Were you like many residents wondering why there was an orange helicopter hovering over Greater Victoria today?
The helicopter, owned by Talon Helicopters which is based in Richmond, was contracted by Fortis BC to conduct Lidar mapping.
In a message to Victoria Buzz, FortisBC confirmed they were doing routine annual aerial inspections to detect any issues, leaks or otherwise.
In order to conduct the service, the helicopter was required to operate with a low flying permit through Transport Canada.
The front of the helicopter appeared to have a camera equipped on the front, however, it was in fact a LiDAR Scanning system, which is used to inspect high pressured gas transmission lines.
FortisBC contracted the helicopter for its technology to detect if there is a gas leak and help lock in the exact coordinates.
In a tweet, the District of Saanich confirmed the scans will take place periodically until August 31st, during daylight hours.
Low level flying over #Saanich
Helicopters will be performing low level flying for FortisBC between July 11 and August 31, per special authorization issued by Transport Canada for inspection of high-pressure natural gas lines.
For more info. 1-888-224-2710 https://t.co/RcowBnBIYr pic.twitter.com/70LjsI0FsJ— District of Saanich (@saanich) July 28, 2022
