High Voltage Cable Inspection

Watch the video here - "High Wire - High Voltage Cable Inspection"



An amazing clip from a 2002 documentary IMAX movie entitled "Straight Up", posted by simonjz05, which follows a high-wire utility worker as he is transported by helicopter which delicately places him on high wires so he can do repairs and inspections. The live power cables carry more than half a million volts.

Don't try this at home. By wearing a suit made of fire retardant material and stainless steel threading, this creates a 'Faraday Cage', then connecting a metal wire to the helicopter in flight -- which brings the helicopter up to the same voltage potential as the line -- the electric current arcs over and around them in their "cage" and the workers are protected from certain electrocution.

"A half a million volts pass around my body but I can work without interference from electricity," he says in the video. "There's such a hunger for electricity these days, nobody wants to take lines out of service to maintain them."

The scenery is beautiful (no indication of where this was shot), the heights staggering and the narrator's last words add some ironic humor as describes how he overcame his biggest fears in life: electricity, heights and women.