Helicopters to Conduct Inspections in Durham and Middlefield This Week

Eversource will be conducting infrared helicopter inspections beginning this week, in a move that they say will boost system reliability.

The company announced Wednesday that it will be conducting its semiannual inspection of equipment beginning Wednesday. The helicopters are equipped with heat-sensing, infrared scanning technology which can detect potential equipment issues.

“Over a million customers in Connecticut depend on us for reliable electric service to power their day-to-day lives,” said Steve Gilkey, Vice President of Connecticut Field Operations at Eversource in a statement. “The semiannual helicopter inspections of our transmission lines are a crucial and effective part of our commitment to reducing the frequency and duration of power outages.”

Helicopters will be in the skies above the following communities (listed alphabetically):

Andover, Beacon Falls, Berlin, Bethany, Bethel, Bethlehem, Bloomfield, Bozrah, Branford, Bristol, Brookfield, Brooklyn, Canton, Chaplin, Cheshire, Chester, Columbia, Coventry, Danbury, Darien, Deep River, Durham, East Granby, East Haddam, East Hartford, East Haven, East Lyme, East Windsor, Ellington, Essex, Farmington, Franklin, Glastonbury, Granby, Greenwich, Guilford, Haddam, Hamden, Hampton, Hartford, Harwinton, Hebron, Killingly, Lebanon, Ledyard, Litchfield, Lyme, Manchester, Mansfield, Meriden, Middlebury, Middlefield, Middletown, Milford, Monroe, Montville, Naugatuck, New Hartford, New Milford, Newington, Newtown, North Branford, North Stonington, Norwalk, Old Saybrook, Orange, Oxford, Plymouth, Pomfret, Portland, Putnam, Redding, Ridgefield, Rocky Hill, Roxbury, Salisbury, Shelton, Simsbury, Somers, South Windsor, Southington, Stamford, Suffield, Thomaston, Thompson, Wallingford, Washington, Waterbury, Waterford, Watertown, Westport, Wethersfield, Wilton, Windham, Windsor, Wolcott, Woodbridge and Woodbury.

The inspections are set to take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., starting today, Feb. 22, and continuing through March 1.

One of the helicopters is described as blue and silver with tail No. N1431W. The other is described as a blue and white copter with tail No. N411DD.

Photo credit: Eversource

— By Joe Lipovich (Patch Staff)