modelman

After having experienced a serious choking event with a mint while driving ( a hasty stop was required),I got to thinking about the same thing happening whilst aloft.No more mints/chewy for me,just some water.

Am I being paranoid?

MM

dhblewis

IMO I think your being paranoid. We eat multiple times every day and yet I cannot remember when I last choked. Especially on a mint.

vanHorck

i have an autopilot in my plane but not in my car.....

But seriously, you must have been very unlucky. I sometimes eat on long flights.

the odds i would say are pretty slim, unless you have a predisposition for this, in which case obviously it would be better not to chew/eat.

You can t cover all eventualities in life. Just being serious and responsible is enough. You had a fright. Glad you're ok, enjoy the flying!

B

Squeegee Longtail

...I should say so!

Live. Don't be scared!

gasax

Don't drink - you may choke on the water!

scooter boy

Personally I find that chewing gum sometimes helps with RT.
Keeps your mouth wet and also helps pop your ears.
So long as you chew quietly and don't get it stuck to the mike,
the biggest risk of drinking is needing to pee.

SB

Blues&twos

I think "paranoid" is not the right word. Until something like this happens to you, the perception is that there's no risk (realistically, how many people would consider it at all)?

But if it happens once, it makes you think. I was caught in an strong earthquake once whilst staying in a foreign hotel. My "paranoid" action of walking out the fire escape route and checking out how the escape door lock on the first day got my family and I out of the building in seconds. This is now something I now do every time I stay somewhere I'm not intimately familiar with. I am still called paranoid by some of my friends and relations because of this. "Sensible" is how I think of it.

So no, modelman, you're not paranoid - it's happened to you and gave you pause for thought and a sufficient fright to make you think of possible consequences. If you don't have to chew something when flying, then just don't do it.

This is true dhblewis, but try telling that to the thousands who have choked, some of them to death. It's not as uncommon as you think - it is, according to the stats, the 4th most common cause of accidental injury deaths! (Apparently!)

englishal

Darwin has a funny way of removing bad genes from the gene pool. If you choked while chewing a mint, then it was meant to be, just accept the fact and don't fight it.

I feel confident in my ability to chew-while-flying so will continue to chew gum as per Scooter boy. I will remember though to not carry enough water to accidentally drown myself in a freak drowning-while-flying accident......

Edit:

I'll remember that next time I am chewing-a-mint-while-flying Just make sure your pax knows how to perfom a tracheostomy....

DB6

I would think you are far more likely to save your eardrums from damage during rapid descents than you are to choke to death. Chew on fearlessly!

omcaree

Isn't that why they invented polos? If you manage to get one of those stuck in your throat then all you suffer from is permanently minty breath!

On a slightly more serious note, I regularly chew while flying despite having a moment once in some bumpy air where I almost swallowed some chewing gum. I find the distraction of unwrapping sweets, opening drinks, etc... to be more risky than the choking potential.

Also, always remember to move your mic before taking a drink of water. I forgot this once and ended up with a soggy mic. Luckily it kept functioning, would have been a rather embarrassing comm failure!

Lasiorhinus

If you're going to stress about choking while eating, i suggest you eat these rather aptly named lollies:

PlasticPilot

You've been unlucky, and as someone already answered, the autopilot (or simply good trim technique) can help with flying while you swallow...

Not eating / drinking can rapidly lead to dehydration, or lower energy / attention levels, particularily during long flights... but beware of food poisoning then.

Read more here: In-flight incapacitation - What would you do ? and here : Tips for better managing long flights

172driver

PlasticPilot, just one thing. Food poisoning doesn't necessarily manifest itself 90 minutes after ingestion. Some bugs may, but the symptoms can take up to four days to develop.

bjornhall

So in the name of flight safety, pilots should not eat or drink (or breathe? ) in the last four days before flying... Got it!

Really though, a lot of things could go wrong during a flight, and choking on a mint is one of them... Soon as we run out of more important things to worry about, let's deal with it!

172driver

Exactly - MINTS AWAY !!!!

LH2

...this thread is degenerating by the minute

vanHorck

applies only to males

JEM60

Racing Driver Roy Bloxham was killed at Goodwood many years ago when he lost control inexpicably. At his PM, chewwing gum was found lodged in his throat. When I was involved in indoor karting, we were TOLD [not requested] to NOT chew during racing, for this reason. Obviously it is impractical to not eat etc., but it has resulted in problems.