JCP&L Helicopters to Hover Over FH

If you see something in the sky and hear a loud whirring in the next few days, officials want you to know that there is no cause for alarm.

It’s not a bird, but it is a plane — a Jersey Central Power & Light Co. (JCP&L) helicopter — that people will see hovering and hear at intermittent times between Aug. 14 and 20, Borough Administrator Theresa Casagrande said at Monday night’s Borough Council meeting.

“Police are aware of this as is our office,” she added, advising that people should not be worried if they notice the choppers flying low.

“What is this helicopter … and why is it being sent?” resident Ruth Blaser asked.

The helicopter, said, is being sent as a matter of routine for JCP&L, to “fly over power lines and do a quick assessment of any trees and vegetation that may have grown and gotten caught in the wires and make sure the wires are free of them, especially concerning storms (season).”

Specifically, said Casagrande, JCP&L sent the borough a statement saying that the inspectors in the helicopters are from what is called a Transmission Forestry Supervision unit and they are looking to see if herbicides applied the previous year have rid wires and poles of intrusive growth.

If not, then the location of problem areas will be noted and inspected further on land, she added, saying it’s important to note that the helicopters, in performing these inspections, may hover very close to land.

“The grey helicopter with a black bottom and stripe will travel at about 35 to 40 miles per hour,” Casagrande said.