https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/380037 Bravo!



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HagU3vUp0Ck
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=webXf5M9shs

Good grief! If that is legit that young lady has my respect, I’ve been close to the top of the Burj Khalifa and it is unbelievably tall.

The how-they-filmed-it Youtube still leaves one with tremendous respect for that woman's grace and courage.

Nicole Smith-Ludvik, is an adventurous woman, parachutist , traveler, hiker and yoga instructor

Not afraid of heights

"Heights" don't bother me, it's the damned "edges".

I've done quite a bit of 'high work' making + installing historical replications of weather vanes etc. but you'd never get me up there where she was. What a trooper!

Falling doesn't hurt much.
It's the sudden stop at the end that does the damage.

Wow! That's quite the feat! They could have gotten Saeed to do it for free, based on his recent post on another issue where he said: "When one lacks a certain amount of what normally resides between the ears, nothing stands in the way!"

We were on a high steel job several years ago + this guy comes up looking for a job. The foreman asked him if he's ever worked high steel before + he said, "Hell, they call me the cat." O.k. get your tools + get up there. Well he only got 3 stories up + was sitting on the I beam scooting himself along. + the foreman said, I thought they called you the cat. The guy says, "You ever see a cat get up on his hind legs + walk a beam?"

We were in the Seychelles.

I saw some birds with very long tail feathers - cannot remember what they are called - landing on the face of a cliff firmed from a broken rock from the main mountain.

I wanted to take pictures of them.

Got my backpack, climbed up.

The broken off rock lays slightly below where I was, across an opening several feet wide, and goes down to the ground about 50-60 feet below.

Utilizing all the functioning matter between my ears, I jumped across.

Took very nice pictures of the birds.

Now I wanted to get back.

Suddenly, it dawned on me that it was not going to be easy.

The other side of the gap I jumped across is HIGHER than where I was.

I looked around to see if there is anyway I could get down.

No way.

Jumping across is the only way.

I threw the backpack across.

I went as far as the other edge - 50-60 feet up.

Then ran as fast as I could, and jumped across.

I made it.

Or I wouldn’t be telling this now.

Next morning, sitting at the beach bar showing everyone the photos, someone asked how I got across the gap.

I said I jumped.

A Spanish gentleman there said “loco!”

quote:

A Spanish gentleman there said “loco!”

He had that one right, Mr. Nice Guy!

I haven't been to old Mexico since the 70s. Then all the street "bambus" knew enough English to harass you, so I only spoke German, which they didn't understand but their universal comment was "Araman es loco." (Germans are crazy)

I had to bring a "rig-building" crew down to Venezuela to re-install the legs after we came under the bridge at Maracaibo. I don't like even watching those guys work. They are crazy in a number of ways. We also flew in welding crews from around Brownsville, Texas.

Before we could leave the airport after they flew in, the rig builders started demeaning the Hispanic welders' heritage. It quieted down when I left one rig builder, the main troublemaker, at the airport. I talked to their crew-chief after we got to the shipyard, and asked where they came up with clowns like the guy I ran-off. He said, "The circus".

Two days later the clown's boss called me and told me he failed to turn up back in the US. We located him in a Maracaibo hotel and escorted him to the airport. Their boss confirmed that about half of the crew had circus experience in their background. They weren't afraid of heights.

To use an American colloquialism- "Oh Hell NO!"

Years ago I was working with a helicopter logging crew. One of the guys was an ex helicopter deer shooter, and those guys were known for doing crazy stuff like climbing the longline while in flight. It was late evening and we were along way back in the bush when the chopper came to pick us up. We headed out to a cliff face and chopper hovered trying to get close enough for us to get in.It was a little Hughes 300. But the trees would not allow him within 5 meters of edge. Pilot is looking around trying to find a solution when my mate just throws his chainsaw at chopper and jumps, landing on the skid and catching chainsaw again. Pilot shits himself and banks away into open air abusing him.
Then calls me on radio and says ok will come back and do the same for you. Fuck off i replied, go land at base, Ill walk out in the dark.

quote:

Originally posted by shankspony:
To use an American colloquialism- "Oh Hell NO!"

Years ago I was working with a helicopter logging crew. One of the guys was an ex helicopter deer shooter, and those guys were known for doing crazy stuff like climbing the longline while in flight. It was late evening and we were along way back in the bush when the chopper came to pick us up. We headed out to a cliff face and chopper hovered trying to get close enough for us to get in.It was a little Hughes 300. But the trees would not allow him within 5 meters of edge. Pilot is looking around trying to find a solution when my mate just throws his chainsaw at chopper and jumps, landing on the skid and catching chainsaw again. Pilot shits himself and banks away into open air abusing him.
Then calls me on radio and says ok will come back and do the same for you. Fuck off i replied, go land at base, Ill walk out in the dark.

Flamingos are great to eat.

There were plenty here in the creek.

But, very hard to get to them.

I asked a friend in the airfare if he would fly us in his helicopter so we can shoot some.

He agreed, just saying "don't shoot the rotors when I turn!"

We got strapped in, and off we went.

We had a boat in the water collecting them.

It was fun!

Especially as he turns and you are hanging almost sideways!

A buddy of mine worked on the off shore oil rigs in the gulf years ago. When he was to come home they sent a helo out to pick him up. He had just got in with his tool box, + the pilot took off + turned sideways as you said. His tool box went out the door down to the sea, but fortunately for Terry he had put on his seat belt as soon as he got in. Otherwise he would have followed the box since the pilot was in too big of a hurry.

I spent a lot of days walking iron
welding. Ran three 4" pipes up the
side of a building 120 feet up sitting
in a safety belt swing seat that cut the
circulation off my legs.

One day way up there the cable shook and I
looked down to see what was going on and
a big white cloud was under me. It kept rising
until almost to me and I smelled ammonia. I had a cutting torch and started sucking oxygen to keep it out of my lungs.

Pretty soon the cable bounced again and
then the bottom fell out from under me.
He'd gotten back in and kicked the brake loose
to get me down. They couldn't see me thru
the cloud.

Turned out a forklift driver hit a valve on
a 30,000 gallon tank of that stuff out behind
the building.
Damn I was glad to get down as it was getting
real close to me, eye's burning etc.

Later they hired a lovely young gal early 20's as a helper. Assigned to me 30' up about 60' walk down the 6" I beam rack.
Girl was wearing a fish net top and no bra. Flat refused to put a leather jacket on. We explained the arc rays would burn her up. Still refused. WTH! Had a job to do, her problem.

We got to the beam and I told her we're going
to walk out there and weld pipe. "ok fine".
She followed me right out and we sat down to
work several hours. Very good helper, one of
the best I had there. By far the loveliest too.

Next day she came in with the same top on. "you bastards tried to tell me I'd get arc burned." Raised her shirt shoulder high to show the red diamonds all over her chest and belly. She had the biggest brightest red nipples you could imagine. Teasing I reached out to touch them and she backed away: "no you don't!"

Foreman sent her to the first aid office to get burn cream on. Supt. came up a couple hours later to tell us they "let her go". Can't have women dressed like that around you guys. What a shame!

George

A buddy of mine was on the wrestling team in college + after many years as a builder he decided to take a part time teaching job at the local university. He says that on the 1st day one of his his students was this gorgeous (very stacked) student-facing him in the crouched position + Chris was looking down the cleavage + just stopped right there. He said I just couldn't do it + I know my wife would never understand.