They are building pipelines to rail depots right now, but that will take them a few years to finish so the crude haulers are good for awhile. The guys making all the money with trucks are hauling water to frac with, frac sand, and belly dumps to build roads. That won't stop until the drilling stops which will go west into Montana and last up to 10 years if the EPA doesn't shut down fracing. The oil companies don't care what it costs, they just want the crude coming out of the ground so they are paying crazy amounts of money to get these wells finished very quickly before the EPA shuts them down. Might go for another 6 months or could go for 10 years if the governemnt stays out of the way, but in the mean time the money grab is on in a big way right now.

Like that will ever happen

11-30-2011 | 05:36 PM

#82072

Brocc15

Gets Weekends Off

Joined: Jul 2010

Posts: 432

Likes: 0

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockyBoy

Cold and miserable is an understatement! I've been up there for a couple of months now and it is not easy by any means. However, the amount of money that you can make up there is crazy so I really don't care how cold and miserable it is. There are guys up there making more in one month than you can make at Delta all year. It literally is a modern day gold rush. Until you've been up there, you really don't understand what is going on.

I understand, and think it is great that there are opportunities especially for people who lost their jobs in the recent economy and have now found work. I just couldn't do it. I hate cold so much I think I may make the move out to LA in a couple years if the base stays doesn't shrink anymore just so that I don't have to deal with it. I used to say I would rather live in a shack on the beach than in a mansion making millions in ND. But that is just me, some people handle the cold better. If it is below 60 out I'm whining.

11-30-2011 | 05:46 PM

#82073

johnso29

Moderator

Joined: Oct 2006

Posts: 13,088

Likes: 0

From: B757/767

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockyBoy

Google Bakken Formation. According to Continental Resources it is the largest oil discovery in the last 40 years and they estimate they can extract 24 Billion Barrells of oil from the formation. They have to use fracturing "frac" technology to get the oil. They basically pump a mixture of hot water and sand into a well that has been drilled and pressurize it. That fractures the rock formation and allows the oil to be pumped out. It can take up to 12 million gallons of water on some wells. They have to haul all of that in one semi-load at a time. Takes ALOT of trucks and they need it all done within a two week period. The oil companies are paying outrageous amounts of money to truck owners to go up there because nobody wants to be there.

Do you own a semi truck?

11-30-2011 | 05:50 PM

#82074

RockyBoy

Doesn't Get Weekends Off

Joined: Jun 2007

Posts: 2,599

Likes: 2

Quote:

Originally Posted by tim123

Like that will ever happen

Yep. I agree with you. That is the biggest risk up there right now.

11-30-2011 | 05:51 PM

#82075

DFW Refugee

Gets Weekends Off

Joined: Nov 2009

Posts: 277

Likes: 0

From: JFK A-330 A

Quote:

Originally Posted by orvil

Back in the day, if you were doing a cross country in the military we used to stop at the Tulsa FBO. Some really bright manager figured out that it was good business to service airplanes with "ladies" that were attractive. This reminds me of those occasions.

Reminds me of 'Flower Aviation' in Pueblo, CO and I think Witchita, KS. The 'Line Ladies' wore hot pants, and if you bought enought fuel, you'd get two NY Strip steaks or a bottle of a nice red wine.

11-30-2011 | 05:53 PM

#82076

RockyBoy

Doesn't Get Weekends Off

Joined: Jun 2007

Posts: 2,599

Likes: 2

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnso29

Do you own a semi truck?

Yep, and I even know how to drive it!

11-30-2011 | 06:40 PM

#82077

80ktsClamp

Da Hudge

Joined: Oct 2006

Posts: 17,473

Likes: 0

From: Poodle Whisperer

It's that time of the year! One of my favorite scenes from A Christmas Story:

11-30-2011 | 07:07 PM

#82078

newKnow

Gets Weekends Off

Joined: Feb 2007

Posts: 6,844

Likes: 0

From: 765-A

Yes, it is that time of year. From my favorite Christmas movie -- Scrooged....

Carl: Leaving his last ALPA meeting, With Lee M. watching in full ALPA (officer) uniform.....

11-30-2011 | 07:09 PM

#82079

TheManager

Gets Weekends Off

Joined: Jan 2010

Posts: 1,503

Likes: 0

Quote:

Originally Posted by DelDah Capt

Just down the road at the main intersection there's a place called Hurricane Grill and Wings.....not bad on a warm evening. lots of different wing flavors, and as I recall, a two for one Happy Hour.

As a rule, I try to never go to any Hotel Bar/Restaurant. I don't need any more $12 dried out Chicken sandwiches or the standard massive selection of two draft beers for 7 bucks a pop.

Standard rule. Never sleep in restaurants, never eat in hotels.

Including NRT.

11-30-2011 | 07:17 PM

#82080

Jesse

Banned

Joined: Jul 2010

Posts: 793

Likes: 0

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scoop

True, but you are way underestimating the built in idiocy of the "system." If you were a responsible steward of the tax payers dollars you were rewarded with a budget cut the next FY. Oh and your CO probably got eaten alive by the wing commander for "under-executing."

The military was this way for decades and eventually most guys just gave up and just went along. A few years ago the military started showing signs of change - anyone currently flying wish to chime in?

Scoop

About four years ago while I was still in, in an attempt to reduce the amount of fuel being used the Air Staff A3 put out instruction that when you were done with your training you were OK to call the mission complete; you didn't have to fly out your hours for that sortie. On top of that, if your squadron had all its training requirements complete and you were short of your programmed flying hours for the FY, that was said to be OK as well; no need to ramp up the flying to zero our the balance. Keep in mind, most guys got on average two 4.5 to 5.5 hr flights a week. Well, of course the group CC didn't want to hear any of that. When confronted with the memo from A3 (I had my papers in so I had nothing to lose) which he was well aware of his response was, "You told me that's how much flying you needed to get the training done, so your training isn't complete until you fly it out."

In my 20 years, the last thing the military ever took into consideration was stewardship of tax-payer dollars. That's not to say they didn't care about the costs; they didn't want to go over their yearly budgets, but when it came to whether or not something made sense or not, there was never a thought about actually saving the money and not spending it.