Why Are We Still Using Helicopters for Powerline Inspections in 2025?

By Kevin Padilla

Introduction:

In September, an MD,500 helicopter crashed while working on powerlines in Pennsylvania. Two people lost their lives. Just weeks earlier, another helicopter struck powerlines over the Mississippi River and went down. And in 2022, a Bell UH,1B hit lines in West Virginia. Investigators cited poor oversight and inadequate inspection of the aircraft itself. These tragedies remind us of a hard truth: helicopters remain one of the most dangerous tools in the utility sector. And yet, in 2025, utilities are still flying them for inspections and repairs, despite safer, smarter technology already being here.

Where I Stand: Between Two Worlds

I don’t come at this as someone who’s just pro, drone or antihelicopter. My perspective is shaped by a career that started in 2005, entirely in the military. It includes 20 years of aviation experience. I’ve been flying helicopters since 2014, logging missions in environments where low level flight, wires, and terrain leave little margin for error. That background gives me a deep respect for the risks helicopter pilots take in inspection and repair missions. The workload is heavy, the wire environment is unforgiving, and one small mistake can mean the difference between a safe sortie and tragedy. At the same time, I now operate drones and manage teams who use them for critical inspections. From this dual vantage point, I see both sides clearly: the trusted reach and history of helicopters, and the safer, smarter advantages of unmanned systems. My stance isn’t about picking sides; it’s about moving people out of unnecessary danger while holding onto aviation discipline in how we approach the job.

The Scale Problem

The United States has more than 5.5 million miles of distribution lines and about 600,000 miles of transmission lines. Covering that vast network with helicopters and ground crews is nearly impossible. The results show. In California, the State Auditor found that in high fire, threat areas, utilities had inspected only 27% of their lines. That’s not a target, that’s actual performance. Across the country, many utilities still operate on multi-year inspection cycles, sometimes five to ten years between looks at the same line. In an era where wildfire liability is measured in billions, those gaps are no longer acceptable.

The Wildfire Liability Era

PG&E, Pacific Gas and Electric, California’s largest utility, is the poster child for what happens when inspections fail. The 2018 Camp Fire, traced back to PG&E transmission equipment, destroyed the town of Paradise and killed 85 people. In the years since, PG&E has paid out more than $30 billion in settlements and was driven into bankruptcy. Other states are paying attention. In Texas, Washington, and Idaho, legislation now ties liability protection to documented inspections and wildfire mitigation plans. Regulators are moving toward a simple reality: if utilities can’t prove they’ve inspected, they may not be allowed to operate lines during high, fire, risk seasons.

Helicopters: Paying for the Wrong Things

Utilities don’t just pay for helicopter flight time. They pay for ferry flights to and from the job, fuel surcharges, crew lodging, specialized insurance, maintenance overhead, and weather delays. What utilities actually need is inspection data: high, resolution imagery, thermal analysis, defect detection, and a permanent record of asset condition. Helicopters deliver a few minutes of “eyes on target,” but most of the bill goes to simply keeping a machine and its crew in the air. That mismatch between cost and value is why the industry must move on.

The Operator Question

To close the gap, many utilities have trained linemen to fly drones’ part, time. On paper, it looks efficient: linemen know the equipment, and now they can capture imagery as well. But in practice, this introduces risk. Non-dedicated operators crash more often than full, time, aviation, trained pilots. Linemen are experts at working energized lines, not aeronautical decision, making, weather planning, or risk management. Flying once or twice a week doesn’t build or maintain the skill needed for complex BVLOS operations. Utilities wouldn’t put a non-pilot in the cockpit of a helicopter. Drones deserve the same seriousness.

Drones and Helicopters in Conjunction

This doesn’t have to be either/or conversation. Drones and helicopters can, and should, complement each other. Think of drones as the eyes: they handle routine inspections, detect hazards, and deliver the high, resolution data utilities need. And think of helicopters as the hands: deployed only for targeted missions where live, line repair or heavy lifting is required. By using drones to map, scan, and triage, utilities can drastically reduce the amount of time helicopters spend in dangerous, low, level environments. Crews arrive better informed, with drones already having scoped the hazards and identified the work. The result: safer operations, less wasted flight time, and more efficient allocation of resources.

Regulation at a Turning Point

Until now, most drone inspections were constrained by Part 107’s line of sight rules, making long corridor inspections cumbersome. The FAA’s proposed Part 108 framework changes that by prioritizing linear infrastructure inspections, allowing shielded operations within 50 feet of powerlines, and providing a pathway to scalable BVLOS approvals. What required a waiver yesterday will soon become the standard way to operate.

The Technology Horizon

Drones already outperform helicopters in core inspection roles. They capture higher, resolution imagery, thermal data, and even multispectral readings that can’t be matched from a cockpit. They can string pilot ropes across spans, once a helicopter, only task, and robotic arms for contact inspections are on the horizon. Meanwhile, every drone inspection flight replaces gallons of aviation fuel with rechargeable batteries. Switching from helicopters to drones can reduce CO₂ emissions by more than 90% per mission, another reason regulators and communities are pushing for change.

Where This Leaves Us

Helicopters will always have a role in heavy lifting and live line repair, but for inspections, the writing is on the wall. Continuing to use helicopters for routine inspections is paying premium prices for unnecessary risk. The industry has reached a turning point. With regulation catching up, technology advancing, and wildfire liability escalating, there’s no excuse for business as usual. At AeroVis, we believe critical operations deserve aviation, level precision, not part, time hobbyists or legacy models. Our team brings veteran aviation expertise and disciplined processes to drone operations, delivering dependable, repeatable inspections at the scale of modern utilities demand.

If you’re responsible for keeping infrastructure safe, we’d like to talk. AeroVis brings aviation-grade safety and discipline to drone inspections, helping utilities reduce risk, cut costs, and meet regulatory demands. Reach out today to explore how we can support your inspection program.

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