JCP&L has announced that starting on April 26, 2023, Chesapeake Bay Helicopters will be conducting UV/IR patrols on their transmission lines, weather permitting. The inspections are expected to last for four to five days, but the timeline may be affected by weather and post-storm or outage-related patrols. The contractor will be using a Blue Bell 2-6 Jet Ranger with tail number N719CB.
During the UV/IR patrols, specialized cameras will be used to view the transmission lines in the infrared and ultraviolet spectrums to detect overheated components or arcing that are not visible to the naked eye. The patrols will cover the transmission circuits in their entirety, which may extend into neighboring regions.
The flight crew will be providing information on their daily location to local airports when in their airspace. For any questions, JCP&L can be reached at 1-888-544-4877.