Why do people put balls on high voltage cables?

On the high-voltage power line near the airport or on the power line next to the river, canyon, mountain strait, . where many planes pass, often large round balls are attached. So why would people put these balls on such high power cables?

If we look from the ground, we will see that the balls on the high voltage cable do not look very large, only about the size of a basketball. But in fact these balls are quite large with a diameter of about 91cm. The balls are mounted on power lines about 60m apart. In some places, such as near the airport, this distance is shortened.

In the 50s, Winthrop Rockefeller - Former governor of Arkansas (USA) was extremely scared when he saw the plane was flying close to the high voltage cable to land. This is extremely dangerous because these cables are not insulated, just a light touch can cause an aircraft to crash.

And to protect the lives of the crew and passengers on the plane, he devised a way to install balloons on high-voltage power lines near the airport to help pilots see clearly from a distance. This prevents the aircraft from getting entangled during landing or take-off.

To be able to install the balls on high voltage lines is not an easy task. There are many professionals involved in the installation of the ball, some of whom work on the ground but others have to climb high voltage cables to install.

The ball is attached to a high-voltage wire with two main colors, red and orange.

Kareem Winters

Update 09 September 2021