Dealing with Fear of Heights

Streakn1 · Oct 8, 2008

Back in my FECC days the tallest things I ever had to wrap were computer mainframes. They might occassionally go about 7' tall. Most of the time my feet never left the ground. Thank God, cause I had a "fear of heights". But now that has changed since our recent carreer change!

I had to look fear in the face and conquer it, or get in trouble for not tarping the loads. I like the first option better since the second was not an option. Well at first I was relutant to try it, but now I enjoy every chance to get high that I can atop of my load! LOL Tarping, I'm talkn tarps here!
Disclaimer: Please say NO to drugs! They are bad for you!!!

Below are photos of the tallest load we've done. We loaded it today. Its recycled body parts of a jet. Loading was quite interesting. Jackstands had to be custom built as they loaded the crates atop of each other. Then the crates were screwed together. After that it was our turn to strap and tarp the load. We are stacked 13' high!

You will see the progress of loading from setting the top crate (24'x4'x2.5' to finished tarp job along with some gutted out Airbus jets. Kind of a sad sight to see a once majestic bird end up this way!

jaminjim · Oct 8, 2008

Scared of heights... When I look out my Basement window I get a nose bleed!

Lawrence · Oct 8, 2008

Nice photos - thanks for sharing.

I love seeing things that not every joe-6-pack gets to see like the aircraft in transition. One of the benefits of road life.

Bruno · Oct 8, 2008

Nice pictures

I bet it is neat to see a aircraft boneyard.

MCBuggyCo · Oct 9, 2008

In a pinch it looks like you might be able to fit a small plane in that sleeper! Thanks for sharing. My fear of heights kicks in when I have to take one of those ramps like they have in Dallas that are stacked 4 and 5 high.

jrgibbs1 · Oct 9, 2008

dont worry the ground will catch you. I used to have a fear of heights, but walking a cat walk 300 ft up everyday cured that

iceroadtrucker · Oct 9, 2008

Come on people what do u take me for there isnt a load out here to be afarid of thats too high.

If that is the case mabe u need to sit at desk with the dispatchers.

13ft 14ft in the air isnt high just put it in your mind it in the top cupboard and you need a stool ull be ok.

One question how in the world did you ever replace lights on your trailer when u were with the FED if your scared of height??

If you had the Ta or Petro do it man you sure wasted alot of money.

Now I will give ya some Credit if your Tarps turn in to Kites and You go para sailing through the air then I can understand.
Just make sure ya got a safety harnes on ya at all times and youll be ok. ROTFL.

Moot · Oct 9, 2008

I drove a Ford 9000 cabover for 2 years. That pretty much cured me.

layoutshooter · Oct 9, 2008

I got over my fear of heights when I was a firefighter. Had to learn how to use ladders and then learned how to repel. That really did it. Layoutshooter

Streakn1 · Oct 10, 2008

As a kid growing up, I climbed the tallest trees in the neighborhood with my friends. No Fear then! As an adult I worked for three different municipal governments in the utilities divisions before going into truck driving full time. One of my job resposibilities was inspecting the water storage towers around the city as they were being built, maintained, or painted. This required climbing all over the top of the tanks with nothing more than a safety belt, or hanging underneath the bottom of the tank in a floating painter's chair while performing inspections. A equipment malfunction almost causing a 120' fall straight down to the pavement below just might cause one to develope a fear of heights for a while as it did me. I stopped climbing after that one!

Ask any deck hauler about how many times they've almost been blown off the top of a high stack load by a tarp caught by the wind!

dhalltoyo · Oct 10, 2008

Wow!

A potential 120 foot fall. I could only imagine.

I was an Operating Engineer with Brown and Root.

My main assignment was heavy lifts.

One day my oiler didn't show for work and the jib pulley needed some lubrication. The crane was set in such a position that it couldn't be boomed down to perform this operation. We were hooked onto a section of bridge that was going to moved so a power plant discharge channel could be dredged. The crane had a ringer track around the base with a million pound counterbalance.

Up the mast I went. 300 feet. Never again!