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Comment by foobarbecue | Hacker News Reader

Yeah. Friend of mine was a news helicopter pilot and he had one of these systems that will cut a cable if you hit one by accident: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6CsNqhAeeQ . Better than getting tangled, I guess.

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On the other hand, sometimes cutting the cable is at least as dangerous as causing the aircraft to crash, for instance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Cavalese_cable_car_crash

The only safe system is for aircraft to avoid wires.

What they show on video does not protect props. Dumbest invention ever. Never mind that the idea of cutting cable is even worse.

The guy who invented it tested it at various speeds and angles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire_strike_protection_system. There are also numerous documented cases of these working as intended in the NTSB database. The FAA did a study and found that wire strike cutters significantly reduced fatalities https://skybrary.aero/sites/default/files/bookshelf/3288.pdf

So no, not a dumb idea according to the FAA's data backed study, the US military, and the people that operate helicopters.

Ok. I am the one who is dumb in here ;) Shit happens

It does protect, and is already certified and installed on many copters. Still, it's an emergency device, last resort, like parachutes on some small airplanes.

Multiple cable cutters are installed on every military helicopter

Interesting. Did not think of military, those might have "special needs"

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