Black Hughes MD500 with tail registration: N5027P – photo below
A routine patrol is a general, overall look at the transmission line, right-of-way, structures, and all associated hardware where the inspection crew is trying to look for any obvious/outstanding maintenance conditions. A Routine Patrol is typically flown around 25-30 knots (30-35mph) but the helicopter may be seen hovering or circling structures or spans of a transmission line to get a better look at any conditions found during the patrol(s).
It should be noted that 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 the neighboring regions. The flight crew provides information on their daily location to both Transmission Lines Maintenance and the FCC, and the pilot will be in communication with any local airports when in their airspace.
(See attached file: Haverfield N5027P all black.JPG)
