Reader asks about power line balls

<p>The bright red balls suspended from power lines on State Road 24 between Archer and Gainesville have intrigued Melody M. Irizarry for years.</p><p>Irizarry, a Chiefland High School teacher who drove the route often when taking classes at the University of Florida a few years ago, wrote to Since You Asked to find out why the bright, globe-like objects are there.</p><p>"They've been there as long as I can remember, but had faded and some had fallen," Irizarry wrote. "Now they're back and brighter than ever. I can't imagine what they're for."</p><p>Irizarry said the objects are even stranger given their location in the "never-never land between Gainesville and Archer."</p><p>The power lines belong to Gainesville Regional Utilities, and the globe-like balls are meant to alert pilots flying into the nearby Flying Ten Airport, located off County Road 241, that there's a power line they should avoid, said GRU spokesman Dan Jesse. Jesse said the balls are a common sight around small airports, noting that they're often yellow rather than red.</p><p>"The bright balls on the lines are meant to be a signal or a warning to make sure pilots see the lines and don't fly too low," Jesse said.</p><p>Irizarry said she still drives that stretch of State Road 24 often, "any time we need to go into 'town' from Bronson."</p><p>"They just seemed so random, with three right in the same place," Irizarry said. "I never would have guessed that's what they were used for.</p><p><i>Amy Reinink can be reached at 352-374-5088 or reinina@gvillesun.com.</i></p>