Why do people put balls on high voltage cables?

The balls on high voltage wires have always been a mystery, so what is their purpose?

The balls are used to hang from high voltage cables.

The ball is usually placed on high voltage cables near airports, and is commonly colored red and orange.

The balls on high-voltage power lines are not just for show, they have another purpose. If you drive along some power lines, or just look at them from the ground, you will see that these balls do not look very big, about the size of a basketball. But they are much bigger than you think. This ball is about 36 inches in diameter.

Installing the balloons is not an easy task. There are many experts who work on installing the balloons. Some work on the ground, but some climb up high-voltage cables to install the balloons.

Generally, the balloons are spaced about 60 meters apart. However, there is one place where you can spot them much more often: near airports.  And that is exactly why they are placed on high-voltage power cables.

Winthrop Rockefeller - Former Governor of Arkansas (USA) came up with this idea. While flying in the 50s, he was terrified when he realized that the plane was flying close to high-voltage power cables to land. These cables were not insulated and a slight touch could cause the plane to crash. He decided to do something to protect the lives of the crew and passengers on the plane.

These balloons are usually placed on high-voltage lines near airports to help pilots see clearly from a distance. When landing or taking off, the plane will not be entangled.

In addition to airports, these balloons are also placed on rivers, canyons, and mountain passes, where many planes pass by . The balloons have two main colors: red and orange.