A Climber’s Perspective – Stacking of a 490′ Self-Supporting Tower via helicopter
An evening pause: The tower is in Watts, Oklahoma. When the lineman looks to his right he is looking at the helicopter, which for the first few minutes, before it rises above the horizon, is difficult to see.
Hat tip Wayne DeVette.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
An evening pause: The tower is in Watts, Oklahoma. When the lineman looks to his right he is looking at the helicopter, which for the first few minutes, before it rises above the horizon, is difficult to see.
Hat tip Wayne DeVette.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
These guys are probably making a dollar to every seventy-seven cents a female receptionist makes. UNFAIR! /s
All joking aside, this was fascinating and these guys, including the pilot, are some serious bad asses.
Just…NO. That made me physically queasy just watching the first few minutes. No way I could watch the whole thing, so I just kind of skipped through it. You couldn’t get me to climb that thing for less than about 20 million dollars, tax-free. I’ve designed and helped erect some medium-large filter structures (6-story office-building-size) and never had a problem with heights, but knowing how that thing must be waving around in the wind until they get the final guy wires in place would be just too much.
Whatever it is they pay those guys, it’s not enough.
Our dad fought in WWII, Korea and Vietnam as a pilot. G-d brought him home each time. While he would fly up to the heavens, he was afraid of heights. He did not like climbing up a tree, or a rollercoaster. Put him in a plane, he loved it. Seeing those workers so high up made me wonder if they have any small parachute gear. Dad said that there are two kinds of people that jump out of airplanes: idiots, and people in the armed services. Even if his airplane engine(s) failed, if he still had two wings, he was taking the plane down.
Ronaldus Magnus: Having done a lot of cave exploration, which relies a great deal on vertical rope techniques similar to the ones these workers are using, I can tell you that they are quite safe. Parachutes are the last thing they want.
The gear involves harnesses with multiple slings attached, each with a carabiner at the other end. You attach the biners to attachment points on the tower (put there in construction for this very purpose). If you need to change position you unclip alternate biners so that one is always clipped to the tower.
I have actually done vertical practice on towers like this that is far more complex, though never quite so high. It is perfectly safe, but requires one to focus very hard on the task in front of you. Only while taking a break is it wise to enjoy the view.
I can tell you from experience that climbers are worth every nickle. When I built my 100′ tower for my Ham Radio antenna, it was worth hiring professional climbers. Getting guys to work the ground crew is cheap (mostly pizza and beer), but these guys you will paying hundreds of dollars an hour.
I have heard and unfortunately seen on video Hams who have climbed towers without harnesses/safety restraints fall and die. I know there are fellow Hams here, please hire a professional to climb the towers. And to those guys who say “It is only 20′ tall”, get a bucket truck, it does not take much to fall and die. There, I am off my soapbox (taking off my harness ;) )
Blackwing1–
“Entry-Level Steeplejack, 7, 8, E9 (Mackinaw Bridge, Michigan)
https://www.mlive.com/news/2024/09/want-to-climb-the-mackinac-bridge-and-get-paid-check-out-this-steeplejack-job.html
Salary Range: $21.42 – $32.63
Mackinac Bridge Cable Light Changing
With Mike Rowe (2013)
https://youtu.be/zmQgQr9t3kQ
2:35
“Worry about What you’re doing, not How you’re doing it.”
Wayne:
I can’t thank you enough for that Mike Rowe video; my stomach is still twisting a little.
Get me up there?
Nope. Nope, nope, noppitty-nope. Huh-uh, ain’t a-gonna happen.
But I am glad that there are people who are crazy enough to do it.