redneckhiro operating the cherry picker
I was working in plant maintenance at Charlotte Airport. Two roof repairman came to hangar help fixing top of the roof. Only way to get there was on the cherry picker. Before I came to work, everybody refuse to drive cherry picker. It went about 80 feet high. Roofer joking, "you guys, work on airplane. fly all the time. we don't believe you scared." "It's only roof high." they said. My Lead Man told them, "those guys afraid heights but wait awhile. One guy not afraid come in." About that time, I come in and he asked me, "Hiro, you help them to use cherry picker to take to tip of the hangar?" I told him, "Yeah. I do for them. Right now. When you ready." I took them in cherry picker. It was cold weather and it was not moving smooth. When start, it jerked and jumped. It go up 80 feet in air. Scary. I told them, 'Let me practice. You guys stay on ground." Still not moving smooth. About 10 minutes I practice up and down. Still jerk and jump. Two roofers talked to Max on the ground. I came down and said, "Ok, Let's go." Roofer said, "Did you operate this cherry picker before?" I answered, "No. First time. But smaller one I did." The roofer said, "that guy told me you wreck every vehicle you own. Is that true?" "Who told you?" I asked. "That guy" they pointed at Max. I said, "Oh Max. Don't believe what he said. He is a chicken. I may wreck some of them." The roofer said, "you know...if you not sure. why not let someone else to drive?" I told him, "This machine cold. warm up and should be ok." "We don't want you to wreck." I told them, "That ok. That is not your problem" I asked them, "Do you have life insurance?" They told me, "No we don't." I said, "the airline has special accidental death. pay good." They said, "No, we don't want to die." "I'm joking" I told them. Soon hit the top. They were in no shape to work. the young guy was shaking. Every time I moved the cherry picker, he cuss, "$@!&!" They want me to go back on the ground. When they hit the ground, Max ask them, "How's the trip?" They don't say a word. They left the job and never came back.
Workers Walk Away Shaken Never to Return
I think this is my favorite story now. I have tears running out of my eyes. I can just imagine how scared everyone was...
ReplyDeleteI can just see you laughing with your hands on the controls, while you have the guys trapped up high with you!
ReplyDeleteIt does make me wonder what other things Daddy had done to make them think he wasn't afraid of anything...
ReplyDeleteAll I could think of was, "Wow, he'd never get by with terrorizing people like that today!"
ReplyDeleteredneckhiro said that he wasn't trying to scare them on purpose. The cherry picker controls wouldn't operate smoothly.
ReplyDelete