A helicopter setting a power pole in Ramona

Customer Notifications Regarding Power Pole Replacement Work with Helicopters

Our construction crews often use helicopters to transport new power poles, set them in the ground and remove the old poles in areas that are not accessible by ground vehicles.

So from time to time, customers may receive phone and letter notifications from us about flyovers in their neighborhood, and the need to evacuate their residences during certain periods of time to accommodate the flyovers.

Per safety regulations established by the Federal Aviation Administration, SDG&E is required to notify people whose residences are in the vicinity of our helicopters’ fly path.

Every effort is made to notify people prior to the start of a job involving helicopter flyovers. Besides phone calls and letters, our personnel also go door to door to give notice on the day of the helicopter work.

Per our standard protocol, SDG&E employees who notify customers about flyovers over the phone will provide their first and last name and direct phone number.

If you are suspicious about the call, you can call our Customer Contact Center at 1-800-411-7343 and provide the customer representative with the name of the SDG&E employee who called you. The Customer Contact Center then can verify for you if the caller is indeed an SDG&E employee. The letter notifications about flyovers will come on SDG&E letter head and will also include a phone contact, should you have follow-up questions.

A helicopter placing a power pole