ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Funny Things on Jobs

I was in a bucket truck changing a ballast on a 30 foot pole light next door to a field that belonged to the Fire Dept. A fireman came over and told me that a helicopter was about to land in the field and I should consider coming down. In true male form I responded that I'd be ok. Wrong ... do you have any idea how much wind a helicopter makes?

I had to laugh because yes, I do know how much wind a helicopter can create. After being flown to a mountain top site to do Lightning protection work on a lookout (not the first time). We quickly set up our tents so we would be ready when our tools and supplies were flown up in a cargo net.

I took the oportunity to stake my tent down but my friend and co-worker said that the weight of goods left in his tent would hold it down. I even thought to agree with him (I truly thought it would be Ok).

When the helicopter arrived and hovered for the net to be detached we watched both springbar tents 100% flattened. Then while mine tugged and tried to fly, my friends proceeded to gracefully take flight over the edge of the mountain with all his gear.

After the helicopter left, my tent sprang back up as if nothing happened, while after climbing down to retreive his tent and gear, my friend spent the next few nights sleeping in snack pack pudding (the containers burst on impact).

Shane

During dessert strom I was in the mojave dessert training. I was attached to a medical company working as NBC NCO. Living with the supply truck, taking a bath the best way I could in the dark, out of a bucket with a rag. I was just getting my clothes back on when this helo flys overhead, rasing the fine sand that i had just washed of me. He then made 2 more passes overhead before he landed. Ended up being another week before the next bath. I bet that was some sight to see you on that lift as that helo went over

About 1978 I was repairing some lights behind the counter of a bank, where the tellers are, when the cops came in with their guns drawn on me. Seems a silent alarm went off while I was there. Not set off by me since it went off again while the cops were there.
Good thing the tellers told the cops that nothing was wrong as soon as they saw the guns.
Maybe I didnt look like an electrician. No uniform, just jeans and a Grateful Dead tye dyed tee shirt. Must have looked like a crook to them. Now I'm a diferent kind of crook.