I’ve climbed over the parapet of a 20 story building to get onto mast scaffolding to inspect work. That looks way too unstable to want to take a ride. Ed
Worked with Boeing for years and once went up in a scissors lift to get a photo of a 767 sitting at a gate at Kastrup Airport in Copenhagen. Had to go high enough to get the entire airplane into one frame. Not one of the more fun assignments for that work, but someone had to do it and I would not let anyone else take the risk.
Saw that setup (I think) one night when they were doing some filming near me. Thought it was an incredibly tall crane just to get some fake "night" illumination for the shot on the ground. Never occurred to me there might but a bucket and mote, up behind the lights.
I have spent a lot of time in 40 to 80 footers. A few days in a 120. Since about 1979 or so. A couple years before I retired, I had been a boss for a long time and not spent a lot of time in them lately. Was setting up a job in WV and borrowed one of the general contractors lifts, a 60 I believe. Needed to go up and take some measurements for something or other. Prolly 2 oclock in the morning or so. A different experience in the dark at 60 feet.
Climbing towers is a lot of exercise. I liked the towers with a man lift that would go to 600 feet-ish. I really would have liked a boom lift but they only go 300 feet or so. The rest of the way up is all manual climbing. By the way, tower climbing doesn't pay as much as people think. You either can do it or you can't. If you can't climb a tower. For $20/hr, you can't climb a tower for $20,000/hr. Fear of heights is a real thing.
Getting into that requires the same first step that wearing an EVA suit does: 1) Don Depends™ undergarment.
Looking at that I had visions of the scene in Switching Channels where Christopher Reeve (Superman) played a guy afraid of heights, taken up in a glass indoor elevator: He's on the floor of the car, clutching the handrail, saying "MommyMommyMommyMommyMommy!!!"
I used to work for a natural gas and oil drilling company and they built a 150 footer. I had to climb it to replace the crown light bulb and disturbed a wasp nest. Nowhere to go so I went into super Slo-mo to get the job done. I’m thinking it was about 42-43 years ago.
I think they are just showing off and its not being used. I'd go up in it. At a big English airshow about 1980 they had a contraption where a balloon was released to lift a cable that a USAF C130 with feelers would then snag to yank the cable and attached payload from the ground and reel it into the cargo bay. It was, apparently, used to pick up people. There were plenty of volunteers for the demo (I'd have gone for a ride for sure) but as I recall they just retrieved a weighted sack.
My (former) boss spent 6 hours up in one after it died because he left his phone in his truck. The on call maintenance guy said he wasn't too happy when he got there to fix it.
I did the same thing as your boss, phone wouldn't have helped in my case, even sat up there during a bad storm. Turns out the fuckers have an electric overide that would let it boom down, did not know that. Hard lesson #5,266 learned.
I’ve climbed over the parapet of a 20 story building to get onto mast scaffolding to inspect work. That looks way too unstable to want to take a ride.
ReplyDeleteEd
Thats higher than i'm willing to go. Had to go up in a 180ft one once. Calm day but it still swayed a good 10 ft side to side. Nope no thanks.
ReplyDeleteExile1981
heck I was changing a lightbulb in my living room on a 6 foot stepladder with the electric fan going... thought I was gonna die!
ReplyDeleteGot a butt pucker just looking at the pictures.
ReplyDeleteRoger that!!
DeleteWorked with Boeing for years and once went up in a scissors lift to get a photo of a 767 sitting at a gate at Kastrup Airport in Copenhagen. Had to go high enough to get the entire airplane into one frame. Not one of the more fun assignments for that work, but someone had to do it and I would not let anyone else take the risk.
ReplyDeleteSaw that setup (I think) one night when they were doing some filming near me. Thought it was an incredibly tall crane just to get some fake "night" illumination for the shot on the ground. Never occurred to me there might but a bucket and mote, up behind the lights.
ReplyDeleteI have spent a lot of time in 40 to 80 footers. A few days in a 120. Since about 1979 or so.
ReplyDeleteA couple years before I retired, I had been a boss for a long time and not spent a lot of time in them lately. Was setting up a job in WV and borrowed one of the general contractors lifts, a 60 I believe. Needed to go up and take some measurements for something or other. Prolly 2 oclock in the morning or so. A different experience in the dark at 60 feet.
I get dizzy just standing up out of a chair sometimes. No thanks.
ReplyDeleteThese are primarily used for wind turbine installations, but you see many of them at Starbase working on the booster and Starship.
ReplyDeleteNopeity nope nope. I go no higher than I am willing to fall.
Climbing towers is a lot of exercise. I liked the towers with a man lift that would go to 600 feet-ish. I really would have liked a boom lift but they only go 300 feet or so. The rest of the way up is all manual climbing.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, tower climbing doesn't pay as much as people think. You either can do it or you can't. If you can't climb a tower. For $20/hr, you can't climb a tower for $20,000/hr. Fear of heights is a real thing.
Getting into that requires the same first step that wearing an EVA suit does:
ReplyDelete1) Don Depends™ undergarment.
Looking at that I had visions of the scene in Switching Channels where Christopher Reeve (Superman) played a guy afraid of heights, taken up in a glass indoor elevator:
He's on the floor of the car, clutching the handrail, saying "MommyMommyMommyMommyMommy!!!"
I used to work for a natural gas and oil drilling company and they built a 150 footer. I had to climb it to replace the crown light bulb and disturbed a wasp nest. Nowhere to go so I went into super Slo-mo to get the job done. I’m thinking it was about 42-43 years ago.
ReplyDeleteThat looks a LOT taller than the hundred footers I used to ride in my old commercial steel framing days. Would ride! : )
ReplyDeletethe higher you go the more they sway. 3' seems like 30 at 100.
ReplyDeleteNot on any day especially a windy day, what is the point of going up that high when nothing seems to warrant it.
ReplyDeleteI think they are just showing off and its not being used. I'd go up in it.
DeleteAt a big English airshow about 1980 they had a contraption where a balloon was released to lift a cable that a USAF C130 with feelers would then snag to yank the cable and attached payload from the ground and reel it into the cargo bay. It was, apparently, used to pick up people. There were plenty of volunteers for the demo (I'd have gone for a ride for sure) but as I recall they just retrieved a weighted sack.
My (former) boss spent 6 hours up in one after it died because he left his phone in his truck.
ReplyDeleteThe on call maintenance guy said he wasn't too happy when he got there to fix it.
I did the same thing as your boss, phone wouldn't have helped in my case, even sat up there during a bad storm.
ReplyDeleteTurns out the fuckers have an electric overide that would let it boom down, did not know that.
Hard lesson #5,266 learned.