this week I took Granny to the doctor and we had a bird’s eye view of it cutting in the pasture just across from the old Johnny Hampton place. It was amazing!
Granny said “I wish they’d come to my house and do some cutting like that.” Everyone got a good laugh when I told them what Granny said. We all assumed the helicopter cutting would stay down in the open places through what is mostly pastureland.
Turns out Granny got her wish yesterday.
The helicopter toting its saw came right here in Wilson Holler and did some cutting.
Our electricity runs underground from Austin and Corie’s house so they didn’t come to our house, but they sure did cut some of the trees around Granny’s garage.
I can’t imagine the expertise it takes to dangle a huge row of saws down between houses, vehicles, power lines, and who knows what else to cut limbs from trees.
The girls watched with binoculars and said the pilot looked like someone we’d know with just a t-shirt and jeans on as he hung one leg out the door!
Since we first found out exactly what was going on I’ve wondered what my Papaw Wade Wilson would say about the giant saw and helicopter.
Papaw Wade was a logger for most of his life. When he started out they used crosscut saws. By the end of his career powersaws and skitters where part of the work day.
I don’t know for sure what he’d say about the helicopter sawing but I know it would be something humorous with a touch of wisdom.
If you’d like to see what we’ve been seeing here’s a video from YouTube that shows a similar setup.
Last night’s video: Surprised by What I Found in the Garden & a Katydid Farewell.
Tipper
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That was amazing to watch. I never seen anything like that.
My Father-In-Law was the sawyer at a mill. He sat at the mill saw and ran a machine that controlled the saw that moved the logs back and forth across the saw. It rolled them over to trim the bark and cut the lumber. One day a log rolled the wrong way and kicked back into his knee. He had to have surgery. He recovered just fine. He was my first patient before I ever became a nurse. I’ve seen the helicopter here in NE TN several times. It flies over the trailer to the mountain where it trims along the big power lines that go over the mountain ridge. TY for the link to the video. I also loved the video from yesterday. It is always a pleasure to walk around the property with you. Ever in my prayers… Love y’all.
Tipper and Everyone Who Posted, thank you! I had such a fine time reading your words.
Did I miss something? What happens to all the limbs that are trimmed? Is there a crew that comes and clears up the mess?
Robert, I’ve seen no one cleaning up as of yet. Might be that comes later or might be they don’t clean it up at all.
That’s so amazing! That’s a first for me to see helicopter trimming. It was so nice that Granny got her wish. I know she enjoyed getting to see it.
This is totally amazing. Our tree trimmers use two methods. One is the “old fashioned” way with brave men climbing up the trees to “top” them off. The other method is like Randy stated about the tractor with the long boom & circular saw that cut the tree branches on the sides of the trees that encroach into the easements. I would love to see the helicopter method in person someday. Thanks for such an interesting & informative post today!
Praying for Granny & so glad she got her tree trimming wish!
Ms. Tipper, what an amazing way to use a helicopter and saw blades. How skilled and brave that pilot must be, I would imagine he loves going to work every day.
As always, praying for Granny.
That’s quite the marvel, I’ve never saw anything like that before, technology now-a-days is really something. It looks kinda dangerous though, IMO.
The helicopter trimming was done several weeks ago here in Ellijay. It went down my road for several days and was very loud! It was certainly a sight to see and I have several photos and a video. I did the same thing the girls did and the pilot saw me and waved! I drove around afterwards and was amazed at what they accomplished so precisely. After the helicopter left, a couple of tree trimming companies were right behind them clearing the road of limbs.
Oh my! The things you teach us Tipper! It is amazing what they can do now-a-days. My dad also used the crosscut saws in his day. He would be smiling at this flying saw set up. That is great that Granny got her ‘wish’ for them to come do around her place. 🙂 I’ve never given much thought to how they keep power and other needed areas cleared. Now I know. Thanks for sharing. May the day be a kind one for you all, filed with many mini blessings.
I have watched those helicopters trimming limbs along power lines. As a veteran of an army helicopter company in the Vietnam War, and as a licensed pilot, I can affirm that what you saw was precision flying requiring the highest skill and concentration. The leg hanging out the helicopter door was attached to the observer. The pilot must keep both feet on the control pedals.
George, I didn’t have to go to Vietnam, the draft stopped the year I graduated high school-1972. I lost a cousin in Vietnam in March 1968. I think Ed also lost a relative in Vietnam. I have the upmost respect for the ones that were over there. I can’t begin to image how much danger a Vietnam helicopter pilot face every day, especially when they were trying to get a company of out of a hot zone. I can’t think of the military word for these places. I salute you.
George, I thank you for your service!
Oh wow! That would really be something to witness in person. So glad Granny got her wish!
That is amazing! To be able to get right in between houses and cars and all and get the job done! Those pilots are super skilled! Glad Granny got her wish!
That flyin buzz saw is quite marvel!
Tipper, I watched that video you linked on the helicopter saw. WOW!!! That was something! That guy has tremendous skill and the power line path is straighter and cleaner than any I’ve ever seen. Watching him maneuver that long saw blade while avoiding the power lines was also very scary. I’m glad Granny got her wish and they trimmed back trees next to her place. I can imagine she was thrilled to hear them sawing. I hope she got to see them too, at least the helicopter anyway.
Great for Granny wishes to do come true! You can plant apple tree under line if you call them let no they won’t cut down..hope granny got to watch
As everybody surrounded by trees knows, those limbs are going to be coming in on you. They have to be fought, most especially when you have to have the sun. And powerlines, especially long-distance and high-voltage transmission lines which often ignore terrain and go straight up and straight down miles from road access, need that maintenance. Ground-based trimming; hand tool or machine, is slow and very expensive. Hence the aerial saw head, which truly is a marvel but looks fearsome. I’ve seen a video but not the real thing. That pendulum motion of the head looks so awkward and difficult to control but it apparently beats its competition or they wouldn’t do it. Wouldn’t your Papas Wade marvel at such a rig? And Randy, I’m not sure what it says about us that we know firsthand about hand loading “bugwood” except maybe it means we are a poor fit with this present age. But I reckon Tipper’s Papaw Wade got to feel the same way in his time. Can’t even see the lights of the caboose disappear down the tracks ’cause the caboose – and maybe the tracks to – are gone.
Truly amazing! I’m in awe of the skill and bravery of that helicopter operator.
I am glad Granny got her wish. We too (in NE Ohio) have seen the choppers at work.
I was too quick with my first comment. The helicopter is not cutting down trees but only trimming limbs, I can understand how that works. I have not seen the power companies doing this my area. They most often use a tractor type of equipment with a long boom and circular saw blade to trim the right of way trees. We don’t have as many accessible problems as you would have in the mountains. They have also started spraying weed killer on the smaller brush instead of bush hogging under the lines. This is being done more often using a helicopter.
Do you mean skidders?
Ed 🙂 I mean skitters. That’s what my mountain family call them. Even though no one in our family uses them today, they still get talked about because of the time my cousin, we were about 12 or so if I remember right, almost lost his leg to one when our family was still logging. Thank the Good Lord they saved it even though he had to wear a long cast forever. But it healed completely. A tragic day for our family that turned out good in the end.
I’m so sorry! I wasn’t making fun of you. Sometimes the printed word don’t adequately convey the actual thoughts of the writer. Anymore with me seems it’s most of the time. That’s why I try to ask questions rather than make statements.
Once I click on “Post Comment” my comments cannot be edited so I am forever stuck with what I have said. It makes me want to just give up and go crawl in a hole.
Ed, you didn’t make me feel bad so don’t worry a bit 🙂 Your comments are always great!
Earlier this summer we could hear the helicopter with their long row of saws cutting power company right of ways all over around our area. We had a planned power outage in our area for about an hour as they worked all around us. This has been an activity we have witnessed for several summers here in WV now. It looks a little scary to see a giant saw hanging in the air like that. You can see the results of their work as we drive along the back roads everywhere.
Skidders do a better job skiding logs down the mountain that “skitters”.
Skeeters are little flying critters that bite you on the arm.
Skittles are candy.
Some foks go to the bathroom in a ——
But I’m not sure exactly what a skitter is.
Sorry, Tippper. I couldn’t resist. Thanks for all you do, and I hope Granny has a good day.
that is absolutely amazing—did you get video of them cutting at Granny’s? you have to think about how far we have come in all manner of work rather than ponder any calamity that might occur with that huge multi saw ‘thing a ma jig’….it certainly is faster than sending out a crew of men to do the same job, but sadly too many labor jobs are being replaced by things such as this. I am surprised there is only one man in the helicopter–he has enough to deal with just flying, he should not have his attention distracted by the added chore of also aiming and operating the saw…but that is just my opinion. I bet it was very interesting to watch and pretty neat that God granted Granny yet another one of her desires even though others chuckled at her wishing the flying saw would come to her place. God is so good in unlimited ways. Hope the helicopter sawing helped her feel just a little bit better that day.
I am amazed at the technology used in the logging industry today. Loggers today seem to be able to do almost all the steps involved while sitting in the seat of some type of equipment. I talked with a friend Sunday at church and told him I had dreamed one night of helping him cut and load a truck with pulpwood, we both laughed and said that was not a dream, it was a nightmare. His family had made much of their living in the past by cutting pulpwood the old time way- cut the tree down with chainsaw and then cut the tree into 5 ft lengths, stack these sticks into a pile if you were lucky enough to have a winch type of loader on the truck that would both pull and pick up the wood to load on the truck, otherwise you didn’t have have to stack but manually hand load these sticks onto the old beat up pulpwood trucks by laying crossways on the truck frame behind the cab. After doing this all day you didn’t have to go by the gym on the way home from work to exercise. I have saw helicopters used in the industry to lift out logs cut by loggers in inaccessible areas (steep hillsides) but never saw trees actually cut by a saw attached to a cable from a helicopter. I came along too late to see loggers using the crosscut saws- misery whips.