power cable

[chris1970]

what are the little orange and green balls that hang off of power lines and why are they there???

[dilligaf]

I was told they were there so helicopter pilots could see the cabels.

[Mortartube]

I also believe that many swans were flying into them and this makes them more visible to wildlife.

[Ouisch]

You mean like these?

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/wildlifepr otection/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewArticle &articleID=90

Usually found in power lines that are near airports/airfields to warn pilots of the danger of wire strikes.

[RATTER15]

Oisch, if you read the text on that pic you will see they are to prevent birds flying in to the wires, I think by the time a pilot has seen those balls its probably to late and I think a plane low enough to hit those wires is probably landing in the wrong place (I may be wrong) I used to have them on wires near me, no where near any airport but on a flight path used by many geese!!

[Hugh Spencer]

When on holiday abroad I noticed these attached to cables but when the cables were carried over expanses of water and I was told that should they collapse the cables would float on the surface.

[RATTER15]

Hugh, why would they need the cables to float, they can still find the cable either end!! The reason they are over expanses of water is that is usually the flight path used by birds, geese, swans etc

[McNoodle]

Round our way there's usually a pair of trainers hanging from their tied laces!

[RATTER15]

Mcnoodle, that's because the birds round your way are forming gangs!!!

[KeriEMT]

Hello!
My Father-in-law invented these strange things back in the late 60's to early 70's. He created them as part of his theises for college. The main purpose of these balls are to keep the high tension wires from blowing into one another during high winds. Secondary thier different colors are there to allow other smaller aircraft to see where the wires are. His name was Lewis D. Sweeney.