Mystery chopper flying low over Coast identified
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A helicopter spotted flying low around Coast residents has a simple explanation.
The chopper, seen circling Maroochydore on Monday, is Energex officers inspecting power lines for signs of damage.
An Energex spokesman said after every storm season crews took to the sky to photograph the tops of each power pole to ensure there was no damage.
"Particularly in hinterland areas during every average storm we get 30 to 40,000 lightning strikes … and 10 per cent of those will hit the ground and our network is the highest point," he said.
"It is designed to take massive strikes from lightning … but after a while it will eventually break."
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Energex officers started the process over the Coast region last week and will cover 6000km of powerlines before finishing this week.
The spokesman said it was a much faster way of maintaining the network.
