The word from La Plata Electric Association: Don’t get panicked by that helicopter flying at 600 feet altitude.

It’s a reconnaissance flight by Tri-State Generation and Transmission, the main power supplier to La Plata Electric Association.

Today, the chopper crew is making an aerial inspection of 83 miles of LPEA transmission lines in La Plata County.

The inspection is in anticipation of the sale of the lines to Tri-State. LPEA will retain ownership of smaller distribution lines.

LPEA transmission lines between Cascade to Bodo Industrial Park, on Florida Mesa, as well as from Durango to Bayfield will get the once over. The inspection will not be visual but will be done with high-tech instrumentation, LPEA spokeswoman Indiana Reed said.

Depending on the weather, the inspection of the lines and problem terrain and vegetation could run into Tuesday.

An aerial inspection does a job that would require weeks of work from the ground, Reed said.

The flights will be done at by Merrick Engineering Inc., in a black helicopter with the Merrick logo on the side. The tail identification is N5FX.

LPEA will provide more exact flight times at www.lpea.coop, through Twitter and the cooperative’s email-alert list. Following LPEA on Twitter or the alert list can be done at the website above.

daler@durangoherald.com