What do you do for work?

[Northernfox]

Just out of curiosity what do you do for work?

I am an Environmental Biologist and I work for my Provincial Transportation Agency. my primary responsibilities include managing the environmental risk for 1/4 of the province for both Capital (typically construction of highways and bridges) and Operational ( salt and sand operations including contaminated sites)

 

[Mike]

I'm a server administrator, aka computer geek. I also run two other websites, both of which are radio controlled car related (www.rcnitrotalk.com and www.largescaleforums.com) and help maintain about a half dozen or more websites for other people.

 

[w_r_ranch]

I've had a few careers over the years... I'm a retired delivery truck driver (B-52), then I became a retired project manager for a oilfield services company (sub-sea) & now I'm grass farmer, aka a rancher & I finally get to stay home with my wife, my dogs & my other animals... Life is good.

 

[Slowngreen]

I'm grass farmer .

Might be something completly different in a different state

 

[Northernfox]

What a diverse group we have !!

 

[finkikin]

I am the head inside sales rep for The Nut Place Inc. I sell fasteners to oil companies, pump companies and oceanic companies. Anything from a 1/4 x 1/4 bolt to 6" x 12 foot all thread rods in all materials...

 

[whistech]

Mr. Ranch, since you were a B-52 pilot, I'm wondering if you were ever stationed at Dyess AFB? I grew up in Abilene.

 

[Phins Fan]

Been in the aerospace anodize and electroplating industry for about 20 years now and have been the production manager at Poly-Metal for about 10 years now. Its neat during the air and sea shows how I see tons of the product we touch on a daily basis in an engine for a B17 or the propulsion systems for a submarine.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Mr. Ranch, since you were a B-52 pilot, I'm wondering if you were ever stationed at Dyess AFB? I grew up in Abilene.

No, I was in the 5th. Spent almost all my time based at Minot & some at Barksdale.

 

[Cody]

CNC machinist. Program,set up and run HAAS mills. About 15yrs. now.

 

[finkikin]

CNC machinist. Program,set up and run HAAS mills. About 15yrs. now.

I love CNC machines. We have a couple in our shop along with a Landis cut threader.

 

[ErnieCopp]

Since i am a lot older, my story will be a little longer. Grew up during the big depression, family migrated to Los Angeles in '36. By '40, defense work supplying Russia and England was beginning to provide jobs, my older brothers and friends were leaving for the military. I dropped out of school at 14, Spring of '41, and started doing man's work for man's pay in warehouses.

Received the first of many blessings when I helped the Teamster's Union organize a Grocery warehouse. They presented all of us with Teamster Memberships without asking my age. That was November of 1941, about 3 weeks before Pearl Harbor.

May of '42 I left home to go to work building Kingman AZ. Army Airforce Base. Second blessing was when i found a girl not much older than i was, working in the Kingman Vehicle License department, and she gave me an AZ Truckdriver's license. That, along with my Teamster's Union card allowed me to always find jobs building Military bases in CA, AZ. and Hanford WA, where they were building the Atom bomb, without anyone questioning my age.

But my goal was to be a Heavy Equipment operator, so i learned as much as I could about that along the way. Joined the Operators Union, close to my 18th BD, in August '44, War was almost over and did not get drafted, worked my way up, Catskinner, Blade operator, Foreman, Project manager, and in '54, started my own General Engineering Contracting Co.

Burnt out on that, and '78 sold off parts of the company and two of my children expanded the Crushing Division, and i sailed around the Pacific to NZ for a few years, but wanted to get back to work.

I had a 65 acre farm in far north Idaho, but did not like being a Gentleman Farmer, so started Bonners Ferry Nursery growing Shade and Ornamental trees. Up to 3 inch Caliper, Balled and Burlap, with my market all over the Intermountain West. Did that until i was 72 years old, but inventory was up to 30,000 trees with 30 miles of drip line, so it became more work than i wanted to do, so i sold that and came back to CA.

Our Crushing Company needed an Excavator, {Back Hoe on Tracks} so i told my son i would run that as we only needed it part time. Lived on my Sailboat and operated that until i was 82.

Needed to move back to solid ground as my feet were getting numb, so bought this half acre in 2011, and it had not been planted or cared for for 20 years so i tore out almost everything, cut down some of the palm trees, rejuvenated an old Apricot and a sick Loquat, and started planting trees and garden again.

So that has been a good and interesting way to make a living. And i am still having fun working. I do not have much stamina anymore, but usualy get 3 or 4 hours in each morning, and have a helper come in half a day a week to help with the heavy work.

Ernie

 

[Cody]

wow! great story.

 

[finkikin]

Very cool. I bet you have a lot of great stories to share!

 

[whistech]

Ernie, I truly admire your story!

 

[ErnieCopp]

Fin, Whis, Thanks for the kind words. It took me a while to figure it out, but i have lived a Blessed Life. Every thing seemed to happen at just the right time, and i was lucky enough to reach out and grab the opportunities as they came along.

Ernie

 

[finkikin]

Anyone here attend the OTC conference this year?

 

[Mr_Yan]

I'm an electrical / controls engineer. I used to do automation systems for large CNC mills and machines (5 to 7 axises, 20+ motors not counting the end effector's 16 to 32 motors, with 1000 A 3~ supplies and work zones measured in meters). Now I do board level work, and support embedded systems chips for the bit heads at work, for commercial food equipment. The last few weeks have had me trying to re-learn programming and learning C. Man did I forget a lot in the handful of years since I left school.

 

[Slowngreen]

I haul hay for other people. Also run my dads small farm. And random plowing/disking for others too....In other words, custom/contract farming....I make little money lol.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Don't we all... LOL!!!

 

[Rolex]

More power and many more years to you, Ernie. I salute you.
I owned my own plumbing business, and on the side did a few classic car restorations, built architectural scale models and drove limousines in New York City.
(VERY expensive to live in New York)
Now I'm fully retired due to health issues and living in sunny Knoxville, Tennessee.

 

[ErnieCopp]

Thanks, Rolex. What i find most interesting about this particular thread, is that the first thing i want to know about a person is what he does for a living, and once you know that, you can begin to fill in the blank spots and visualize who the person is that is writing or talking.. But this is the first forum i have seen where anyone broached the subject. I have found all the posts very interesting.

Ernie

 

[Rolex]

Just like the Radio Control forum that Mike runs, this place too, will become like a family.

 

[ErnieCopp]

I am sure you are correct. It seems we all share several of the interests of nearly everyone else.

Ernie

 

[Rolex]

W_r, WOW, B-52 pilot. A truly incredible plane. What a wonderful job to show up for in the morning.