Originally Posted by
double_barrel
Perhaps more to the point, do you guys refrain from a glass of wine with a meal before traveling on holiday or deadheading, on the off chance that you might have to step up to the flight deck within the next 8 hours?
Surely when an off-duty professional pilot gets a phone call saying “we’re short of a pilot, can you fly today?” they make a grown-up assessment whether they’re fit and able to fly, and if not for any reason, they say “sorry, no, unable.” Depending on their employer thay may have to explain why: “sorry, no, I’m drunk.” OTOH, if by an outside chance they’re sober and willing to fly, that’s when they turn up in civvies.