Definition
Suspended cables or lines strung between supports — most commonly power lines, telephone lines, guy wires on towers, and similar overhead conductors — that present a low-visibility hazard to aircraft operating at low altitudes, particularly during ground reference maneuvers, agricultural flying, or off-airport operations.
Plain English
Power lines, phone lines, and other thin cables strung between poles or towers. They are very hard to see from the air and are a serious hazard when flying low.
Context Anchor
Encountered when planning or practicing low-altitude maneuvers near roads, fields, rivers, towers, poles, or other ground objects.
Derivation
Wire comes from an old word meaning a metal thread. That helps here because aviation use often refers to long, thin lines stretched across open space, not just electrical wiring inside equipment.
Why Pilots Care
Striking wires is a leading cause of low-altitude accidents; recognizing them early prevents fatal collisions and is a required awareness item in all ground-reference training.
Grounding Statement
If you can see poles or towers, assume there may be wires between them even if the wires themselves are hard to see.
Intuition Check
Do not think of wires only as small wires inside a device. In this context, wires means overhead lines or cables outside the airplane that the aircraft could hit.
Example Sentence 1
Before descending to begin the turns around a point, the pilot scanned the area for towers, poles, and wires that could intrude on the maneuvering altitude.
Example Sentence 2
Before descending to pattern altitude, the instructor reminded the student to scan for wires crossing the approach path to the practice area.