The helicopter pilot Wolfgang Jäger is not just fl ying around for fun He trims trees and branches with his helicopter whenever they protrude into train tracks power lines or ski lifts Jäger is just one of two pilots employed by the Austrian company Wucher Helicopter who are allowed to fl y with a saw Obviously this is not a run of the mill cutting device but a long system of linked aluminum tubes from which a 600 kilogram 1 320 lb circular saw with up to ten rotating sawblades is suspended The control cable from the saw is routed through the linkage to the cockpit from where the system is controlled For emergencies Jäger s control stick has a button with which the saw can be released for instance when it hits an overhead power line Extremely close teamwork is necessary to keep this from happening The pilot is engaged in a constant exchange with a co pilot and a control person on the ground Jäger This is enormously important because on these missions you have to fully focus on the saw This involves a lot of high precision work it s not uncommon to cut something just at a 30 centimeter 1 foot distance from a power line If this weren t diffi cult enough it s also possible for the saw to pick up too much momentum or be caught by a gust of wind We can fl y up to a wind speed of about 45 km h 28 mph In stronger winds it s too dangerous says Jäger However he s never bungled a cutting job so far he adds This is the cost of cutting trees with a helicopter per hour In return a distance of about 2 kilometers 1 2 miles has been cleared That s how long a helicopter cutting job lasts After that nature has recaptured its terrain and it s time for the fl ying saw to do its job again That s the output of the fl ying saw s motors The fuel tank s capacity is enough for a 90 minute mission 4 000 euros 6 8 years 45 60 hp Precision in wood cutting An infernal pendulum anything that gets in the way of the fl ying saw with ten rotating blades is pulverized so pilot Wolfgang Jäger has to fl y with proper caution 25 Global

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