What's your profession?

[heli-cuzz]

Just wondering what everyone does to support there heli addiction.

I build for a living, commercial/residential construction. Here's a custom home I'm building now.

[Helifino]

What, no helipad! :p
I operate a water and wastewater treatment plant. Hey,somebody has to do it. :eek:

[Felony44]

Im a Cop, I will never live in one of heli-cuzz's houses! :(

[tdswan]

I've been a utility locator by day for 8 of the last 10 years and a part-time DJ/KJ by night for about 10 years. The DJing is what funds the heli-addiction.

[MasterWolf007]

I work as a Material handler in a hospital part time, and am a full time college student. So i have no money to buy a heli. :( But i am saving for a heli don't know which one yet.

[DavidAL]

I have spent the majority of my life making money turning wrenches. Currently working on farm equipment, but might be switching to working on Semi trucks in the near future. Looking to make enough money someday to get a comercial pilot license and fly helis for a living on some island or mostly ignored country :rolleyes:

[cbflys]

Software Engineer. That keeps the bills paid. I save for the heli stuff. Buying and selling on eBay has helped.

[boomer23059]

I've been a nuclear engineer for the past 25 years. Now I have a small engineering consulting company. When you work 60 hours a week, you need a hobby to keep from going crazy and electric heli's are just the thing. I work out of my house most days and I can take a break in the middle of the day, fly through a battery pack for 10-15 minutes, and go back to work. Just what the doctor ordered!

[franckforet]

I'm forest ingeneer for 2 years in central Quebec, CAN. It pays the bills, the heli and the gaz I burn every day to get to my workplace......deep in the bush!

This tiny heli suites my interests into mecanics, electronics, physics, flight and the need to learn more every day (Thanks to this forum for that one!)

Francois

[schwa]

i'm a digital artist at Digital Domain. i make totally sweet computer graphics for commercials.

[DoubleD]

Full time student. But in the summer I worked as a relocation engineer at a local company.

[mkoutnik]

Electrical Engineer posing as an Application Engineer for high-voltage power transformers. I like to play with power.

[BigH]

I own a pick up and delivery service for dry cleaning. Wife owns the dry cleaning store. So I pay my wife to clean the clothes I pick up. Ya think she would give me a good deal $? I think she charges me more. I work a 4 day work weak, so I fly my little CP in the mornings on the weekends at the park. Sometimes I fly it in the parking lot at my wife's business. Help her when the battery is charging then fly somemore, charge, and fly somemore. Fridays are good :p

[jschief]

Electronics technition, going to school to get my associates degree.

[Aeronot]

well, im a junior in high school.

so most of the heli time i get is on my sim.

one day i would like to become a professional heli pilot :D

[n2oprotege5]

i clean septic tanks for a living

[plpflyboy]

I work on Apache helicopters for the ARMY.

[helidad]

I am a production manager in a steel mill.I have been with the same company for 6 years now. When i first started with the company i worked in maintenance. I am also a half time college student. My time is limited for the heli stuff right now but in december i get my degree and will be done with school. When i am done with school i will be able to spend more time on the heli stuff.

[flingwing]

after a long ..and at times rather fun and playfull career doing snow safety work ie avalanche control, and summers spent on the local ems service i got tired of being on the ground for all the S.A.R. work.. so call the bank, get in debt to my eyeballs and got my commercial heli license 4 yrs ago..

now i fly the real things at work in the rockies and fly my 'lil CP after work..from the comfort of my couch...or outside weather permitting..lil sucker sure is affected by wind ;)

once i've mastered the nose in hover ill upgrade to a t-rex or maybe a .50 but thats seems far away..the gang at work all bug me saying they hope i fly the full scale better..lol...its damn hard getting perspective when your not sittin in it.. but it does have the ability to go splat on the ground and i get to laught instead of the other option ..

on an interesting side note....ever since i started bringing the cp to the hangar on weather days...4 other pilots have now bought them ;)

happy flying

oh plp....can i borrow your full scale for a bit wink wink nudg nudge...droooollll...lol

[Cncguy]

After 14 years of being a machinist for wellsracing.com I opened up a CNC Machine shop for fabricating parts for airplanes and helis.
One of my customers just gave me a section of a rotor blade for a souvenir. I cut into 1 inch thick strips so I could hang one in my office. :D
It has a titanium nose cap and aluminum doublers. The leading edge is made of an extrusion.
The center is filled with an aluminum honeycomb followed by a solid aluminum trailing edge.
The honeycomb is covered with an aluminum skin.

[Anomie]

I'm in the military waist deep in the rat race.

Its terrible.

If anyone is thinking about joining the military, don't. The AF is way overrated.

1. Being told what to do only works on this level if you're a tool.
2. Thinking really is frowned upon unless you have lots of rank. Even if you do come up with a good idea, someone higher ranking gets credit for it.
3. The promotion system is entirely wrong, so you can have a person with 1/4 the IQ you have telling you what to do. Or trying anyway.
4. I weigh 140 and am 5'11" and I still have to excercise 3 times a week with everyone else.
5. Soon everyone will get to be a military cop because of force reductions atleast every few months for a month at a time.
6. Whatever your job is, plan on doing it 20% of the day. The rest of the day will be spent doing paperwork and additional duties. This is truth for any maintenance job.
7. Doing good work is a bad philosophy because you'll just get stuck with more, while the slackers get stuck doing what they always do, slacking off.
8. You can't sue any of the doctors, so you're basically a labrat or pincusion. Transalation - the doctor can amputate your arm instead of removing your wisdom teeth, and you can't do anything about it. Civilian doctors are better.
9. Extremely idiotic people for the most part are in the military. Atleast 2/3 of anyone in your workcenter will be lame.
10. Deployments are already rediculous and getting worse now that you can go over 3 or 4 months. This is nothing new to the Marines and Army, their job has always sucked.
11. Dealing with ignorant patriotic people on a daily basis. Thank God we can all feel better about ourselves with magnetic ribbon stickers and little american flags no one even knew existed untill september eleventh.
12. Do you really want to kill people for reasons you really don't know about?
13. Not only do you live and die by everyone else's philosophy, you're also defined by the most arbitrary of tasks, such as putting creases in a shirt and keeping your boots black. Or brown nowdays for you Marine or Army types.
14. You are treated as if you're a year old for every year you have in.

Only plusses -
1. 30 days off a year paid.
2. GI bill.

This is not really meant to offend, just to point out that the military is a bad choice for alot of people. So kids, don't join the military unless you're sure its your thing. And take it from me, DON'T SIGN MORE THAN FOUR YEARS.

[tdswan]

Sorry you feel that way. I keep thinking about how I'd be 6 years away from retirement if I'd been able to stay in (medical disQ).
100% healthcare paid for life INCLUDING plastic surgery if I so desired and hmmmmm....the Navy was always good about my healthcare while I was in (navy provides healthcare for Marines) I can't imagine getting an arm aputated at the Navy dentist.
I liked looking my best every day. Sure, in the Military you look like everyone else, but stuff like that carries over to your civilian life. Things like grooming, and dressing your best every day (aside from work) and DISCIPLINE.
Discipline, among a few other things is what sets the Marine Corps apart from other branches.
Being told what to do.....hmmm. In our case, what we're told could save our lives and/or our brothers in arms. It's the screw-ups who can't or won't follow orders who end up getting a whole platoon killed off.
Exercize, another aspect of staying alive. Healthier people are better fighters, whether it's fighting off the cold or some raghead hand to hand.
Yes, my job sucked most of the time.....I was an infantryman. Carrying around my SMAW (83mm rocket launcher) sucked most of the time. It was great when we had live-fires! You haven't lived until you see that bunker literally disappear from a direct hit. Shooting off AT-4's until my heart's content...with a secondary M.O.S. of demolitions....you can almost imagine how much fun it was playing with C-4 and det cord! :cool:
Aside from everyone dressing the same, the military is mostly a 9-5 job for most. A job with GREAT benefits, great education, TONS of opportunities for advancement, TONS of opportunities to transfer. If you didn't like your job, all you had to do is transfer to another job and they'd train you for it! UNBELIEVABLE! TRY THAT IN A CIVILIAN JOB!

I'm not even going to get into the "ignorant patriots" you referred to. I've always known the military was there. The Marines have been around since November 10th, 1775. I joined them DURING Desert Storm. I've also got my "little patriotic sticker on the back of my truck.

[Anomie]

Its not my thing at all. I hate to see willing but ignorant people be contractually obligated for service then become unwilling and aware of what they have entered into. Its an experience I don't regret, but I don't look on it with any fondness.

In the Air Force we don't even get to play with anything cool that blows anything up unless you're an SP or pararescue.

We qualify once every two years on the crappy glorified .22 they call the M16A2. If I had a choice of what to carry deployed, I'd take an M1 Garand or A1. As long as you get just over half of sixty shots or so on black shooting at sillhouette paper, you qualify. Sad really.

We don't even get to play with burst fire or even fully load a magazine.

If I got to blow something up every now and then, I'd be happier.

We don't even get incentive flights on the aircraft we fix any more, only flightline gets that.

Fitness. A big reason anyone joined the Air Force, aside from obvious QOL issues, is because they didn't want to excercise. The majority of cliches about the Air Force are painfully true. Most of them are fat, can't shoot, and walk around with coffee all day.

Patriotism isn't my thing. The way I see it, its all lines on a map, doubly so because anyone of white descent living in the US is a now countryless immigrant in origin anyway, but no one sees it that way because caucasian America, as a whole, feels they stole it from the natives fair and square. I personally feel no allegiance to any country.

If someone else is, and pretty much everyone in the military is, that's fine, I just don't like the idea of sudden patriotism after a terrorist caused disaster just because everyone else is.

Its sad people are rallied together more by death and destruction than by the pursuit of peace.

As far as health care, its kind of sad that the Air Force will now pay for, get this, breast implants. I mean seriously. That is just rediculous wasting of tax money. It amazes me that my tax money is going to make some shallow bimbo feel better about herself.

Its not my thing, some can dig it, which is fine. Its the people that take it too seriously that really ruin it. Telling people its a lifestyle over a job is bad philosophy. I realize civvy side jobs have parallels, but the military has a uniqueness to alot of processes. I don't like typical jobs period.

Atleast at McDonalds they don't tell you how to live life though. I always have a job there :D

[tdswan]

.....but did it really need to be brought up here on this thread? All someone asked is what people on here did for a living and you went and shook the nest.

[Spectre]

I was a Flight Engineer on both AC-130Hs and C-130Hs but after a hard landing nixed my flying I am out now going back to school to finish my degree and raising a family of 4.

I am proud of what I have done. I am proud of the people around me for what they have done. I regret nothing and I would still be in today with my head held high and my heart in it 123% if I was not medically DQd.

Am I proud?...Yes. Would I do it again if given a chance? ...You wouldn't have to ask twice.

[Anomie]

.....but did it really need to be brought up here on this thread? All someone asked is what people on here did for a living and you went and shook the nest.


True enough. Being bored, browsing a forum, and dissidence are a powerful combination.

What can I say, I shake nests alot. :cool:

I digress, Td you are the man though, you post replies to half my threads.

[heli-cuzz]

I digress, Td you are the man though, you post replies to half my threads.

Yes, td is a book of useful information.

I reply to your threads anomie. :) I'm no 3d pro.... Yet!!! I put a lot of time in since day one on learning set-up. Flying helis seems to be the easy part thus far, setting them up is what actually makes a heli fly, if they're not set-up correctly, you will crash.

[tdswan]

I'm no 3D pro either. I just read a lot of other forums, had a great local teacher, and am very mechanically minded. Helping to set up about 9 other heli's besides my own didn't hurt either.

[Anomie]

Yea there's like three or four people that regularly reply to any questions I have.

This site is so much better than RunRyder.

[heli-cuzz]

Yea there's like three or four people that regularly reply to any questions I have.

This site is so much better than RunRyder.

I like runryder. Even though I get a feeling there's a clique there. I still get a lot of info from the runryder forum.

[tdswan]

I only visit the gasser section in RunRyder. I know what you mean about the clique, though. Some could possibly think one's starting here, too. It's inevitable in any forum. guys who've been posting for so long that they become friends and then it makes a newcomer feel like an outsider.

[helipilot2]

Well...

Full time.. Helicopter pilot (EMS) Bk-117

Part Time (ARMY National Guard)... OH-58 Crewchief

Hobby... R/C Helicopters

Do I need a Psycologist? Too much helicopters in my life? NOT!


Igor Sikorsky is THE MAN!!!! :D .....of course after Christ! ;)

[heli-cuzz]

Well...

Full time.. Helicopter pilot (EMS) Bk-117

Part Time (ARMY National Guard)... OH-58 Crewchief

Hobby... R/C Helicopters

Do I need a Psycologist? Too much helicopters in my life? NOT!




Absolutely..... NOT enough helicopters. :D

[mkoutnik]

I used to be an electrical engineer at a company in Milwaukee, WI that manufactured primary flight instruments in the Sikorsky Blackhawk helicopter...the ADI and HSI. It was awesome. We maunfacturing instruments for all kinds of aircraft...cobra heli, F16, F15, F14, F18, guidance systems for cruise missles, just to name a few...

[HeatSeeker{DEN}]

:cool: I am the Operations Coordinator for a transportation company. We are a specialized carrier who transports medical supplies and pharmaceuticles all over the US. So basicly I'm a grown man who plays with trucks all day long! :cool:

[MikeV]

Magazine Publisher :D

[SAAB-o-matic]

I'm a full time airline pilot flying SAAB 340's in Detroit for a bankrupt carrier. Oh, wait...their all bankrupt!!

[superflyer]

Watchin TV. :p

[-zapper-]

I work at an Ammusement Park as a ride operator...exciting i know...

[Selim]

I'm just to be, head of security and bodyguard of the CEO of an american company here in Costa Rica, after being in this since 87 I decide to change my job and went to the USA to work in a lanscape company of a family of mine in SC, now I'm with out a job taking a little vacation after a verry hot summer working in lanscape in Charleston, next mont I will move to Dominican Rep. to work in the company of my brother to see if I have an easy job geing hes asistent, and have more time to fly my heli and be with my 3 kids and wife who love to se me flying the heli :D :D :D :D

[superflyer]

i go to school and get straight AAA's but it is so boring.

[heli-cuzz]

Here's what I was doing the other day. Exterior composite trim. :) Damn, I wish I could afford this place. The homeowners bought an old victorian that was on this lot for 350,000 and had it leveled to the ground only to build this monstrosity. This home is easily over 1,000,000 dollars.

[Jollyroger]

I'm a professional driver.....18 Wheelers

[vapochilled]

Senior Time of Flight mass spectroscopy instrument tech :D
I fix stuff ;) Mainly mass spec and Liquid chromatography products, was an industrial electrician for 15 years, doing automation design and install all over the world.
We've just settled in the US(I'm a Brit) in PA and finding it tough to find people to make friends with,lol
I build and sell high end media PCs to support the heli funds.

[heli-cuzz]

Senior Time of Flight mass spectroscopy instrument tech :D
I fix stuff ;) Mainly mass spec and Liquid chromatography products, was an industrial electrician for 15 years, doing automation design and install all over the world.
We've just settled in the US(I'm a Brit) in PA and finding it tough to find people to make friends with,lol
I build and sell high end media PCs to support the heli funds.

Welcome to the U.S. in Pa. vapochilled :)

Sounds like an interesting job. :cool:

You're about 45 minutes to an hour from me. Lots of big fields down your way.

[vapochilled]

Welcome to the U.S. in Pa. vapochilled :)

Sounds like an interesting job. :cool:

You're about 45 minutes to an hour from me. Lots of big fields down your way.

There's about 10 acre's right in front of the house lol!

[smh20502]

I'm a burden on society who gets his money for the hobby by standing on a corner begging for money...why work for someone and do the same thing. I only work a couple hours a day and make more than I did when I was a full time employee for a butt plug design company...guess what my job was.....


As to the comments on the military and not joining...Too many people join for the wrong reason. Kids, only join the military if you are willing to die for politics. Too many people complain when they have to go somewhere and fight or have a show of force. You joined, you knew what you were getting into, be happy in your decision.

The above being said. Thank you so much to all of you who have willingly and withoug complaint, fought for our freedoms and have fought for those who can't fight for themselves.

[smh20502]

actually my real job is working for a cell tower company getting easements. Funny thing is I feel like I work for the butt plug testing division. Anyone else have that propblem

[mkoutnik]

I'm a Senoir Electrical Engineer for an investor owned utilty (we have about 1.2 million electrical customers). My group mainly deals with the protection devices on the electric system.

[heli-cuzz]

I feel like I work for the butt plug testing division. Anyone else have that propblem

The company I work for is king of the butt plug testers.

[schluterdude]

i'm an applications engineer for cylindrical grinders. the machines i prove out concepts on, install, program, train people on, (the job duties go on forever..), make some of the parts in our wirly birds! if you need something round, straight, tapered, formed, anything that you do to a diameter accurate to within +/- 1 micron or better, come see me!

[Br3tt]

I build sunrooms and remodel kitchens etc. etc.

http://brightideasadditions.com/conservatories/

[Migs]

I own a large prestressed concrete, styrofoam, and plastics company. We have over 160 people working round the clock making building materials for the construction industry. On the side I like to go on multi day ATV expeditions where I take everything I need to live for 4-10 days at a time and visit the most off road places in Bolivia. I like to fly fish, make robots and now this new heli-addiction. You all have place to stay and a personal tour guide if you ever make it this far south. -Migs

[DVS]

I work for Baxter Bioscience.

[schluterdude]

wow, vapochilled, i went to school at wyotech in blairsville PA, not all that far from you... from what i recall at least! gotta love the american dream! go to school for one thing and wind up doing something TOTALLY different!

[heli-cuzz]

wow, vapochilled, i went to school at wyotech in blairsville PA, not all that far from you... from what i recall at least! gotta love the american dream! go to school for one thing and wind up doing something TOTALLY different!

LoL

You can say that again.
The american dream is to win the lottery and be broke in one year's time. ;)

I find it interesting to see what everyone does for a living. Thanks to all that has chimed in.

[blax1]

This one's for you OD

This is what I do--------BUT my warehouse is tidier.............. :D

Enjoy it great vid- IMHO

Ralph

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VadAcb94GZE

[Faust70]

I design and draw (auto-cad) custom home plans. I draw up the things that heli-cuzz builds. I work with private individuals to help them make their dream home a reality.

Rob.

[vermonster]

This one's for you OD

NOW that boys got some Ford parts! :D I love the original Ford V8 sign.:D :D

[twostroke]

I teach vocational agriculture.

[th0rg0d]

I am a professional commuter.... :mad: Actually, I work for an small independant pharmacy as a pharmacy technician. Unfortunately, I can only afford to live 50+ minutes away in traffic so that I have enough money for my hobby :D I sideline as an amateur web dev and computer admin for them as well.

[strat1960s]

I've been a vehicle mechanic in the USAF for the last 14 years. Now, I'm a contract administrator with the same employer. I love what I do, who I do it for and who I do it with!

Ted

[R50]

I'm a mechanic that specializes in transmission rebuilding mostly, and some custom work on drag race cars. I've been in this for 13+ years now, before I worked for Ski-doo as a mechanic also.

[damper]

Manual Machinist for 15 years and the only thing I have to show for is
1 truck and 2 helis :p :D :eek:

[schluterdude]

what sorta machines u run? lathes? mills? grinders? screw machines?

[AirWolf]

I'm a Safety Advisor for a Class one Railway. I get to spend most of my time coaching and mentoring Managers on various safety issues. A few times a year I get to manage safety at a derailment site. That's always interesting but extremely stresful when dangerous goods are involved.

[Ots]

Having my master's degree in psychology I've done a lot of work with unwed mothers.

You know, helping them get their start.

[heli-cuzz]

Having my master's degree in psychology I've done a lot of work with unwed mothers.

You know, helping them get their start.


Ots, you player, you. ;)

[Ots]

.......lol!

[HeatSeeker{DEN}]

:cool: I'm a mechanic for Coca Cola Enterprises. I do a lot of wiring, troubleshooting, motor control, and PLC programing. :cool:

[NitroThugg]

I'm a lineman for a cable company