Edward, I know what you are speaking of... they wear chain-mail suits and have a wand to control the initial arc, then bring themselves to the same potential to work on the lines... Neat stuff, and I'm sure one could retire in just a few years doing it too. Gotta have a chopper pilot you can trust like your own Mom. I wouldn't want to hover in a 3" 'bubble' (space of error) with mega-volt lines within inches of my skids...
But, I too was intrigued by the same TV special you saw.
Anyone know anymore about it?