4 ms·

Yeah. Friend of mine was a news helicopter pilot and he had one of these systems that will cut a cable if you hit one by accident: https://www.youtube.com/watch

Yeah. Friend of mine was a news helicopter pilot and he had one of these systems that will cut a cable if you hit one by accident: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6CsNqhAeeQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6CsNqhAeeQ . Better than getting tangled, I guess.

bb611 1y ago
On the other hand, sometimes cutting the cable is at least as dangerous as causing the aircraft to crash, for instance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Cavalese_cable_car_crash https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Cavalese_cable_car_crash The only safe system is for aircraft to avoid wires.
FpUser 1y ago
What they show on video does not protect props. Dumbest invention ever. Never mind that the idea of cutting cable is even worse.
- EA 1y ago
  Multiple cable cutters are installed on every military helicopter
  - FpUser 1y ago
    Interesting. Did not think of military, those might have "special needs"
- deepsun 1y ago
  It does protect, and is already certified and installed on many copters. Still, it's an emergency device, last resort, like parachutes on some small airplanes.
- dghlsakjg 1y ago
  The guy who invented it tested it at various speeds and angles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire_strike_protection_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire_strike_protection_system. There are also numerous documented cases of these working as intended in the NTSB database. The FAA did a study and found that wire strike cutters significantly reduced fatalities https://skybrary.aero/sites/default/files/bookshelf/3288.pdf https://skybrary.aero/sites/default/files/bookshelf/3288.pdf So no, not a dumb idea according to the FAA's data backed study, the US military, and the people that operate helicopters.
  - FpUser 1y ago
    Ok. I am the one who is dumb in here ;) Shit happens