Ausgrid emergency crews were last night faced with an unusual call for help on Sydney’s northern beaches.
A paraglide before sunset took an unexpected turn for a pilot when the man was blown into powerlines and left dangling near the Dee Why Rock Pool.
Lineworker Karl van der Kley was called to the scene along with paramedics and firefighters.
“I’ve never dealt with a glider on powerlines so it was a relief when we arrived to see the man was okay and that there was no major damage done,” Karl said.
The man was free but his glider remained tangled in the powerlines above, blowing in the breeze.
With some persistence and guidance from the wayward pilot, Karl safely untangled the glider from the wires and had it down in half an hour and handed the crumpled canopy back to the grateful pilot.
“It’s certainly a good story for us to tell,” Karl said.
It was a good outcome this time but Ausgrid urged the public to always look up and check for powerlines when playing outdoors.
It’s the second rescue of the week for Ausgrid, with the team saving a wedge-tailed eagle stuck in powerlines in New South Wales’ Hunter Valley.
