The checks before the start Every flight is painstakingly planned in advance and the weather conditions are monitored for days Yet Philipp Dejakom is the one who makes the final decision on whether to fly from his position at the site A good pilot knows their limit If the fog is too heavy or the crosswind is too strong it s too dangerous to fly Neverthe less no wind at all is hardly cause for celebration says Philipp Dejakom The trees sway to and fro because of the downdraught from the rotor That makes the sawing harder In contrast headwinds rain or even light snow are less disruptive The helicopter a SA 315 B Lama is exceptionally sturdy and manoeuvrable Provided that the technology plays ball as it s certainly put through its paces as well Naturally that includes the saw where ten carbide circular saw blades with a dia meter of 55 centimetres are placed in a row It is crucial to accurately set the torque and ensure the blades have enough bite The saw is driven by a 48 hp two stroke engine The saw is secured to the bottom of the helicopter using six metres of screwed together aluminium pipe known as the sling and a hook A cable in side the pipe controls the saw and provides additional protection Almost 30 litres of fuel are located in the pipe above the saw enough for around two hours If everything works without a hitch Philipp Dejakom can cut a path through a for est up to four kilometres long in that time In comparison five foresters with hand held saws and ladders would need two weeks and cost twice as much to do so By the time the saw needs refuelling and the saw blades need retightening the pilot is in urgent need of a break as well Maintaining this unnatural posture and constantly staring downwards are extremely physically draining There is a risk that their concentration will lapse as well An extra effort is required on Philipp Dejakom s part to refocus all his attention for the delicate moment when he lands the helicopter With a substantial amount of finesse he brings the saw to a stand still on the transport trailer He carefully presses the pitch downwards and lowers the tool piece by piece until the person on the ground can hook it into its bracket Philipp Dejakom flies backwards in a wide arc and cautiously lays down the sling Then he lands Shuts down the rotors Removes his helmet Takes a deep breath And then I have something to drink and enjoy a good stretch www helimatic eu The biggest challenge is landing after a demanding flight Precision working ten circular saw blades turning at around 2800 revo lutions per minute cut a clean path 11

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