I’m fed up with seeing square-minded technicians looking down on aerial performers, arrogantly judging from the narrow height of their rope access “expertise.” Their dismissive attitudes often radiate disrespect and misunderstanding. To all those rigid, closed-minded folks, here’s a reality check:
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1. Training time
Becoming a basic rope access technician requires attending a 5-day course. That’s it — five days to get certified and ready to work. To become an aerial performer with worth to mention level you need at least two years of intense physical training and artistic development. Don’t start blabbering about how knowledge takes years — yes, knowledge is essential, but the certification you get after one week is not comparable to the profound physical and mental transformation an aerialist undergoes.
An aerialist’s body doesn’t just learn procedures; it fundamentally changes physiologically over time. This kind of adaptation—strength, flexibility, balance, spatial awareness—cannot be rushed. The movements you see on the rig aren’t just “maneuvers anyone can do.” They require years of conditioning, coordination, artistry, and risk management beyond simple technical know-how. The entire point of your industrial procedures (working on height or rope access) is to allow a non-athlete to perform safe tasks mechanically. So respect that difference.
An aerialist’s body doesn’t just learn procedures; it fundamentally changes physiologically over time. This kind of adaptation—strength, flexibility, balance, spatial awareness—cannot be rushed. The movements you see on the rig aren’t just “maneuvers anyone can do.” They require years of conditioning, coordination, artistry, and risk management beyond simple technical know-how. The entire point of your industrial procedures (working on height or rope access) is to allow a non-athlete to perform safe tasks mechanically. So respect that difference.
2. Solutions relevant to a particular industry
The procedures and maneuvers you are trained for are designed for your industry. Which is it? Oil rigs? Window cleaning? Wind turbines? None of these have anything remotely comparable to aerial acrobatics in terms of physical demands or risk dynamics. Aerial performing arts have existed long before your industry and will continue thriving long after. Remember this: you are a service provider to the art form, not its owner or master. The principles of suspending and moving people in the air don’t belong exclusively to your industry.
3. Alpha-male complex
Think of acrobatic aerial arts as a sovereign country with its own people, culture, and rules. Don’t come barging in with your checklist and regulations expecting the arts to bend to your standards. Here, knowledge of the craft, adaptability, professionalism, and respect count far more than any alpha-male posturing. Leave your ego at the door.
4. You have to live it, to be it.
If you've never lived aerial acrobatics—not just studied it from outside, but experienced even a touch of the artist's world—you cannot truly be an acrobatic rigger. Without understanding the artists’ dreams, fears, and priorities, you become a bureaucrat enforcing rules blindly, rather than a collaborator ensuring safety and solutions.
5. Last, and perhaps the most revealing
Maybe —just maybe— more than half of the procedures you blindly enforce exist only to shield insurance companies, not the workers risking their lives. Don’t fool yourself into thinking these so-called practical solutions aren’t just convenient excuses for those at the top to dodge any real responsibility.
Common sense is the judgment that arises from truly knowing the profession.
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