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HELICOPTER LIFTING WORK CONTINUES AT EMLEY MOOR TOWER, YORKSHIRE

Following the erection by helicopter lift of a temporary 300m guyed mast in 2018, Helirig returned to Emley Moor in 2019 to start work on the existing concrete tower. In June 2021 we made another visit with a Kamov Ka32 for the next phase of work, helicopter lifting of GRP cylinders & TV antennas.

  • Tower height — Emley Moor at 322 metres remains the tallest free-standing structure in the UK and is a touch taller than both the Shard and Eiffel Tower.
  • GRP cylinders — Any larger would have hindered road transport from the German factory. Any heavier would have been too heavy for the helicopter to lift.
  • Kamov Ka32 — With a lifting capacity of 5000kg, this is the only helicopter in Europe with the capacity to lift the GRP cylinders and top antenna.
  • Benefits — Apart from significantly reduced time on site, the use of a helicopter allowed an optimisation of design that would not have been otherwise possible.

Emley Moor is the tallest free-standing structure in the UK. The tower broadcasts TV and radio over an area of approximately 10,000 km². It is the main station for 57 relays and repeaters throughout Yorkshire and the surrounding counties.

Its television coverage area is one of the largest in the UK, covering most of Yorkshire including Hull, Leeds, Sheffield and York. Some transmissions can be received in Greater Manchester across the Pennines due to the height of the antenna and the powerful signal.

In the Spring of 2018 Helirig erected by helicopter, a temporary 300m guyed mast adjacent to the tower. The helicopter lifted mast panels, stay wires and the top mounted TV antenna system, and all lifting was completed in 9 days. Once all TV and radio services were relocated to this structure, work could start in earnest to maintain, repair and renew equipment on the concrete tower.

In August 2019 old antennas and steelwork was removed by helicopter and in June 2021, Helirig returned to install 9 new items including large GRP cylinders, liquid filled dampers and the main TV antenna system. The cylinders weighed in at 4500kg and the helicopter (a Kamov Ka32) needed to gently lower them over the existing steel structure.

Once TV and radio services are returned to their home on the concrete tower, Helirig will return with a helicopter for the final phase of the Emley Moor project namely, to dismantle the temporary mast.