AEDC outside machinist Ricky Taylor loves the ride

  • Published
  • By Philip Lorenz III
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  Early in life, Ricky Taylor, an outside machinist at AEDC's Engine Test Facility (J-Side Turbine test area), found that what challenges him the most keeps life interesting.

A little more than one year ago, he decided to park his pickup truck at home and ride a motorcycle into work every day for one year, barring any days when safety would be a concern. He recently marked off day 365, without missing a single day, and is considering riding his 2004 Harley Davidson Sportster to and from work on a more permanent basis.

His year-long motorcycle trek is only the most recent chapter in a life where the road less travelled has led him to greater challenges and a more rewarding life.

Taylor said riding a motorcycle into work every day, like his work at AEDC supporting turbine engine testing, keeps him focused and keeps unwanted thoughts, distractions, at bay. Shortly before Valentine's Day in 2012, the idea of riding the motorcycle to work every day became a decision.

"I had read about a guy whose only mode of transportation was a motorcycle," Taylor recalled. "I thought, well, I could do that. The big thing is having good equipment, a good rain suit and warm clothes. I've got some electric gloves - that helped to make it possible."

Taylor said there were several reasons behind his decision to ride his motorcycle to work every day.

"The money savings are part of it, just the [improved] fuel mileage," he said. "But I think the biggest thing was just seeing if I could do it. There were a few days, especially lately with all of the rain and the cold that it would be very easy to just not do it, but once you get into it - that you're within 15 to 20 days of riding for a year - it motivates you to keep going."

Taylor laughed and added, "Being outside, you understand why a dog hangs its head out of the window. You're more a part of the machine than you are with a car. And riding a motorcycle makes me drive a car better. I tend to pay a lot more attention to stuff than I did before I started riding the motorcycle."

The former auto mechanic, who now helps install and set up jet engines for flight simulation testing at AEDC, said, just like his job, the biggest challenge to driving a motorcycle every day is staying safe.

"I've had several close calls; in fact, I actually wrecked the Harley ," he said. "I had on all my gear, so, I didn't get hurt. I bent the motorcycle up a little bit."

Riding motorcycles also became a social outlet and another way to bond with his children, who both have motorized dirt bikes now.

"Every year, a group of us, friends from work, go down to the vintage motorcycle festival at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.," Taylor said. "Paul Buckner, Eric Mitchell and Pat Cowden - that group - we call ourselves the Crusty Slugs. And, for our annual father/son outing, we've been riding down to the festival since he was five. This last time, my son rode in the sidecar."

Taylor said his transition from driving a truck to a motorcycle to work reminds him of an earlier decision he made 10 years ago that also presented challenges and opportunities.

An automotive mechanic who spent much of his early career working at local car dealerships, he said his life changed dramatically after he married and had children. Until he and his wife started a family, he had never thought seriously about applying for a job at AEDC, where his father had worked as an instrument technician for more than 40 years.

"I remember coming out here one time for a tour," he said. "I was really impressed by how big everything is."

Shortly after the birth of his first child, a boy, Taylor knew a career change was needed.

"I had been working on commission and [with] most shops you don't have insurance or any kind of benefits, for retirement or anything," he said. "It's a lot easier on my wife knowing how much money is coming in every week and the security involved."

Taylor added, "The work itself is interesting, it's not like a factory where you're doing the same thing every day. It's always something different and challenging."