Watching a Sky Crane lifting a massive antenna

[n4gix 4,947]

This is scary, both for the helicopter pilot and the antenna crew! Although I once owned a tower company, and later a Land Mobile radio company, there is no way I would worked with this crew. Watch the man who climbs up to disconnect the lifting harness from the top section. He "free climbs" on the pegs and never uses his safety harness until he reaches the top!

 

[The Flight Level 2,113]

Those Sikorsky heli cranes are amazing! Pretty insane stuff! Sometimes see the big Sikorsky’s over the Ford Assembly in Oakville. No room for error!

[n4gix 4,947]

Each of those sections houses at least two and possibly four actual antennas. Altogether the two masts on the top of the Sears tower host 15 TV antennas and six radio station's antennas.

[birdguy 3,943]

I would not want to attempt that on a windy day.

Noel

[n4gix 4,947]

3 hours ago, birdguy said:

I would not want to attempt that on a windy day.

Noel

One of the top man's tasks was to purposely shake the top mast section to help the rest of the crew to finish bolting the flanges tightly! You can see him shifting his weight to cause it to 'rock'... Yikes!

[Paul Deluca 164]

Check out the old skyscraper construction videos from New York City Father. These dedicated men  not only erected steel, they were the ones  doing derrick crane jumping,  moving them up two floors at a time with no harness, and take them apart way up there on top when finished.

[birdguy 3,943]

On a windy day the air currents around the buildings are unpredictable.  When I was going to weather forecaster school at Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul the instructors often talked about that.  And about how Sears Tower can sometimes create it's own weather on such days..

Noel

[GHD 21]

They are all mad 😱