One of those "what do you do" threads...

[arcticzale]

I'm an investment analyst in Boston. In September 2008 when I worked for Lehman Brothers, I started negotiating with a local Cobalt dealer to buy a brand new 220. It was beautiful. We finally agreed on a price, but the day I was to put down a big deposit, Lehman announced it was filing for bankruptcy. The dealer lost the sale and I lost the boat and my job. The 10 year anniversary is in 2 weeks.

10 years? Geez, I remember that like it was yesterday. I'm with MS (since '05). Know a few PE guys in Boston, good place to be an analyst.

Just our of curiosity, was Flightcraft your dealership? I've been to the one in Middleton, seems like a good dealer to work with.

[jasonm]

Just some more info.
The 30mm shells on the a10 are high Explosive Incindiary (HEI) rounds, or incorporate a depleted uranium penetrating core. I would not want to get hit by either the 50 cal. Or the 30mm. But the 30mm will leave smaller pieces.

A7,
I have some pictures of some devastation the A-10 created on a highway leaving Kuwait towards Iraq. There was basically 6 lanes of traffic that was completely wiped out. Carnage everywhere.

Lol. I think it fires more than 50 rounds in its first second...If I remember right I think the plane had to basically full throttle and dive and not fire the cannon in more than 3 second bursts or it would stall from the all the recoil. Maybe that is wishful thinking, but when you need air support and you hear that cannon it is an unmistakable sound. I get goose bumps right thinking of that sound. The M2 50 cal also has a lovely sound, especially if you are not on the receiving end.

Yt,
Love that picture. I will have to dig up some thermal footage I have laying around from when I was in Iraq.

I have a video of when an insurgent rammed an M1 Abrams tank with a VBIED. It did not detonate and the guy was still alive trapped inside. The look of failure on his face as EOD had to detonate the explosives with him trapped in the car...

Bfun220,
I am glad that someone else has a passion for the A-10. It was always my favorite aircraft to look and watch at airshows as a kid. The SR-71 was also one of my favs. I used to tell my parents that I wanted to fly either the A-10 or the SR-71. What completely different roles. I am not sure if you are into airplanes...but I heard a radio show where the guest was a CIA guy who worked at Groom Lake back before it was Area 51 and the CIA was developing the A-12. It was interesting learning some of its history.

[willyswagon]

Ok time to fess up. Boats are a job to me, just a way to make money. Started out when I was 13 running a yacht club tender, which led to the best summer job ever. Inshore Rescue boats with the Canadian Coast Guard(where I met my wife during training camp). Worked into a "Real Job"as a Lifeboatman on 44' MLB, and now on a 47' MLB. Along the way have been fortunate enough to have been a RHIOT(Rigid Hull Inflatable Operator Training) Instuctor for the 30 yrs. So we train and operate Zodiac 753's with twin BRP 175s. In other words I'm the guy going to sea because someone else didn't have enough sense to come in before it got bad. On the side I co-own a distillery, and help buddy's at boat shows and water test the odd boat.

My wife and girls conforted me about 12 yrs ago, and ask why we didn't have a boat. I said cause I've been babysitting boats and boaters all my life, I don't want to do it on my time off. They said it was a reasonable answer, but a wrong one at the same time. I went and bought one the next week I was off. We've had one ever since, and I love seeing them enjoy it. The deal was as soon as we are done at the end of the day, it comes home and sits in the driveway, cause once I pull the hull plug, there is no babysitting required.

I'm thinking when retirement comes around it may become a pastime again.

Hey mods not sure if link is permitted, if not fel free to take it down.
Check us out


www.straitshine.com

[Ytmsn]

Awesome, thanks for sharing! Any chance you could post some pictures of your work boat? That sounds fun but it sounds cold too.

[Big Block Power]

Man, you guys are impressive!

I have a little shop and we build refrigerated trailers for beer distributors. Fortunately we are the preferred vendor for one of the big beer companies, so we have stayed busy the last 15 years or so... This whole craft beer thing has helped us also....

That's pretty cool. So do you make them from the frame up?

[AsLan7]

This thread is a fascinating read. Such a diverse & interesting vocational background here!

[TheScot]

I “retired” last year as a public school administrator, before which I was a middle-school teacher. Very happy to be out of the public schools: There are many fantastic people there, but the red tape gets redder and more tangled all the time. My last job, which involved grant management, about put me over the edge.

My first career was in software development and IT.

I wrote “retired” because I spend significant time supporting my mother, who turned 101 two weeks ago. She has some interesting stories to tell. For one, in 1936 she moved from very rural North Carolina (as in no electricity or running water) to Washington, D.C. and took a job with the FBI. It was small enough then that she saw J. Edgar Hoover on a daily basis. She lived in Washington throughout WW2, working in part with wartime fingerprint cataloging. She dealt with memos about the Manhattan Project without knowing for a long time what it was.

[TheScot]

This is a great thread, BTW. Very helpful to a noob.

[Tuscany]

I “retired” last year as a public school administrator, before which I was a middle-school teacher. Very happy to be out of the public schools: There are many fantastic people there, but the red tape gets redder and more tangled all the time. My last job, which involved grant management, about put me over the edge.

My first career was in software development and IT.

I wrote “retired” because I spend significant time supporting my mother, who turned 101 two weeks ago. She has some interesting stories to tell. For one, in 1936 she moved from very rural North Carolina (as in no electricity or running water) to Washington, D.C. and took a job with the FBI. It was small enough then that she saw J. Edgar Hoover on a daily basis. She lived in Washington throughout WW2, working in part with wartime fingerprint cataloging. She dealt with memos about the Manhattan Project without knowing for a long time what it was.

Very cool TS, I’m sure your mom could entertain us for weeks with history. Personally, I’m love American history, and could listen to her tell stories for days on end.

[IAFF3586]

Just found this thread and I'll echo previous sentiments that it is really neat to hear what everybody does or did for a living. Seems to be a very diverse group and I like it.

I tried college and learned quickly that it wasn't for me. My dad was a pharmacist in my hometown and had been on the volunteer fire department since I was in kindergarten. I joined when I came home from school in December of 1989. The city council required that members be 21 but with my dad's backing and knowing most of the guys since I was 5 they lowered the age to 19 just for me, with one requirement....that a chain and lock be put on the beer fridge so I couldn't get into it. Between you, me and a fencepost...I'd been stealing beer from there since I was in high school, gotta love small towns. The Chief of the volunteer department was also Chief of an industrial fire department about 20 miles away at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant. It's a WWII defense plant that is still active and makes the entire 120mm family of rounds as well as the Hellfire missile. I heard a couple guys mention Desert Storm and this was right as it was ramping up, production increased and and the fire department hired additional fire fighters, of which I was one. In March of 1991 I started a full-time fire service career and haven't looked back. In July of '97 I was promoted to Lieutenant and given my own crew. Loved the time there but there wasn't really a lot of action, which for a bomb factory is a good thing, right? So I started looking around at bigger departments. In January of 2001 I hired in to the West Des Moines (IA) Fire Department. Big change going from the boss to the FNG but very much worth it. Fought some fires for about 10 years and then took a promotion to Driver/Operator and have been doing every kid's dream of driving the big red truck around. Retirement looms near since we can go at age 55 and that is less than 7 years away. In the meantime, my 206 will help me get back into boating and a newer/larger one is on the horizon.

Keep up with the updates.

[Big Block Power]

Very cool jobs and stories guys!

[AsLan7]

Very cool jobs and stories guys!

Yes....never gets old!

[smokymance]

This thread is awesome, i always wondered what people did and it still fascinates me how the world works out there while im here stuck in the office! LOL...
I guess ill share...im an engineer, been in automotive for the last 15 or so years and currently working with Brembo, working on the FCA vehicles...i dont want to hear any complaints now! LOL...it has its ups and downs as any engineer will know...its mostly paper work but it gets it done and helps me afford my hobbies, which have always been cars and boats, even though boats always wins every time! One day id love to move on into boat engineering, but living in Michigan its not as easy.

[LOTOHEAD]

I have been selling insurance and investments for a national provider for 8 years today. Before that I was in manufacturing management for 12 years but couldn't stand the bloodbath of continuous layoffs when I was doing the laying off! I spent four years in the Air Force working F-15's prior to that.

[Cobalt262]

I'm an investment analyst in Boston. In September 2008 when I worked for Lehman Brothers, I started negotiating with a local Cobalt dealer to buy a brand new 220. It was beautiful. We finally agreed on a price, but the day I was to put down a big deposit, Lehman announced it was filing for bankruptcy. The dealer lost the sale and I lost the boat and my job. The 10 year anniversary is in 2 weeks.

10 years? Geez, I remember that like it was yesterday. I'm with MS (since '05). Know a few PE guys in Boston, good place to be an analyst.

Just our of curiosity, was Flightcraft your dealership? I've been to the one in Middleton, seems like a good dealer to work with.

I know East Coast Flight Craft, but didn't buy it from them. Faye's Boat Yard had just got in a 262 on consignment. I was first in line infront of 11 other guys. The boat was immaculate for an 16-yr old.