Ahhh, just like cows!!!
They are conducting low-level flying radiation tests today in parts of Switzerland near the power station.
Perhaps they are dragging a fir tree through the air to collect particles?
Wanderlust
Imagine it being your first day behind the desk at Zurich ATC.
“Err… boss..?” 
What’s the story behind? Just “forestry”?
In a nutshell: A total of ten trees had to be removed from a private property at ZĂĽrcherstrasse 9. Some of them were already dead and therefore posed a safety hazard. Due to the limited space and the surrounding buildings, it was decided not to use conventional felling methods but to remove the trees by airlift instead.
I had hoped for a much more spectacular reason.
Dear doG, that will have cost the property owner a very pretty penny!
Conventional felling can run into the thousands per tree* - I can only imagine what removal by helicopter would cost.
*Ages ago we had to take down a tree that was growing precariously close to the neighbors’ garden. Quote from the local tree people was an eye watering number of digits. So OH, farm boy that he once was, cut it down himself using a homemade harness and pulley thingy to safely bring the limbs down. Cost nothing, and he enjoyed feeling like a youngster again for a moment. Neighbors filmed him all the while, whether out of concern that he might hurt himself or as evidence to be used against him should things have gone pear-shaped…
I can only guess. On the other hand there’s the cost of removal by lorry, road closure/ diversion, police presence to consider.
My neighbours wanted to install a jacuzzi on a rocky ledge in their garden. The rockface is pretty much vertical, high up from the road. Anyway, lots of people came to have a look and their verdict was that it was impossible and even if it could be done, would be very expensive. The jacuzzi would have to be delivered by lorry and then craned in. The road would have to be closed. They reckoned the crane would topple over. So my neighbours had it helicoptered in. If i remember correctly it cost them about 300 francs.
Swings and roundabouts
When I lived in England I used to cut down trees and cut them up for firewood
The trick is to figure which branches of the tree will give most leverage and trim them so tree falls where you want it too.
How long ago was that?
Probably about 10 years ago. With Air Zermatt
I was trying to say that sometimes it makes sense to use the heli when you factor in all the other methods.
And of course there’s always the risk of damaging the neighbour’s building. You’re probably lucky if it’s only a 5-figure cost if that happens.
Absolutely. It’s just that your figure seemed really low - but being from ten years ago explains it.
It’s not amazingly expensive to get trees removed by helicopter and as people have said, sometimes it can be the cheapest or least-risky option - or the only realistic option if tree’s position meant rail track closures or power line disruption.
A Google search of actual costs suggests the costs are between CHF 3,500 and CHF 12,000+ per tree.
I’ve got a bit of an interest as I’ve just got quotes for cutting down a couple of trees.
I’d do it myself except there’s no fall line without consequence and I don’t have the equipment for climbing and cutting, nor the insurance, and I’d still need to pay for the stump grinding.
I used to do volunteer work at a country park in the UK so don’t have a problem using a chain saw etc.
It’s interesting who replied to the quote request - including companies who appeared to be totally unsuitable for the job including those whose sole expertise seemed to be cutting grass or power-washing patios.
Last year someone (hired by the homeowner?) decided to do some trimming on a beautiful 50-foot monster pine tree directly on our narrow lane, which we look at from our living room windows. We watched from the balcony in disbelief as he propped up a ladder, took a handsaw, and starting sawing off the lower branches. He then had the bright idea to climb a quarter of the way up and sink an axe into the trunk, at which point the tree said “SNAP!!” and listed 15 degrees over the road (insert The Scream faces). Now the tree threatened 3 houses and anyone driving through or passing by, so Einstein called the firehouse. They arrived with two gigantic trucks, two vans, and about 12-15 firemen, including the captain. Of course the tree was mammoth in all directions, so they all stood around and waited for the big high-tech rig (the kind they use in Swedish forests) and team of expert loggers from downtown Vorarlberg to arrive. They used the bucket to grasp the treetop, sawed the trunk in half, and dropped it directly on the lane. They then chain sawed the base, lifted the rest of the tree up, and dropped it expertly while avoiding the lovely maple tree that is our only screen from that ugly house. I hope it cost him a pretty penny.
Actually, not that much.
A friend had a power line go down on his property… Cost around 400 CHF to get a chopper to bring a new one in.
It’s one of the few things that’s cheaper here than in Italy.
I got a quote to airlift some concrete in Italy; 25euro per minute from the minute it leaves their base. Also counting minutes that it’s on the ground near my property refuelling…
It did seem very low to me too. But the jacuzzi was transported to a big car park by road which is only about 200 metres from their property. The time it took to fly it in situ was probably less than a minute.
Using the helicopter for transport of materials for infrastructure and renovations of old houses is very common here. There are either no roads or very narrow roads that are unsuitable for heavy lorries. They probably managed to get the job done on a day the heli was doing other jobs in the area, reducing the cost of the flight to and from Zermatt.
I had a tree removed just a couple of weeks ago. Just searched online for 3 firms on the internet. Wrote to them via their webforms with full details. Only one bothered to reply. Quoted 850 Fr. for felling but no removal good enough for me as anyway it was cut up for firewood.