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<\/div>\nAt six-foot-six, tower crane operator Shane Schroedel squeezes into a cab so snug, he can touch both sides with his elbows. He climbs 160 feet every day to work on a residential building downtown. As it rises over the next two years, Schroedel\u2019s crane will rise with it, to 540 feet above street level.<\/p>\n
The steel crane leans backward because of counterweights in the rear. \u201cIf you stand at the base, you can see it\u2019s curved like a bow. They\u2019re designed to flex and move and sway,\u201d Schroedel says. \u201cIn Boulder, Colorado, I was in winds in the mid-90-miles-per-hour range. That\u2019s pretty eye-opening. But the biggest fright for operators is lightning. We\u2019re on a giant metal stick in the sky. If you don\u2019t climb down before the storm comes, you have to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the start of each shift, he ascends with a 25-pound backpack carrying his breakfast and lunch\u2014no harness, no sweaty palms. A triathlete in his off-time, Schroedel can make the climb in three to four minutes, while most crane operators need 15. \u201cIt\u2019s nice morning cardio,\u201d he says. \u201cBut then you sit and don\u2019t move for 10 to 12 hours a day.\u201d<\/p>\n
To control the crane, he uses two multidirectional joysticks. The left hand rotates the crane clockwise and counterclockwise. The right-hand controls the trolley that slides the hook out on the jib, which is currently 180 feet long but will extend to 220 once the crane is higher. The heaviest load he lifts are bundles of rebar, which can weigh up to 19,000 pounds. He communicates with riggers and signalers on the ground for each of the different trades, like electricians or carpenters. \u201cThere\u2019s always a lot of fighting for crane time. These guys now are very polite. Everyone needs to get their things done. That\u2019s when a speedy operator becomes very valuable.”<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need superior focus all day long,\u201d he adds. \u201cYou can\u2019t have an off day.\u201d A crane operator could crush someone or squeeze them against a column if the operator doesn\u2019t control their drift. \u201cIt\u2019s easily avoidable when you\u2019re paying attention, but you can\u2019t control people on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schroedel says a lot of crane operators don\u2019t make it past the first year, and the stress has been compared to that of an air traffic controller.<\/p>\n
Ever since he was a child, Schroedel has been drawn to heights. \u201cIf my mom wasn\u2019t watching me for 10 minutes, I\u2019d be 60 feet up in a pine tree. I was that kid.\u201d At 12, he fell in love with high-level rock climbing. His first job was in construction, which led to his interest in cranes. He\u2019s been an operator for a little over five years, living full-time in a different state every year, with short-term work in at least seven or eight other states. Schroedel came to work in San Diego last August and, just like everywhere else, onlookers are fascinated by his job and have the same questions, like what does he really do up there?<\/p>\n
He\u2019ll eat his two meals, and when nature calls, he\u2019ll go in a bottle. But as for number two? \u201cThe best option is, just don\u2019t,\u201d he says, and avoids certain foods during the workweek. \u201cMost people learn the hard way the first year.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is no coming down until the end of a shift. \u201cThe worst is climbing down and realizing you forgot your car keys.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crane operators can\u2019t avoid downtime, especially at the end of a project when there are just two or three lifts over a 10-hour shift. \u201cIt\u2019s in your best interest to have an unlimited data plan,\u201d he says. \u201cYouTube is your best friend.\u201d He also has a lot of time for self-reflection. \u201cI meditate sometimes. People think a crane is not a calm place; I\u2019m a strange human being.\u201d<\/p>\n
He considers his favorite views to be \u201ceither the city of San Diego and Coronado skyline on a good sunset evening, or downtown Denver with storms rolling in, looking at the mountains. All tower crane operators are also part-time sunset photographers.\u201d In addition to the horizon, he enjoys watching the Navy ships come in. Some crane operators bring binoculars and look at birds. But, Schroedel says, \u201cThe birds look at me.\u201d<\/p>\n
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