Fly sytem dog?

[tripper]

I'm doing some voluntary work in a theatre and the lead guy here is a bit bullheaded. Anyway, he's told me to check the 'dogs' on the flying system and the regular fly guy hasnt turned in yet. It's not for a sign-off, im just curious.. what's a dog??!

[Stuart91]

the lead guy here is a bit bullheaded.

 

And there's a fair chance that he's on this forum himself... :** laughs out loud **:

 

There are some useful definitions on this page. Probably worth a read through.

[themadhippy]

in the time its taken for you to post this,and work out which reply is correct you could have used the traditional method and askd the person issuing the task for clarification as to whether they meen the four legged furry things ,the rough looking 2 legged things or the u bolt thingys on wire ropes

[tripper]

Thanks guys. I'm still learning a lot and he's not very friendly. What other things would a fly man look for on there checks?

[IRW]

Thanks guys. I'm still learning a lot and he's not very friendly. What other things would a fly man look for on there checks?

 

I'm afraid this is very much in the area of 'if you have to ask...'.

 

Seriously, you can't just take advice off an internet forum for fly system checks- every venue is individual as far as flying is concerned, and there should really be a specific written method statement/risk assessment for the checks you have been asked to carry out. You say it's not for a sign off, but in my view, and I'm sure many others on here, any sort of fly system checks would generally be deemed safety critical. Do you know what torque you are supposed to be checking the dogs to, or what the signs of potential failure might be? Generally speaking, I'd suggest that wire rope grips wouldn't normally be part of a day-to-day usage check, and if this isn't a daily check you're carrying out, but a bi-annual/annual safety check, then you really should be telling the chap in charge where to go...At least then it won't be on your head should something fail. Well, providing you're not underneath it...

Edited May 24, 2021 by IRW

[dje]

I see that in normal forum fashion, nobody has actually answered the question. This is just what happens on the Internet I think.

 

I know of 3 things in a fly system which can be a dog:

 

1. There are the rope locks you use on the counterweight hauling lines. It's like a D-shape handheld decide with 3 u-shape Jaws, which you can install on a lineset to provide ebough friction to prevent the set moving even if the rope brake if not engaged.

 

2. If you have any temporary wire rope grips, ie a u-bolt through a saddle... These are commonly referred to as dogs.

 

3. If you have automated scenery, dogs are the blocks which run in the floor tracks that you can attach your spade into so that your set can be driven by the track.

[sunray]

I wonder if this is more of an 'aquaint yourself with...' rather than 'inspect that'.

I'm doing some voluntary work in a theatre and the lead guy here is a bit bullheaded. Anyway, he's told me to check the 'dogs' on the flying system and the regular fly guy hasnt turned in yet. It's not for a sign-off, im just curious.. what's a dog??!

[sandall]

I suspect Sunray's right, or perhaps just a new variation of sending someone for "a long weight" ? Either way, maybe an initiative test.

[Junior8]

I'm doing some voluntary work in a theatre and the lead guy here is a bit bullheaded. Anyway, he's told me to check the 'dogs' on the flying system and the regular fly guy hasnt turned in yet. It's not for a sign-off, im just curious.. what's a dog??!

 

The correct course of action, especially for a volunteer, in this and every similar case is to immediately reply: "I'm sorry I don't know what you mean, please could you explain." If they won't, ask again and go on asking until they will.

[alistermorton]

The correct course of action, especially for a volunteer, in this and every similar case is to immediately reply: "I'm sorry I don't know what you mean, please could you explain."

 

Absolutely. First show I helped on I was asked to get "a couple of 743s in 120". Fortunately, when I said I didn't understand, I was met with "Sorry, of course you don't ... " followed by an explanation of what a Pattern 743 was, where to find them, what 120 meant, and where the colours were stored.

 

 

 

[Stuart91]

Many older technicians can seem grumpy and gruff, but will actually share a lot of knowledge once they realise you're keen and serious about what you're doing. It may be that the supervisor here has been soured by some of his previous charges...

[sunray]

Most experienced people will assess the abilities of a new comer quite quickly and the only way that happens is with feedback.

 

If I were to ask someone to 'fetch a 743' and he arrives back with one after asking someone else, it takes longer for me to assess their knowledge/abilities.

 

As an example a contractor did not mention he had a problem with heights, when pulling cables in he was sent up a scaff tower and he was totally useless and 'we' started thinking about not asking him to return the following day. However when running cables in confined floor voids he was fantastic... now if only he'd said earlier.

When I have a newcomer/trainee (insert preferred term) I much prefer a question to having to strip out and redo etc.

When doing training (teaching) I absolutely hate no questions. In a group 'the dumber' the questions the more the whole group learns

 

Just remember one thing...

 

 

When Bullhead started, he did not know what a dog is.

 

Edited May 25, 2021 by sunray

[adam2]

Also, all common types of hand winch have a safety mechanism to prevent it running backwards when the operator lets go the handle. Commonly a device known as a "pawl" that engages with a cog wheel and prevents unintended rotation.

An older slang term in some places is a "dog"

 

See here for example wikipedia link