I'm SLF but if you fly Dash 8-400's in and out of BHD you may have seen me boarding your aircraft with a bulky square blue bag. This contains my CPAP machine - a vital piece of equipment as like this pilot I suffer from sleep apnoea described by my doctors as 'significant'.
I would be totally amazed if he did not realise there was a problem. I struggled with it for years, falling asleep over my computer in work, feeling as if I was going around in a fog, going outside for fresh air, fighting to keep my eyes open. It's awful. A complete nightmare. No-one with this condition should be trying to fly hundreds of passengers around every day until the problem is completely eradicated.
My diagnosis was complicated by the fact I have an ongoing pituary gland problem which means I have to take thyroid replacement every day. Doctors including my hospital endocrinologist felt for a long time this condition was to blame. Eventually, a new GP in my practice who wasn't as tuned in to my previous problems decided to refer me to a specialist.
By this stage I had reduced my driving to the absolute minimum and following diagnosis my licence was suspended. The condition is much better now but it has not gone away completely despite both the CPAP machine and use of the drug Modafinil. Six months after my licence was suspended I lost it altogether and I don't think I'll ever drive again.
My point is sleep apnoea is a dangerous condition. If untreated it leads to death as it puts strain on the heart and lungs but it also poses a great danger to others if the sufferer does not acknowledge there's a problem.
I could not continue to drive either legally or morally. This airline pilot should not have been flying.