I'm 68 years old now, when in my late 20s I took a job climbing towers. My first tower was a 2000 footer. I couldn't believe how it swayed, but the view was amazing, But when I got down, I quit. To this day, I can't believe I did that. Now I hate just cleaning the gutters. So much kooto's to the guys who do that everyday. Thank you guys.
I did this for 29 years and now I'm old and broken and can't anymore. Watching this makes me both proud that I was special, and sad that for me it's over. I'm broken because of a head on car wreck coming home from work. How ironic that a career ending accident would happen on the ground and off the jobsite. My salute to the next generation of tower workers. A breed apart.
Salute to you, kind sir! Being a tower worker myself I always wonder how we're constantly training to be better, more efficient and safer up there, while driving on the road is actually less predictable and I think more risky than this job - mostly because on the tower there's smaller group of random people able to screw something up and kill me in the process than there is on the road.
What you experienced was life. You haven't had your whole life destroyed and taken from you. All we hear is someone who wants pity and doesn't deserve it.
What amazes me is that they link their safety harness to a foot peg those last 10 feet, where it could literally just slip right off. The only way you'd get me up 3 stories was if I was unconscious...
I do love watching skilled heli pilots at work. I know this video kind of focuses on the guys (with huge balls) dangling off the corner of that tower but big props to the chopper pilot Daniel. The skills and deft touch required to translate the instructions from the guys into placing that antenna right where it's needed. Amazing, no wonder he's their favourite pilot. Whether it be the heavy lifters like this or powerline repair, logging, rescue, air ambulance / medivac or dropping troops into a hot l/zone, I don't think these heli pilots (and crew) get the recognition they deserve for their skill.
With no shoes but socks on ?? - because if you had socks on then you should be paid at least what these guys are getting for sheer audacity and daring! Well done 'ole mate!
@@beekeeper8474 Billboards here too and when the wind started blowing and the structure started boucing and swaying I couldn't help but picture in my head about falling..now I hate heights.. these guys are awesome !
I climbed a 270' TV tower to do an antennae install in Salem, Oregon as part of my job working for a communication co. Once up there I was able to make the connections but did not think I could get down. Going up is a lot easier just concentrating on the next rung. Going down way worse, I started shaking. The boss wanted me to do it again and I refused said, fire me I'm NOT going again. They were mad and paid an outside climber. Cannot believe some of those guys just go up there and dance around!
Add me to that. I climbed a 500 ft tower in Oman with the riggers for a safety inspection. It took me over an hour to climb up but two hours to come down. As you say, looking at the next rung going up is straightforward but as you come down, the natural instinct is to look down and that's when it all kicks in. Rigers are not paid enough.
As you watch these tower videos, wander away in your mind for a minute and marvel at the strength of steel. It's almost unimaginable that something this tall and heavy can look so delicate and still stand up to the loads and forces put on it. Now back to the action. Props to the people who build and climb these structures for a living. I've climbed tall difficult rocks that would curl your hair but tower work looks scary as hell to me. (Edit)) But, I did almost get into tower work when I was younger. Scary is not necessarily bad.
Uh..."flying skills" not really involved here. A computer - or several - is flying the chopper. Probably monitoring a few thousand inputs per second. No human could handfly with this degree of accuracy...
Yep I'm sure your right Leon. The computer that controls the anti torque rotor can calibrate the bolt hole alignment to with that finer degree. Damn good gps ! ultimately the final control of the cyclic and collective will still come down to the judgement of the pilot.
@@kymtaylor5433 I've spent a lot of years in the Four Peaks wilderness area east of Phoenix. Back in the 80's McDonnell Douglas would flight test Apache gunships out there. There was this one particular chopper that would do hover tests up against the side of side of a hill about a mile away. Every afternoon when the wind kicked up. It would hang there for an hour and more. In exactly the same spot. So one morning I hiked over there with my 10.X 50's and my Nikon F with a long lens. I positioned myself a couple hundred above. Maybe 300 feet distant. Right on schedule he shows up. Did three or four rolls of film. What amazed me is that the pilot was reading a magazine the entire time. Totally hands off. The breeze was gusting coming up off the desert floor. Kicking up pretty good. The Apache was like a rock. This was over 30 years ago. Before Windows 95. The PC was still 386. No pictures. No video. Now we're looking at AI-assisted flight controls. In the near future the flight crew of a large commercial airliner will be a pilot and a Doberman Pinscher. The pilot will monitor the instruments and the dog will bite him if he touches anything.
Back in my younger days I did a little tower climbing to around 300-350ft. but these dudes are way way above that. As a young guy I sort of got a thrill out of doing it but now just watching these guys makes me a bit nervous. They earn every dollar they make which I can assure you isn't enough. Good on you guys!!!
I remember quite a few years back driving through the U.P. in Michigan when my friend says looking at a 1000' radio tower in the distance, "I've changed the strobe bulbs on the top of that". Turns out when he was young that was his job, a radio tower maintenance guy. Hanging off the bottom of a chopper in a sling replacing strobe bulbs. Balls of steel.
I have worked on 🇬🇧 UK TV Broadcast masts and swopped out AWL’s on numerous occasions and never have I heard of a helicopter being used with a man sitting in a sling 🤦🏻♂️😂 I would defo question your mates integrity 🤥 Charlie
I literally imagined what would happen if they dropped one of the nuts. I'm sure they must go up with extras. But can you imagine being the guy told to go down to find it?
Did this years back. Super underappreciated job that comes with extremely long hours, long and dangerous drives, high stress environment, and very very little family time.
This is so crazy... I remember seeing the helicopter over the tower after school one afternoon, then this got randomly recommended to me and I got to see it from this perspective! super cool
These are clearly consummate professionals. I'd love to hear short voice-over on one of these videos of the protocol that they adhere to so the job goes smooth.Thank you for posting!
Id love to do this. As broadcast engineers we aren't allowed to climb the towers anymore. I remember my first job as an engineer my Chief mentioned our STL was off angle. I wanted to make a good impression so I climbed the 150 feet or so and repointed the dish which was a side mount line of sight. The next day he commented how it amazingly cured itself over night. I told him I climbed the tower and fixed it after the work day. He said he wasnt sure if he should be mad at me for taking the risk or happy that I took the initiative. That was almost 30 years ago, and Im still in radio, Lol.
what a sweet video - this is poetry in motion guys! even placing the fasteners sounds like beethoven (to these ears)! Great work by the pilot(s) but more importantly ----this is a guyed wire installation. every force on the structure must be balanced precisely by an opposing force on opposite side, within limits. the fact that the other two masts (at 0 and 120 degree) had been placed leaves very little room for any error by the helicopter or the crew at the top of the platform. UA-cam antenna tower failures just to see how easy it is to get 'out of spec' - great work and thank you for posting this wonderful video!
@@daviddavidson2111 Did a quick google. It's around $56k Median so the upper levels get paid nicely. They probably either work contract by the hour or wages in a company. Either way, not terrible. The heli crew probably get even more
I was an Antenna Specialist in the USAF. I never got to work on this tall of an antenna. 400 feet was the tallest. We built two 400 feet Loran C antennas in the middle of winter in S.Korea in January and February 1980.
I used to have to climb the mast on an aircraft carrier to replace bulbs and check electrical connections. I would say that was about the max I could do. Hats off to these guys. Kudos.
@@16thdave You are so wrong its not even close to correct. Maybe some of the senior guys make that much, but I doubt it. I worked on cell tower equipment on the ground, and talked to climbers and they don't make that much. The company itself charges a crazy amount to have the people to climb, but the insurance they have to carry is incredibly high.
I climbed towers and I’m still working, don’t climb towers anymore but your not retiring early unless you fall off the tower and live. James C is spot on with his comment!
Es increible ¡¡¡¡ Que valor, habilidad y precisión del personal técnico y del piloto en el helicóptero para lograr la proeza de instalar la antena, Felicitaciones a todos ellos ¡¡¡¡ Gracias a su pericia contribuyen para comunicarnos como nunca. Saludos a todos
When they climb all the way down and call it a day, there must be a sense of relief from the stress of working at such incredible heights as well as a sense of satisfaction for a job well done.
they have to climb up it anyway to grab all the rigging. I believe that chopper detaches the load itself but there's still straps and rigging to grab off it. That's what the pegs are for. I do this for a living but havent had any chopper jobs yet. Another fun fact -- to climb those antennas you have no safe tie off point, you can tie off to the pegs but they aren't rated for a fall load, just for resting.
Phil Schultz Even if all of the Rigging were self detaching, someone is going to have to change the Bulbs in the Navigation Lamps atop the Antenna at some point anyways and s/he can grab the Camera on their way past.
Boss: Earl, where is the drill? Earl: Drill? what drill? It was in top of your tool box by the wall of the building. I though you took it, Boss: Damm you. go back down and get it. Earl: I don't think so. If I go down I'm not coming back up. You can fired me if you want
He says “sure thing boss I will hurry“ They watch him climb all the way down and when he reaches the ground he walks directly to his pickup; from there he drove to the unemployment office.
I was in Texas when a tower went down it killed seven it was 1700 ft. tall I believe that was in 79-80 I was a helicopter crew chief and we flew around these tall towers often. Later after the service I worked in the cable industry we had a tower that was 450 ft and I climbed it for maintenance issues a few times. The worst part was you had to climb it no elevator or cable to lift you up and with your safety belt and tools it wasn't easy definitely a young man's game these guys it probably takes them a few hours to get up to where they are working so yeah the double burrito at taco bell isn't a good idea the day before you climb!!
Dude have you watched the video of the guy climbing the highest radio tower on earth? I about died and I wasn't even there. I actually had the opportunity to change a lightbulb in one, well attempt. I got just past half way up as noped the hell out. The climb up takes forever better pack a lunch!! Hats off to you guys, freaking mad Men, true badassery at its finest 👏 👌 🙌
“Hey honey....how was your day?” “Well you know what ? You wouldn’t believe me! The cat got stuck up in the tree so I had to climb up 3 meters to get it. What about you?” .....
These fellas have nerves of steel watching the ground crane getting smaller as they went higher I was getting chest shivers my God that was high well done to these guys.
We shared a warehouse/office with a company that installed, maintained, and removed communication towers. The crews they used were 90% ex-rangers and seals, and the remaining few were the extreme sports types, especially mountain climbers. They make a lot of money, at least these guys did, and they were beyond crazy, seriously. It was always interesting when a crew was loading trucks for a big job.
Like how y'all used that steel sling as a longer spud. I was wondering how broadcast boys did these. I've done chopper gigs flying booms and we land them into webbed slings and gravity keeps them from flopping around. Then mount them with hardware.
Watching this video made my stomach turn and my palms sweat. I have such an acrophobia that I am scared of my own height. I wish my eyes and brain were located in my midriff area. That gain of about 3 feet would have been a huge help.
I was seriously wondering if these guys carried parachutes! (BTW, love your name and picture. I love the whole 100 series. I have read When Thunder Rolled by Ed Rasimus who flew Thuds in Vietnam. A great book!)
Nothing like working 1000 feet off the ground, I've done tree removal work and 125 feet but this takes it to a different level. Has to be an adrenaline rush.
I hear ya. I rappelled into underground caverns some 200ft straight down, and gone ziplining for 1/2 mile 200+ft. off the ground. The adrenaline cancels out our fear. Only afterwards does it hit you: "HOLY CRAP! I just did that!"
35 years in the Merchant Navy and I learned that with vertically bolted flanges, the bolts go down - head uppermost, nut on the bottom - always. The reason? - water flows downwards - if the nut is on the bottom, the threads stay dry - if the nut is on the top, water will work its way into the threads and rot them -and your nut and bolt becomes useless.
Jim Hoppy Whenever Falling from a great height remember to kick off against the wall with your Right Leg. It won't do anything to Stop your Fall, but it will Turn you Around, so that you can enjoy the great view on your way down.
@KILLING⚡HEROS BenQ 1080p. It's a model from about 7-8 years ago that i got on sale a couple years back for 470 bucks. a similar model is hard to for new for under 700 bucks now. if you are shopping for a projector the best brands for the money are Benq and Optoma. my projector is semi short throw and creates my 165 inch screen at 15 foot distance. bulb on ECO mode is 6500 hours which means i got to replace a 75 dollar bulb every two years. my bulb is at 4900 hrs which means i got to replace it in about 6 months from using the projector on average for 8-10 hours a day. i think the 1080p projector looks better than my cheap 4k tv because the color accuracy is way higher. if you got a big flat wall a projector is the way to go. 3D movies are better with DLP link at home than they were at the movie theaters because the tech works better.
We live today in a connected world and it wouldn't be there if it weren't for us. Salute to us. You might be the only one in your harness but it took a lot of people to get you there. The communication industry is filled with some of the finest and smartest people on earth. At least until they leave the field and put on a suit and tie.
Having to do a number two immediately might be a bad option for you. It could be seriously worse for someone stood below looking up admiringly at the antenna!
Awesome install. Ive never had the chance to use an air crane for a tower. Used it to set a shelter up a mountain and cabinets on a rooftop. Tried to fly a tower into nyc but got shut down lol.
I'm a private pilot and don't have any problem flying, obviously but, just watching this makes my balls ache, literally LOL. OH MAN it's hard to watch!
Same with the workers who have to climb these antenna towers to do maintenance. Free climbing with minimal safety gear. ua-cam.com/video/tgO4Gd4RhvM/v-deo.html
@@marcse7en Yep. I climb and hang off of wind turbines. Regularly climb 600ft met towers. After the first time its no big deal. Business as usual. Haven't notices my balls getting any bigger in all these years climbing.
Their starting process is enough to make me cancel their insurance if I was that guy. The way they were detaching from the crane was enough to make you wonder if they have ever done that part of this install before.
Basic economics you dumbass. Supply and demand. Sports brings in billions of dollars. You wanna redistribute the wealth? Sounds like communist propaganda citizen.
I'm 68 years old now, when in my late 20s I took a job climbing towers. My first tower was a 2000 footer. I couldn't believe how it swayed, but the view was amazing, But when I got down, I quit. To this day, I can't believe I did that. Now I hate just cleaning the gutters. So much kooto's to the guys who do that everyday. Thank you guys.
Once was enough? ;)
A good job you did not freeze up there. I know I likely would have.
You worked 400 feet high tower antenne?
I did this for 29 years and now I'm old and broken and can't anymore. Watching this makes me both proud that I was special, and sad that for me it's over. I'm broken because of a head on car wreck coming home from work. How ironic that a career ending accident would happen on the ground and off the jobsite. My salute to the next generation of tower workers. A breed apart.
Salute to you, kind sir! Being a tower worker myself I always wonder how we're constantly training to be better, more efficient and safer up there, while driving on the road is actually less predictable and I think more risky than this job - mostly because on the tower there's smaller group of random people able to screw something up and kill me in the process than there is on the road.
What you experienced was life. You haven't had your whole life destroyed and taken from you. All we hear is someone who wants pity and doesn't deserve it.
@@universalmother Such a cold hearted answer.
@@user-bj4lp3fr1o It isn't cold hearted. You humans are selfish.
@@user-bj4lp3fr1o It isn't cold. You humans only care about you. Selfish to the end.
Not only is the pilot incredibly good, those tower guys have balls of titanium!
and very large ones too!
Those jobs are so cool I'd do them for free just for the fun! Unless I had to climb up there, I'd want to get paid for that. Ugh.
What amazes me is that they link their safety harness to a foot peg those last 10 feet, where it could literally just slip right off. The only way you'd get me up 3 stories was if I was unconscious...
NAW, Its said that Diamonds R the hardest materials known to man🤔 SO, Perhaps “DIAMOND NUTS” would suffice😁 👍 “GIT’ER D U U U U N E”...
@@TheBsavage KNOCK YER SELF OUT😂
I do love watching skilled heli pilots at work. I know this video kind of focuses on the guys (with huge balls) dangling off the corner of that tower but big props to the chopper pilot Daniel. The skills and deft touch required to translate the instructions from the guys into placing that antenna right where it's needed. Amazing, no wonder he's their favourite pilot.
Whether it be the heavy lifters like this or powerline repair, logging, rescue, air ambulance / medivac or dropping troops into a hot l/zone, I don't think these heli pilots (and crew) get the recognition they deserve for their skill.
Very well said brother❤
I guarantee those guys “dangling off the corner” have huge respect for the pilots’s skill!!
O M G in heaven! WOOT!
I used to be a firefighter and used to some heights But these guys are in another league. Hats off guys
They're fine. They have helmets on.
@@YippyKiYayMrFalcon useful if they fall 🥺
You were in the Minor Leagues while these guy are in the Majors. lol
They are going to new heights!
@@YippyKiYayMrFalcon
😂😂😂😂
Not to brag, but I changed the lightbulb in my hallway last week while standing on a kitchen chair.
Well I hope the fuck you was double hooked ✅✅
@@openrange4999 and of course, A SAFETY NET ,
@@openrange4999 😂😂 Safety first!
With no shoes but socks on ??
- because if you had socks on then you should be paid at least what these guys are getting for sheer audacity and daring!
Well done 'ole mate!
Whoaaaaa !
I’ve been watching these videos for years, and now I can say I do this for a living!
Hey cool!
You are one crazy dude
For me, this is a 9.9 on the Sphincter Scale.
Yeah, no kidding. Join the club.
Those guys are everyday heroes to me.
howardstern'sphinctersayswha??
🤣😂🤣 I can feel it tightening as I watch this 😂🤣
Definate puckerage
Amazing to watch, never ceases to amaze me how some people are ok with heights like this. great video!
By using the mindset that a 20 foot fall could kill you.
I used to do billboard till one day I slipped on a 80' my PPE saved my ass but ever since I couldn't even get more than 10 feet before I lost it.
Thank god there's guys like this, you ain't getting me up there!
@@beekeeper8474 Billboards here too and when the wind started blowing and the structure started boucing and swaying I couldn't help but picture in my head about falling..now I hate heights.. these guys are awesome !
Whether you fall from 100 ft or 1,000 ft, the impact is the same.
It takes nerves of steel just to watch this.
I darn near ripped the arm off my recliner.
I climbed a 270' TV tower to do an antennae install in Salem, Oregon as part of my job working for a communication co. Once up there I was able to make the connections but did not think I could get down. Going up is a lot easier just concentrating on the next rung. Going down way worse, I started shaking. The boss wanted me to do it again and I refused said, fire me I'm NOT going again. They were mad and paid an outside climber. Cannot believe some of those guys just go up there and dance around!
ya'll are half bonkers, I mean you got the massive EMFs to fry you as well as the insane heights and other dangers...gotta be a better way.
and yeah, cats have trouble getting back down sometimes 2, common dilemma.
Add me to that. I climbed a 500 ft tower in Oman with the riggers for a safety inspection. It took me over an hour to climb up but two hours to come down. As you say, looking at the next rung going up is straightforward but as you come down, the natural instinct is to look down and that's when it all kicks in. Rigers are not paid enough.
And thats why the clanging we hear isnt the tools or bolts, its the immense balls theae guys have swinging around hitting the metal.
Never in a million years. I wouldn't get ten feet off the ground!
UN-f'in-believable flying skill! I'm a 5,500 hour fixed wing ATPL and I still am amazed at the skill of helo pilots!
As you watch these tower videos, wander away in your mind for a minute and marvel at the strength of steel. It's almost unimaginable that something this tall and heavy can look so delicate and still stand up to the loads and forces put on it. Now back to the action. Props to the people who build and climb these structures for a living. I've climbed tall difficult rocks that would curl your hair but tower work looks scary as hell to me.
(Edit)) But, I did almost get into tower work when I was younger. Scary is not necessarily bad.
Ye steel is nuts. I've always said I would parachute or bungee jump, but these towers just look scary to climb lol.
@@Hateious Yeah man. They say you can feel 'em flexing and swaying too. Lightning is the biggest danger.
My knees became jelly just watching this.
I have a fear of heights. How these guys can do this amazes me
They're probably afraid of spiders and snakes.
@Rage Theatre2020 tbh some of the guys I work with would be loaded up on vodka and cocaine.. but from the night before.. road work / tower rigger life
I reroofed my own house and I settled for satellite tv. I know I couldn’t work on a tower.
@@nico8587d actually its easier to climb a tower than stand on a roof for me. The highest I have climbed is 100 meters
@@doninventura9474 Actually most of us fear closed spaces.
Simply awesome, with regards to both the helicopter pilot and the the mast technicians. A great team.
That is example of supreme flying skills. Extremely skilled pilot one slip of judgement in aligning that thing and it becomes a tragedy .
Looks like a team effort to me, the pilot is skilled no doubt, but the guys on the iron are an example of supreme brass balls.
Uh..."flying skills" not really involved here. A computer - or several - is flying the chopper. Probably monitoring a few thousand inputs per second. No human could handfly with this degree of accuracy...
Yep I'm sure your right Leon. The computer that controls the anti torque rotor can calibrate the bolt hole alignment to with that finer degree. Damn good gps ! ultimately the final control of the cyclic and collective will still come down to the judgement of the pilot.
That's why external load is the most difficult rating to obtain
@@kymtaylor5433 I've spent a lot of years in the Four Peaks wilderness area east of Phoenix. Back in the 80's McDonnell Douglas would flight test Apache gunships out there.
There was this one particular chopper that would do hover tests up against the side of side of a hill about a mile away. Every afternoon when the wind kicked up. It would hang there for an hour and more. In exactly the same spot.
So one morning I hiked over there with my 10.X 50's and my Nikon F with a long lens. I positioned myself a couple hundred above. Maybe 300 feet distant.
Right on schedule he shows up. Did three or four rolls of film.
What amazed me is that the pilot was reading a magazine the entire time. Totally hands off. The breeze was gusting coming up off the desert floor. Kicking up pretty good. The Apache was like a rock.
This was over 30 years ago. Before Windows 95. The PC was still 386. No pictures. No video.
Now we're looking at AI-assisted flight controls.
In the near future the flight crew of a large commercial airliner will be a pilot and a Doberman Pinscher. The pilot will monitor the instruments and the dog will bite him if he touches anything.
These towers are amazing feats of engineering, how they handle that unbalanced load so high with remaining rigid is amazing
The guy wires evenly distribute the load over a wider area.
😊😅q 3:53 is theN. N. M
M
Incredible coordination and trust among all involved. That's what it takes to build monumental structures like towers.
I’ve watched a lot of tower vids. This is the first one that’s ever made me feel queasy.
Check out "Stairway to Heaven" tower climb. Nutz!
I agree, these guys have got to be crazy to even think about doing this job.
I'm a man and all, fought for my country, but there is no way I could ever do that.... Hats off to them that do this.
Thanks for your service.
Massive respect for what you people do. Testament to human ingenuity. I don’t even know if I’ll be able to sleep tonight.
how big is the respect
Back in my younger days I did a little tower climbing to around 300-350ft. but these dudes are way way above that. As a young guy I sort of got a thrill out of doing it but now just watching these guys makes me a bit nervous. They earn every dollar they make which I can assure you isn't enough. Good on you guys!!!
WOW! I feel like I should get paid just for watching this!
Respect!!!
I like this comment. Thank you.
I remember quite a few years back driving through the U.P. in Michigan when my friend says looking at a 1000' radio tower in the distance, "I've changed the strobe bulbs on the top of that". Turns out when he was young that was his job, a radio tower maintenance guy. Hanging off the bottom of a chopper in a sling replacing strobe bulbs. Balls of steel.
I have worked on 🇬🇧 UK TV Broadcast masts and swopped out AWL’s on numerous occasions and never have I heard of a helicopter being used with a man sitting in a sling 🤦🏻♂️😂 I would defo question your mates integrity 🤥 Charlie
They don't typically ride a chopper to replace strobes. They climb the masts.
Mike Wolfe from Iron Mountain?
We climb man. They aren't going to spring for a chopper to take you up their and change a bulb.
@@davidwhitehouse8920 it does seem a bit insane
6:45 "Waddaya mean "Do I have the nuts and the bolts?"
"I thought YOU had 'em."
I literally imagined what would happen if they dropped one of the nuts. I'm sure they must go up with extras. But can you imagine being the guy told to go down to find it?
Now that's funny!
FSDraconis Finding dropped equipment is dead simple. It always lands dead centre of the most expensive piece of equipment on the ground below.
Bolts? Yes. But I don’t have the nuts for this.
@@FSDraconis Or the guy UNDER the dropped one. OUCH
Did this years back. Super underappreciated job that comes with extremely long hours, long and dangerous drives, high stress environment, and very very little family time.
We work to take care of family.
You were probably pretty well paid however..?
How high are these guys anyway?? Any idea??
@@SDPBALLCOACH 1000 ft per the video description
Almost sounds like railroading, LOL.
Why did you do it, must have been something in it?
I thought I was gonna fall off the toilet just watching this.. Them boys up that tower are different breed.
Thank god there are people that can do this kind of work...I'm about to pass out just watching this from the safety of my office chair.
Great effort from the pilot to get it in position and hold it steady.
This is so crazy... I remember seeing the helicopter over the tower after school one afternoon, then this got randomly recommended to me and I got to see it from this perspective! super cool
Because they're watching you 👀
gives new meaning the the phrase, "You don't have to be crazy to work here, but it helps..."
These are clearly consummate professionals. I'd love to hear short voice-over on one of these videos of the protocol that they adhere to so the job goes smooth.Thank you for posting!
There won't be many words spoken - they all know exactly what they are doing.
Guys who do these kind of jobs have balls of steel I'd be shaking in my pants, kudos!
Id love to do this. As broadcast engineers we aren't allowed to climb the towers anymore. I remember my first job as an engineer my Chief mentioned our STL was off angle. I wanted to make a good impression so I climbed the 150 feet or so and repointed the dish which was a side mount line of sight. The next day he commented how it amazingly cured itself over night. I told him I climbed the tower and fixed it after the work day. He said he wasnt sure if he should be mad at me for taking the risk or happy that I took the initiative. That was almost 30 years ago, and Im still in radio, Lol.
And WKRP in Cincinnati is still broadcasting today..
@StringerNews1 is he ok because of the radiation?
@@SDPBALLCOACHmy first thoughts! 😂
I feel this in my lower back and pelvis, I am backing away from my computer and leaning all nervous and whatnot like I am there!!! Much MUCH respect!!
Super woosie watching this. Instant fight or flight.
what a sweet video - this is poetry in motion guys! even placing the fasteners sounds like beethoven (to these ears)! Great work by the pilot(s) but more importantly ----this is a guyed wire installation. every force on the structure must be balanced precisely by an opposing force on opposite side, within limits. the fact that the other two masts (at 0 and 120 degree) had been placed leaves very little room for any error by the helicopter or the crew at the top of the platform. UA-cam antenna tower failures just to see how easy it is to get 'out of spec' - great work and thank you for posting this wonderful video!
Agree, love the fasteners part. Now trying to explain this fasteners love to wife...
Whatever they're paid is not enough!
It's totally enough. They're doing it, aren't they? Heck, I'd do it for minimum wage. It looks like fun.
It would be nice to know how much they get paid. Anybody know?
@@daviddavidson2111 Did a quick google. It's around $56k Median so the upper levels get paid nicely. They probably either work contract by the hour or wages in a company. Either way, not terrible. The heli crew probably get even more
Thanks for the info. I bet it gets the heart going, wouldn't mind trying it once though, with a bit of tuition beforehand.
I was an Antenna Specialist in the USAF. I never got to work on this tall of an antenna. 400 feet was the tallest. We built two 400 feet Loran C antennas in the middle of winter in S.Korea in January and February 1980.
Yet another entry in my list of things I will never do.
c'mon, Nic! Name a few others!
me: I WILL NOT Date my wife's only husband! I wont do it, man. It's wrong where I come from, nic, man.nic man.
I used to have to climb the mast on an aircraft carrier to replace bulbs and check electrical connections. I would say that was about the max I could do. Hats off to these guys. Kudos.
Discipline rules the day. These are professionals that deserve their wages.
I don't know how much you think they get paid, but it's generally less than $20/hr. I think they are worth 4 or 5 times that.
@@wirenutt57 No way its 20 hr more like 80 to 120.00 probably 80 an hour on top of reg pay
@@wirenutt57 LOL. These guys make bank and retire early.
TooManyHobbies
Deserve? EARN! Gets my knees week on my I-pad...
@@16thdave You are so wrong its not even close to correct. Maybe some of the senior guys make that much, but I doubt it. I worked on cell tower equipment on the ground, and talked to climbers and they don't make that much. The company itself charges a crazy amount to have the people to climb, but the insurance they have to carry is incredibly high.
Whatever these guys are getting paid, it's not enough.
I started at 11.00 he in 1999. Got a dollar more in 30 days.
I agree. Whatever it is is not enough. They have my utmost respect
They are safe up there, with their safety line attached.
@@globe255 until a gust of wind blows the helo sideways or down(neither one is good) at the wrong time and viola, everyone is dead.
I wouldn’t be surprised if these guys enjoy it so much that it barely matters. Anyone willing to do this must have some crazy thrill seeking needs.
that antennae went soooo straight up that i was wondering how the hell they got a crane on top of one of those slender towers. superb flying, Daniel!!
It's amazing that something that's so narrow and tall can remain upright.
Guy cables
@@kenyonprunty5758 didn't see any on the way up?
That's what she said..........
@@TheJer-jg4nz lolz. u win the net for this month.
@@TheJer-jg4nz nature made.
I felt like I needed a safety line attached to the wall just to watch this.
Professional athletes are way over paid. These guys are underpaid in comparison.
I climbed towers and I’m still working, don’t climb towers anymore but your not retiring early unless you fall off the tower and live. James C is spot on with his comment!
I'd like to see them take Colin Kapernick up there
Ken
And then gravity bring him back down?
True but no one pays to watch them do it.
@@MichaelsJohnDeere gotta love that $20-30 an hour wage. I miss broadcast..
I'm getting cramped knees just watching this video. Huge respect for these people!
Es increible ¡¡¡¡ Que valor, habilidad y precisión del personal técnico y del piloto en el helicóptero para lograr la proeza de instalar la antena, Felicitaciones a todos ellos ¡¡¡¡ Gracias a su pericia contribuyen para comunicarnos como nunca. Saludos a todos
Good bunch of brothers that's does this work. My hat is off to all of the fallen and their families.
When they climb all the way down and call it a day, there must be a sense of relief from the stress of working at such incredible heights as well as a sense of satisfaction for a job well done.
Boss - "Great job, but who is going to climb up to get my camera back?"
they have to climb up it anyway to grab all the rigging. I believe that chopper detaches the load itself but there's still straps and rigging to grab off it. That's what the pegs are for. I do this for a living but havent had any chopper jobs yet. Another fun fact -- to climb those antennas you have no safe tie off point, you can tie off to the pegs but they aren't rated for a fall load, just for resting.
Phil Schultz Even if all of the Rigging were self detaching, someone is going to have to change the Bulbs in the Navigation Lamps atop the Antenna at some point anyways and s/he can grab the Camera on their way past.
FUCK your camera!!!!
" It's Your Camera Boss"
I’ll pay for the damn camera myself, before you make me go get that one way up there.
I heard that this is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Your right, what ever they're getting paid definitely isn't enough.
Boss: Earl, where is the drill?
Earl: Drill? what drill? It was in top of your tool box by the wall of the building. I though you took it,
Boss: Damm you. go back down and get it.
Earl: I don't think so. If I go down I'm not coming back up. You can fired me if you want
Boss: "Oh, you're gunna get it, one way or another. You can climb down on your own, or I'll get you there...faster." :O
joe quillun OK BOSS! I’LL BE TWO MINUTES!!
He says “sure thing boss I will hurry“
They watch him climb all the way down and when he reaches the ground he walks directly to his pickup; from there he drove to the unemployment office.
Funny. But in reality their tools are brought up on another load so they don't have to hike it up there.
@@joepromedio spoil sport. :)
That goes on my reverse bucket list , known as " things i will never do because i would die of fright ".
Man....I climb towers....but you will never catch me on broadcast towers. Yall are a different breed! Much respect.
Words can’t even describe how good that helo pilot is.
I was in Texas when a tower went down it killed seven it was 1700 ft. tall I believe that was in 79-80 I was a helicopter crew chief and we flew around these tall towers often. Later after the service I worked in the cable industry we had a tower that was 450 ft and I climbed it for maintenance issues a few times. The worst part was you had to climb it no elevator or cable to lift you up and with your safety belt and tools it wasn't easy definitely a young man's game these guys it probably takes them a few hours to get up to where they are working so yeah the double burrito at taco bell isn't a good idea the day before you climb!!
These guys are fearless! Incredible!
These guys have a pretty cool job, never boring.
Dude have you watched the video of the guy climbing the highest radio tower on earth? I about died and I wasn't even there. I actually had the opportunity to change a lightbulb in one, well attempt. I got just past half way up as noped the hell out. The climb up takes forever better pack a lunch!! Hats off to you guys, freaking mad Men, true badassery at its finest 👏 👌 🙌
Some people earn their pay a little more than the rest of us.
Exactly, and it is the reason All construction workers deserve better pay around the World!
And believe it or not id say most of those guys love what they do.
Ive made less than any of you! You wanna go?! Cmon budy
“Hey honey....how was your day?”
“Well you know what ? You wouldn’t believe me! The cat got stuck up in the tree so I had to climb up 3 meters to get it. What about you?”
.....
He has to be the best helicopter pilot in the world!! God Bless him!!
It’s a women pilot.
The wide angle lens makes it look higher than it actually is. It's really about 20 feet from the ground.
These fellas have nerves of steel watching the ground crane getting smaller as they went higher I was getting chest shivers my God that was high well done to these guys.
We shared a warehouse/office with a company that installed, maintained, and removed communication towers. The crews they used were 90% ex-rangers and seals, and the remaining few were the extreme sports types, especially mountain climbers. They make a lot of money, at least these guys did, and they were beyond crazy, seriously. It was always interesting when a crew was loading trucks for a big job.
It’s not as good paid in the UK as some think. On average they get £32k per year. I got more for sitting in airconditioned office.
Like how y'all used that steel sling as a longer spud. I was wondering how broadcast boys did these. I've done chopper gigs flying booms and we land them into webbed slings and gravity keeps them from flopping around. Then mount them with hardware.
Round of applause to you all 👏👏👏
Absolute balls of steel
I guarantee you your not paid enough
Watching this video made my stomach turn and my palms sweat. I have such an acrophobia that I am scared of my own height. I wish my eyes and brain were located in my midriff area. That gain of about 3 feet would have been a huge help.
I’m sorry but these guys are fricken incredible to me!!
Wow!!!! This is really impressive 😊
Somewhere, Igor Sikorsky is smiling.
igorsikorski'ssphinctersayswha??
At his namesake airport in Stratford Connecticut, next to Lordship.
Makes you want to bring along your parafoil parachute so when you've finished the job you can add to your BASE resume.
I was seriously wondering if these guys carried parachutes!
(BTW, love your name and picture. I love the whole 100 series. I have read When Thunder Rolled by Ed Rasimus who flew Thuds in Vietnam. A great book!)
@@johnrandall125 Thanks. Great book by a great pilot. Hard to believe half a century has passed since then.
And get shredded by the guy wires.
Nothing like working 1000 feet off the ground, I've done tree removal work and 125 feet but this takes it to a different level. Has to be an adrenaline rush.
I hear ya. I rappelled into underground caverns some 200ft straight down, and gone ziplining for 1/2 mile 200+ft. off the ground. The adrenaline cancels out our fear. Only afterwards does it hit you: "HOLY CRAP! I just did that!"
Great effort and appreciate the unique skillset this team has........
35 years in the Merchant Navy and I learned that with vertically bolted flanges, the bolts go down - head uppermost, nut on the bottom - always. The reason? - water flows downwards - if the nut is on the bottom, the threads stay dry - if the nut is on the top, water will work its way into the threads and rot them -and your nut and bolt becomes useless.
I fell 6 tears ago and broke my back. It took me 3 shots at watching this to finish the video because I was shacking
Jim Hoppy Whenever Falling from a great height remember to kick off against the wall with your Right Leg.
It won't do anything to Stop your Fall, but it will Turn you Around, so that you can enjoy the great view on your way down.
Would parachutes be of any use? Or just too much stuff?
Kids, this is called job. Social influencer is NOT. Pay respect to them (especially the one on the left edge with a bare hand...).
Whatever makes money and feeds you and/or your family is a job.
or the other way...job done in pyjamas is not hard
@@havoc1482 nah. streaming on twitch to incels with your tits hanging out isnt a job. and ripping people off isnt a job either
Watching this on my 165 inch projector screen almost gave me vertigo!
I’m watching it on an iPad and it’s making me dizzy! The perspective of the height is mind staggering.
@KILLING⚡HEROS BenQ 1080p. It's a model from about 7-8 years ago that i got on sale a couple years back for 470 bucks. a similar model is hard to for new for under 700 bucks now. if you are shopping for a projector the best brands for the money are Benq and Optoma. my projector is semi short throw and creates my 165 inch screen at 15 foot distance. bulb on ECO mode is 6500 hours which means i got to replace a 75 dollar bulb every two years. my bulb is at 4900 hrs which means i got to replace it in about 6 months from using the projector on average for 8-10 hours a day. i think the 1080p projector looks better than my cheap 4k tv because the color accuracy is way higher. if you got a big flat wall a projector is the way to go. 3D movies are better with DLP link at home than they were at the movie theaters because the tech works better.
My palms are soaked as i sit here watching this from the comfort of my bedroom!
We live today in a connected world and it wouldn't be there if it weren't for us. Salute to us. You might be the only one in your harness but it took a lot of people to get you there. The communication industry is filled with some of the finest and smartest people on earth. At least until they leave the field and put on a suit and tie.
Worse nightmare, waking up in the morning on top one of these. 😂😂😂😂😂
Second nightmare, have to do a number 2 like now 😳😳😳😳
In the tower technician trade, that's called a "mud falcon".
Then mud falcons it would be😂😂😂
Having to do a number two immediately might be a bad option for you. It could be seriously worse for someone stood below looking up admiringly at the antenna!
John Randall yep I agree never look up 🤣
This job is not for the faint of heart.
Nor is it a job for the faint of intestines cause I don't see a port-a-potty up there.
You could pee off the side and it would become a cloud before it hit the ground.
@@AndrewR-lv9qr what about taking a crap ?
@@derekhall1934 blame it on the birds...
@@AndrewR-lv9qr 😆
@@AndrewR-lv9qr bruh imagine just walking by and some shit traveling at terminal velocity smashes through your skull
Frickin massive heights I could die great people they have big heart 💪💪💪
Awesome install. Ive never had the chance to use an air crane for a tower. Used it to set a shelter up a mountain and cabinets on a rooftop. Tried to fly a tower into nyc but got shut down lol.
Seriously skilled pilot, the climber’s have HUGE BALLS👏👏👏MUCH RESPECT guys
A perfect example of insanity....but damn those guys, and pilot, have serious balls!
I'm a private pilot and don't have any problem flying, obviously but, just watching this makes my balls ache, literally LOL. OH MAN it's hard to watch!
Same with the workers who have to climb these antenna towers to do maintenance. Free climbing with minimal safety gear.
ua-cam.com/video/tgO4Gd4RhvM/v-deo.html
Just watching those guy hanging out in mid air from that tower made my balls shrink to mustard seed size!!!!!!!
When men work at height, the SIZE OF THEIR TESTICLES always seem to crop up in the comments! It's VERY BORING! For God's sake, be more ORIGINAL! 👎👎👎
@@marcse7en Yep. I climb and hang off of wind turbines. Regularly climb 600ft met towers. After the first time its no big deal. Business as usual. Haven't notices my balls getting any bigger in all these years climbing.
And these folks are trusting the engineers that said ‘Yep, no problem.’
No frigging way...
Now, just imagine if the chopper pilot had went into a sneezing fit about the time they put the first few bolts in.
Music to my ears. No music thank you. Gloriously quiet helicopter too. Filtered that out in post?
Only post I get is through the letterbox. I know what you mean but no need to shorten the sen
Would love to have a go at that. The buzz you would get. Fair play lads .
Just insane, I’d need enough to retire comfortably to do this just once....
6:56 :
"Okay, now hand me the bolts and nuts."
"Ermmm... What bolts and nuts?"
HAHAHAHA!!! That'd be my luck.
I would give up my current job to be one of those guys on the top of the tower in a heartbeat! I love climbing towers.
Ok then apply they hire like crazy
The helicopter pilot is a master! Precision work
Special breed of Mammals here. They deserve big bucks for this type of work….
no doubt about it, theirs are definitely bigger than mine.....
This makes me nauseated watching this. Such guts!
Trust in your safety equipment 😮
Their starting process is enough to make me cancel their insurance if I was that guy. The way they were detaching from the crane was enough to make you wonder if they have ever done that part of this install before.
And baseball pitchers are signing $250 million contracts?
Yeah, where's the sense?
Basic economics you dumbass. Supply and demand. Sports brings in billions of dollars. You wanna redistribute the wealth? Sounds like communist propaganda citizen.
Back of the net !!!!
@@havoc1482 muppet