Sitting down for 10+ hours. 8 hours of nothing? Sure there's the EICAS & Pilot response warning on some aircraft, other than that what do they do besides sit there whilst cruising?

Actually there are some things we do to keep busy. You build a routine of checks. Fuel calculations against the flight plan to see your burn trends. We also use oceanic plotting charts to stay on top of diverts and position. There are those discussions about golf, stocks, dating, etc. Cups of coffee/eating. We also use work rest plans where you take naps. Now days it is harder as there is less to do. Technology has taking away many tasks such as performance calculations, fuel heat management, listening to the crackling HF radio, and fuel management. The key these days is to get a good rest prior to flying. Having extra pilots to allow sleeping. Work rest plan so you can get a nap in. Routine of checks to keep busy. The over water night flights are the worst. When flying over populated areas with ATC it's easier as you talk on and monitor the radios. I only get tired on over water flights when using selcal at night. Once the sun rises again, it gets very easy to stay awake.

There was a video posted a while back where an SR-71 pilot talked about a typical mission.  One of the things he talked about was how the pilots were prescribed uppers and downers they could use if necessary to help regulate their sleep patterns and keep them awake on 10 hour missions.  The most interesting thing to me in that video is how they regulated their diet.  Sleep isn't the only thing you can't do on a 10 hour SR-71 flight.

 

Then there is this:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-24-hour_sleep%E2%80%93wake_disorder

 

This is a sleep disorder where your internal circadian clock isn't 24 hours.  I've endured this for many years, and once even wrote a computer program that displayed a "clock" with approximately a 25 hour day.  This clock was accurate for about a year and I slept, awoke, and even got hungry, not at the normal times, but the proper times indicated on that clock.  I didn't use the clock to drive my life, but but would check the clock when I got sleepy or hungry.  One day the clock was no longer accurate, and my circadian rhythm seems to have shifted to about a 24.5 hour day.  I've been graphing my sleep times with Excel for 3 years now and the shift is surprisingly regular.  My 25 hour clock program was a couple of years prior to that.

 

When I was working, this was a major problem.  A couple of weeks a month I had real problems staying awake at work, then would be fine for a while as my internal clock went in and out of phase with the one on the wall.  I can certainly understand and sympathize with SR-71 pilots' use of physician-prescribed uppers and downers.

 

When I'm flying long hauls in FSX, I do what Rick described above, as I don't fly highly automated aircraft.   I also try to synchronize my flights to when I'll be awake, something a real world pilot can't do.

 

Anyone else with the same problem?

 

Hook

I'm led to believe that a good old pillow fight is the preferred keep me awake.for long haul pilots-

 

* The physical exercise of slinging a pillow around, ducking n diving re-energises the body.

 

* The brain processing involved in working out the strategy and battle plan re-stimulates brain cells

 

* The fun and Camaraderie tends to break down any cockpit tensions and promote a feeling of well being (although not always)

 

* Passengers get a sense of reassurance from a happy crew

 

An extract from chapter 5 of the Pilots Handbook- Introducing Fun To a Sterile Environment.    

 

Brian

Thanks for the quick replies, very interesting!

Get on the oxygen mask....

Get on the oxygen mask....

Works great for hangovers. The Plane captains and crew cheifs on the flightline on a Saturday and Sunday used to SO upset when the I level pukes descended upon their aircraft and drained them dry...the ones that had the weekend off were even more upset come Monday Morning....

 

Pat☺

Play Flight Simulator on their laptops?

:lol:

They don't.