anyone know how hard the "always oriented NS or EW" rule is on utility poles?
are they supposed to be always 100% aligned to a compass?
Never heard of it. Of course I'm no expert on power poles. This may be better put to Ken on OMF as he was a lineman. But I really don't see the logic in aligning poles to a compass but instead it would make more sense to align them for their purpose of supporting the power lines and spreading tension forces to minimize weak spots.
BTW thanks for posting the 2d hpo graphic.

Tough to say. First we must understand the wires cannot touch the wood. There MUST be an insulator.
Once again the drone seems to be tilted in such a way to almost align itself with the sun angle. Am I the only one who finds there might be a pattern to this? How about the odd tilt as it passed over the power pole?