I was prowling around the AOPA site, and I came across a post in one of their blogs. The video embedded in that post was one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen. It made me think about all the things I take for granted, like high intensity lights on large transmission towers. After watching this video it occurred to me that I hate climbing two feet to change a bulb at home, how would I feel about riding an elevator 1600 feet up and then climbing 200 feet to more or less hang off the top of a tower to change a bulb. Of course then I thought about just how high 2000 feet really is and I really began to ask, “Who would want this job?”
Anyway now I’m wondering, what other jobs that are incidental to flying that we often take for granted?
It should be pointed out that these guys are NOT following standard tower climbing regulations these days (OSHA), which require no “free-climbing” and the use of “never disconnected” climbing harnesses, etc. And that their tie-off point at the top of the tower isn’t even close to being able to holding the weight of a fall of even one of them.
I’ve free-climbed tower pegs similar to the pegs in the video to 80′. I didn’t like it. And it’s just as deadly from that height. You fall, you’re dead, either tower. I much prefer being tied off and moving slowly, over this. Are there places and guys who will still do it the “old way”, yup. Will someone die because of it? Inevitably.
Interesting aviation note: The reason they’re up there is to change the bulb. If the bulb fails, they are alarmed (at ground level) and monitored remotely, and it’s required by the tower company to report that into the FAA NOTAM database.
Ever wonder where all those “unlighted tower” NOTAMS come from? There’s a HEFTY fine ($10K/day/infraction is not uncommon) for not reporting the tower lights out, and replacing that bulb in a reasonable amount of time.
Many towers have gone from 400W bulbs (!!) to LED lighting over the last 10 years, greatly lengthening the timeframe for replacement, but since towers are lightning magnets, stuff still fails.