> The problem was of the stuff that engineering nightmares are made
> from.
>
> In the heat and dehydration of a 40 degree day I had made a change to
> a PLC program, instead of tracing the code back to the input bit I had
> mistakenly edited the change into an intermediate bit in the logic.
> A single line of code was stuffed.
>
> On another site 20 miles away I needed to add two parameters to a
> Cisco router to get a network access point functioning and then add
> two lines of parameters in an initialisation file.
>
> While we were contractually obligated to do the work the logistics
> were staggering. $1,200 potentially for the airfare, $120 a day for a
> car, $95 a night in the camp, days spent negotiating access. Two
> people for remote work for safety and those changes to 4 little lines
> of code 578 nautical miles away in the outback looked like costing up
> to a thousand dollars a line.
>
> They were potentially the final touches to the entire job but even so
> there was great reluctance to commit to the work. It was all so
> staggeringly expensive for what was to be achieved.
>
> While contemplating the dynamics of the problem while sitting in my
> bean bag one night it struck me that the sites were all on christmas
> break and one of the few remaining for caretaking over the break was a
> friend I'd worked with on half of the job. I quietly rang him up that
> evening and asked whether he'd be phased if I just arrived one day and
> we trundled out to the site and simply did the job. stuff the permits,
> stuff the approvals, tell no one and just do it. he agreed that for
> the sake of getting the job completed he was amenable. when the time
> came just give him a call and he'd be happy to devote the time to
> help.
>
> I broached the problem of the dynamics of the task with my project
> manager and the boss. they agreed that the dynamics were horrid.
> So what if I took a day off and when I came back it was done I asked?
> With a look of nervous anticipation and some trepidation at what they
> were getting into both agreed that maybe it would get the firm out of
> a pickle. However both wanted to know what I was up to, it had them
> intrigued and they wouldnt be snowed by platitudes.
> Well, I explained, 578 miles at 120 knots was just 4 hours 50 minutes
> flying time. it was feasible to do that in a morning. the job on site
> couldnt be more than an hours work which meant that I could fly there
> and back in a day.
> "what you mean hire an aircraft?"
> "no I'd fly my own"
> "what, you own an aeroplane?"
> "yep"
> "oh I dont know ....there's liability and insurance and worksafe and
> and and..."
> "Ok, what if I took a day off and when I came back it was magically
> done?"
> "hmmmm, ...no,...no, ...no I dont want to know anything about this
> until you come back ...when would you do it?"
> " I'd just have to wait for this opaque weather to blow past ...um
> would tomorrow be ok?"
> "uh, ...no I couldnt answer that until you came back ...for gods sake
> dont kill yourself."
> "can I have tomorrow off?"
> "ohhh, ...dont ask me that until next week ok? ...by the way, if this
> magically occurred what would it cost"
> "hmmm 10 hours by 20 litres by a dollar fifty, say three hundred bucks
> tops"
> "what, is that all?"
> "yep"
> "...............ask me next week, ok?
>
> That lunch time I bought the last WAC chart needed and planned it out
> fully.
> perth via mt dale and northam to meekatharra, refuel, meekatharra to
> newnam and refuel.
> do the 3 changes.
> newman to meekatharra and refuel again then meekatharra to perth via
> northam landing just an hour before last light. long day but a piece
> of cake and the pleasure of having the engineering torture behind me
> and maybe the job finished.
>
> Up before sparrow fart the next morning, breakfast and off to the
> aircraft. the aircraft was all packed ready to go just on sunrise.
> bugger!
> in the morning light the enormous amount of low cloud around became
> evident. none of it showed on the weather radar or the satellite
> photos.
> the route I was to follow showed as light area of cloud so maybe there
> was a clear lane out, maybe Hewie the god of weather was going to be
> kind to me after all. With a well warmed exhaust pipe I took off to
> explore hewie's offering. It showed hewie's nasty streak but heavens
> it was beautiful. Over past the ranges the cloud vanished into a
> neutral grey murk. Below me just skirting the ranges were light whispy
> clouds.
> From each of the valleys there streamed a plume of cloud blown leeward
> by a gentle breeze. The beauty of this effect masked, as Buck put it
> in his book, some of the most treacherous conditions known. The whisps
> of cloud below indicated that the entire region of sky was just a
> gnat's whisker off reaching dew point and becoming solid cloud. Still
> the way forward was clear and the area of cloud I was heading to had
> light from behind. Hewie must have laughed heartilly as I rounded a
> cloud and discovered that the murk forward was cloud blowing through
> the grass. Nothing but nothing was visible beyond the wedge of cloud
> in front.
> Nothing for it but to try up the coast.
> When the coast became visible it was evident that that route was
> clagged in as well. Curses, there was a slow moving mountain of cloud
> blowing toward tthe airfield. The die was rolled and it hadnt come up
> sixes. nothing for it but to go in to work.
> Frustrating, but flying before work is kinda cool so not all was lost
> :-)
> Back at work they seemed relieved to see me walk back in.
>
> Later that day, just before lunch, I was talking to a colleague about
> the state of another part of the job. I must have looked quite vague
> as I realised that out through the window past his shoulder the cloud
> base was now looking like 3,000ft and the cloud was slowly breaking
> up. A quick phone call to my mate on site confirmed that it was still
> clear blue sky at the other end.
> A quick download of the weather and a peek at the latest satellite
> shot confirmed the view out the window.
>
> "boss I need to take this afternoon and tomorrow off :-) that ok?"
> "ask me next week :-) and dont kill yourself"
> "I've been a pilot for a long time mate"
>
> The trip down the freeway to the airfield seemed to take no time at
> all. With the aeroplane still packed from the previous attempt it was
> just a matter of a water test, a quick once over and light the
> fires...
>
> continues later...
> Stealth Pilot
>