I have a question

We are located in Darlington Twp., Beaver Co. All day Friday and Sat. a helicopter towing a big shiny object like a pipe Circled around our area. Just back and forth. Wonder if anyone knows what kind of a test or what they are doing.

                                                                                               Marilyn

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Permalink Reply by Jack Straw on July 27, 2014 at 9:09am

RE: "a helicopter towing a big shiny object like a pipe"

Was this object located on the 'belly' of the helicopter or connected to the helicopter skids?

Or, was this object towed on a cable; some distance behind the helicopter?

Permalink Reply by The Hiker on July 27, 2014 at 9:15am

It sounds like one of the pipeline companies was seeding a right-of-way.   The "pipe" is a big bucket of seed hanging on a cable.  Is there a new pipeline in your area where the helicopter was flying?

Permalink Reply by marilyn nesbitt on July 27, 2014 at 3:31pm

Thanks Hiker for replying. There are several pipelines in this are but it was too high to be seeding.

Permalink Reply by marilyn nesbitt on July 27, 2014 at 3:28pm

Thanks, Jack. The thing that looked like a pipe was connected to a long cable that was connected to the belly of the helicopter.Didn't anyone else see this? Very strange, cause it made several trips from about 8:30 am till 5:00pm.

Permalink Reply by Dexter Green on July 27, 2014 at 4:02pm

Powerline ROW work.  It's being done over here in Mahoning as well.

Permalink Reply by marilyn nesbitt on July 27, 2014 at 4:16pm

Thanks Dexter for the info. 

Permalink Reply by Jack Straw on July 27, 2014 at 4:31pm

Marilyn,

You had noted that the helicopter had been traveling "back and forth"; that suggests some sort of surveying in a grid like fashion. 

If the pipe like object had been located on the 'belly' of the helicopter or connected to the helicopter skids, I would have guessed that it might have been either a Lidar survey (a type of high accuracy topographic survey - perhaps for pipeline, or other infrastructure) ... or perhaps sampling the air for a possible methane (natural gas) leak (or presence). pipeline companies regularly survey pipelines via helicopter (both visually and also sampling for possible minor leaks).

However, as you noted "a pipe was connected to a long cable that was connected to the belly of the helicopter"; this likely rules out Lidar or gas sampling, as their instrumentation does not require their instrumentation being remotely located within a towed "bird'.

It is quite possible that the "pipe" you noted is what is referred to as a "bird".

This is an enclosure which ideally looks a bit like a rocket ... pointed at the front, with fins at the back (so that it behaves in a stable manner when towed through the air).

A "bird" is tethered below and usually a bit behind the helicopter (or fixed wing aircraft).

Assuming that what you saw was a towed "bird", there are a limited number of reasons that I can think of for the survey you witnessed.

My guess this may have been some type of geophysical survey .... quite possibly a aeromagnetic survey.

In a magnetic survey, the magnetometer is located within a fiberglass (non-magnetic) towed enclosure. This "bird" is towed at some distance from the helicopter so that the magnetometer is isolated at a distance from the magnetic effects of the ferrous metals of the helicopter and the induced magnetic fields generated by the electric activity within the helicopter. The tether between the helicopter and the "bird' includes a data cable attached to recording instruments located within the helicopter.

The purpose of a magnetic survey might be to locate any deep (basement) faulting which might be present.

Just a possibility,

JS

Permalink Reply by wandering juju on July 28, 2014 at 5:27am

awesome.. always great to get some extra tech info.. thanks..

Permalink Reply by marilyn nesbitt on July 28, 2014 at 12:49pm

Thanks Jack for all the tech info. I haven't seen anything today but it is yucky weather. That might have something to do with it. Will post again if I see it.

                                                                                            Marilyn

Permalink Reply by Joseph-Ohio on July 27, 2014 at 9:18am

Time out 4 a little fun :

Maybe it was an extra-terrestrial craft chasing a helicopter ?

lol

Back to earth now; and sorry, I've no idea; other than: Could it have been some kind of ad too far away from you to read ?

J-O

Permalink Reply by evan on July 27, 2014 at 9:54am

Sounds to me like they were trimming trees around powerlines. They do that alot around here with helicopters and the saw is kind of pipe shaped

Permalink Reply by marilyn nesbitt on July 27, 2014 at 3:36pm

Thanks Evan, They could not have been trimming trees as high as they were.

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