So the end of 1986 see's my return from a nato ex in Norway back to Calgary, now you have to remember for the Canadian soldier there is not alot going on in the mid 80's.
So I get the call that I am temporarly posted to regional work center Nanaimo BC, were I will assist in maintanance of communications for the bases on Vancouver Island (lineman stuff)
My area covers from Victoria to the PineTree site at Holberg BC. (Mid canada below the DEW line).
So on my first visit to Holberg we have to do yearly maintance on some antennas, now these antennas are mounted 110 feet up on rotten old western red cedar pole's, the butts of the pole are 6-8 foot in diameter at the base and 12-18 inches at the top.
They were stepped for the first 80 feet so all you had to do was take your rounding hammer and drive the steps in till they were solid,
that being said the poles were so rotten that you had to take your screw driver and pop out the rotten chunks so you had a place for your feet to touch.
Remember there is still 30 feet to go no steps and you did that with your hooks.
So after my 3 or 4 pole that day I hear
"HOT ONES COMING IN".
YA, lunch is here, as was the way in those days the base cooks would prep hot food for all the workers at the domes, and since they got hot ones so did we (I hate box lunches
)
I look over my right shoulder and there are these two birds in the distance and they are getting closer and bigger and closer and bigger, the next thing I know they are f-18's, they bank between the domes and are heading straight for me.
Now you should know that it is 1500 feet almost straight down 20 feet from were my poles planted in the ground.
Those two birds wings missed that pole by 10 feet as they dropped over the side with their burners going!
And the pole I am on I swear almost blew apart, Because you should have heard a the cracking it did.
OH yea 20 minutes later lunch arrived.
So I get the call that I am temporarly posted to regional work center Nanaimo BC, were I will assist in maintanance of communications for the bases on Vancouver Island (lineman stuff)
My area covers from Victoria to the PineTree site at Holberg BC. (Mid canada below the DEW line).
So on my first visit to Holberg we have to do yearly maintance on some antennas, now these antennas are mounted 110 feet up on rotten old western red cedar pole's, the butts of the pole are 6-8 foot in diameter at the base and 12-18 inches at the top.
They were stepped for the first 80 feet so all you had to do was take your rounding hammer and drive the steps in till they were solid,
that being said the poles were so rotten that you had to take your screw driver and pop out the rotten chunks so you had a place for your feet to touch.
Remember there is still 30 feet to go no steps and you did that with your hooks.
So after my 3 or 4 pole that day I hear
"HOT ONES COMING IN".
YA, lunch is here, as was the way in those days the base cooks would prep hot food for all the workers at the domes, and since they got hot ones so did we (I hate box lunches
)I look over my right shoulder and there are these two birds in the distance and they are getting closer and bigger and closer and bigger, the next thing I know they are f-18's, they bank between the domes and are heading straight for me.
Now you should know that it is 1500 feet almost straight down 20 feet from were my poles planted in the ground.
Those two birds wings missed that pole by 10 feet as they dropped over the side with their burners going!
And the pole I am on I swear almost blew apart, Because you should have heard a the cracking it did.
OH yea 20 minutes later lunch arrived.
