Oilfield Driller & Derrickhand

Ronnie Oldham
Working in the Oilfield

In 1981 the Oil & Gas boom in Oklahoma was on. I started out as a worm and derrick hand on a truck-mounted telescoping Ideco drilling rig. Seems like I turned in about 25 W-2s that year. Each job change was also a promotion and usually a pay increase. The situation allowed me to cram years of widely varied drilling experience into a short intense course.

Here I am in the Spring of 1982. That's me in the white hardhat back at the brake. I was the driller on a large Continental Drilling Company rig. It was modern and powerful. We lived at the location for seven days and worked twelve hour shifts. Then we had a week off. I supervised a crew of five. Truthfully, these big rigs are almost like a factory or plant. I really like the smaller land rigs better. Anyway, after an appendix removal and finding my propane system on the car stolen, I gave it all up and, in August 1982, joined the US Air Force.

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