Lured by the promise of a bird’s-eye view, intrepid reporters were invited to experience what linemen encounter daily atop the Salt River Project's (SRP) new customized biodiesel powered utility truck on Tuesday.

Media representatives were encouraged to come aboard SRP's new Palfinger P650i, the tallest insulated aerial work platform in the U.S., at SRP’s East Valley Service Center in in Mesa.

The Palfinger P650i has a 213-foot vertical capacity and a 92-foot radius. It permits linemen to tend to tasks on fully energized 500-kilovolt power lines without cutting power or interrupting service for customers.

Not only does the specialized equipment rank as the nation’s tallest insulated aerial work platform, but, like an ATV of utility vehicles, the new truck is designed to be more flexible, durable and operable on many levels, with an upgraded five-axle chassis, the ability to navigate off-road terrain in the desert and the capacity to fix remote transmission lines.

The customized apparatus was built in Germany and Canada and assembled in New Jersey. Manufacturing took one year, culminating in a next-generation piece of equipment that can reach new heights.