Most people only ever see wind turbines from far away – white towers turning slowly on the horizon. I get to see them from a very different angle: from the inside.
Internal blade inspections are some of the most exciting jobs I do. Here’s what they’re really like.
Climbing in
Getting to the work area is already part of the adventure. You climb up, you move through the turbine, and you crawl through into the hub and towards the blades. I love that part – it never feels like routine.
And then there’s the height. You’re working more than 100 metres above the ground or the sea, and the turbine moves – it sways a little, and you feel it. Some people would find that terrifying. I love it.
Tight. Very tight.
Let’s be honest: there isn’t much space in there. Sometimes I have to “man up” a little to squeeze my belly through one or two spots. That’s the funny part of the job.
The serious part is that the inside of a turbine holds real dangers. You have to move very carefully and stay aware of every step and every hand-hold – if you lose focus, you can get badly hurt.
Luckily, that’s just how I’m wired. Situations like this don’t make me afraid – they put me into hyperfocus. Everything else switches off, and the only thing that exists is the next move and the job in front of me.
Tight spaces and 100 metres of height don’t scare me. They switch me into hyperfocus.
Seeing where no human eye can
The part I love the most is this: I get to look where the human eye simply can’t reach. With the inspection crawler and camera, I can capture the inside of the blade in detail – places no person could ever physically get to.
And if there’s a problem somewhere inside that blade, I’m among the very first people in the world to see it. That feeling never gets old.
What I deliver
My job is to get the imagery: clear, well-lit, systematic photos and video of the areas the client needs to see, organised so the team can find exactly what they’re looking for.
The technical assessment and analysis stay with the client’s engineers or inspection partner – they’re the experts on what the imagery means. I make sure they have the best possible material to work with, from places they couldn’t see otherwise.
Why I love this work
It’s physical, it’s technical, it’s high up and a little bit crazy. And every time I climb back out into the daylight, I know I’ve seen something very few people ever will.
Curious about turbine inspections? See my wind turbine services or get in touch.
