Saw-Wielding Helicopter Is Coming for Southwest Michigan This Week

It looks like something out of the Mad Max movies, but it is 100% real life. A Helicopter, dangling saw blades, hundreds of feet in the air, is a VERY real thing, and one is about to descend on Southwest Michigan.

Many already know what these Twisted-Metal-looking devices are for, but for those who aren't familiar, it can be a surprising sight in the sky.

Indiana Michigan Power recently let the public know that they have contracted a company named Kiewit Corp., who is based out of Nebraska, to bring their saw blade-wielding helicopter to the region to help trim trees near power lines in the area.

According to the power company, the helicopter will fly alongside telephone poles, starting with transmission lines in Hartford Township in Van Buren County, and continue west toward Lake Michigan into Coloma and Benton Townships in Berrien County.

MLive first reported that the helicopter would be coming into the area.

"The aerial saw will be suspended beneath a helicopter by a vertical boom with multiple blades attached. Company officials said the practice is faster than traditional tree-trimming work and can more easily reach off-road areas."

While the whole contraption may look dangerous, and crazy, it's actually very safe and secure. The blades are on a fixed suspended system, meaning they aren't on a cable, and won't twist, or turn while hanging under the helicopter.

This specific job is to remove any "overhanging or encroaching" branches that have the potential to fall on transmission lines during storms.

The pilot also has direct control on whether the saw blades are spinning or not, so in a situation where the blades would be close to the transmission lines, or to the ground, he can shut them off immediately.

Barring any inclement weather, the company should be able to finish their work by Friday.