Driving down the street, it’s kind of difficult to miss the large red, orange, and white spheres on the telephone lines. They’re perfectly spaced, look like giant bouncy balls, and seemingly have no purpose but to be the landing station of tired birds.
Well, contrary to popular belief, those balls actually have a purpose, and it’s not to look like buoys that made their way out of the water and onto a power line. In fact, the actual use of these balls is quite remarkable.
They First Popped Up In Either The 50s or 70s
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Large Spheres Are A minimum Of 36 Inches In Diameter
Smaller Spheres Are 20 Inches In Diameter
Electricity Plays A Role
Two Engineers Revolutionized Long-Distance Electricity
Power Plants Needed A Way To Service Far-Away Towns
Transmitting Electric Without Losing Money Was Key
They Might Be Helpful, But They’re Also Dangerous
The Worker Acts As A Transmitter, Of Sorts
The Balls Help Save Lives
Birds Aren’t Transmitting Power Back Into The Ground
Shoes Also Make Their Way Onto Cable Lines
Insulators Help Live Wires Stay On Track
Insulators Protect Cables During Lightning Storms
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No One Really Knows What They Spheres Are Used For
They Get Closer Together The Closer They Are To An Airport
Affixing The Balls Is No Easy Task
After A Flight, Winthrop Rockefeller Came Up With An Idea
Bright Colors Help Them Stand Out
The FAA Can’t Make Country-Wide Spheres Mandatory
The Spheres Are To Warn Pilots Away From Power Lines
Colorado Didn’t Install The Spheres Fast Enough
Without The Warning, A Pilot Collided With The Thin Lines
There Are Many Reasons Accidents Occur
Power Lines Change With The Seasons And With Time
The Visibility Markers Are To Help Gauge Distance
They Help Aircraft Stay Safe
Visibility Markers Run From 20-36 Inches In Diameter
Being “In Your Face” Is The Point
Patterns Help Pilots Spot The Wires
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