You know, some folks are wired differently than others. We all know "that guy" that can look at a machine for a couple minutes, reach in and pull out the problem, or whack it with a hammer in just the right place, etc.... I have siblings that can look at something once, then draw it in great detail, or remember it word for word. As a kid, I sat on the floor of my mom's VW bus between the two front seats and watched her feet work the pedals and shifter. The first time they stuck me in the driver's seat, never having touched a steering wheel, clutch, brake, shifter ever before in my life, my dad sitting next to me, said ease the clutch out while you give it some gas... and off we went. I had it down by the end of the block. So did one of my sister's (the other three didn't drive until their 30's). She and I are wired the same when it comes to being comfortable operating a machine.
I got the hang of flying an airplane at about 12 years old. Feels neat!
I'm pretty good at go-kart and mini-sprint cars, too. Haven't drag raced my motor cycle at the strip or road raced in 20 years, but when I did, it came quite naturally.
Fork lifts are fun. I used to load airplanes with them. One was a 4 speed manual tranny forklift. Another was some ungodly huge hydrostatic monster that I used to load a C130 at night. At my last job I occasionally ran a clamp truck. You squeeze a 50" wide X 4' diameter 2000 pound roll of paper juuuuusssst right so you don't damage it, but don't let it slip, lift it up, rotate it 90 degrees and stand it on its end. Then you do the same to a 2nd roll, but stand it on top of the 1st roll. Then you set roll #3 on the floor, then roll #4 on roll #3. Finally you grab roll #3 again, and pick up the two rolls and set them on top of the first stack of #1 & 2. Don't flinch or you drop 4000# of paper on yourself...
Fuel trucks, baggage handling equipment, tugs, driving boom trucks... an air horse airplane mover like this (you sit on the hood facing backwards with the steering wheel between your knees.). I was very proficient on that thing...
I'll admit it took me a few minutes to get the hang of a mini-excavator. But I was completely comfortable in less than 1/2 an hour. Certainly, though, as I was digging along, trying to dig faster and faster, there were a couple times where my brain-hand/arm coordination just went haywire and I pretty much threw the bucket full of dirt exactly back where I had just taken it out of! :laughing: It really felt like the proverbial brain flatulence! :laughing: Just WHAM!!! Brain says "I'm confused!" But really, I was quite comfortable on it. I'm sure there were more tricks and tips to learn, but hey, it was well worth the weekend rental.
My little Power Trac PT425 took a bit to get super proficient due to the articulation, but I was quit comfortable on it in about an hour, and highly proficient in about 8 hours.
I'm a pretty decent shot with a rifle, but can't hit squat with a bow and arrow... I'm left handed, but right eyed dominant. So I shoot guns right handed, but pull a bow left handed. I can't aim well with my right eye.
Anywho, I've met plenty of folks that are gifted in some aspects and total clutzes in others. Makes life interesting.
