Turn your speakers on, click on the thread below, and watch before answering the poll.

http://www.glumbert.com/media/highpower


So what do you think? Is that a "cool" job or what?

 

After I clicked "All of the above", I realized that I shouldn't have - Flying doesn't bother me. I work with electricity all the time at home doing my own wiring work, but my fear of it keeps me safe. Same with heights. I can handle any height, but I have to be in a position of control, then it's OK.

Very cool job.

At least until the first thunderstorm comes along.......

JonasM

 

By doing the maintenance without shutting the grid down, I suspect that they get compensated "handsomely" as well.

 

I'm not afraid of heights. I'm terrified of widths.

 

Interesting. I wouldn't have thought people actually did that. I'll have to send the link to Andy, as he's an electrical contractor, and see what he thinks about it. (He's on Kauai again. ) He's been zapped before. I get zapped in Costco all the time. Loud cracks of static electricity when opening a fridge door. Oww! Must be something about the shopping carts, our dry air and my electric (or eccentric) personality.

 

The electrical contractor that did the estimate for our garage when we had it built lost his arm as a line man years ago. That was before they had good testing procedures in place for the rubber shoulder length gloves that lineman use.

Unfortunately, his gloves had a pin hole puncture that the 25,000 Volt line he was working on found, that he could not see.

 

I was a telephone lineman and worked with power lines at heights to about 110' by climbing poles, using bucket trucks and putting 40' ladders in a bucket that was fully extended over a valley with train tracks 40' below where the truck was parked. I never had to ride the skid of the helicopter, but I used to ride in it to get places you couldn't drive to.

I am very glad I now work with software!

 

I've wired some barns and some new circuits in the house. I have no desire to mess with the high voltage stuff.

 

There was a special on this job (or very similar) several years ago on Discovery Channel. The interesting thing was when the camera was rolling when the helicopter lost power. The guy working on the wire had to unhook the copter before it autorotated away. Now that was thrilling!!!!!

 

I'm glad there are people that do that kind of work because if it was left to me it wouldn't get done.
Levi