Sleepless in the cockpit

[Commander]

I was watching 60 minutes, wherein the dangers of pilot fatigue was the subject. Many pilots admit to falling asleep during flight and I have even fallen asleep during landing in a DC-8 many years ago (in the jumpseat 12 yrs old).

So my question is: Would it not be the personal decision of the pilot to say no-go because of fatigue or would the employer hold grudges, so that the pilot wouldn't tell the truth, that he wasn't up to the flight at hand?

Commander - by no means an insomniac

[Loc-out]

Instead of having to battle to stay awake for the whole flight, why does the law not allow a "cat nap" on the flight deck at appropriate times of inactivity?

[Ford Fairlane]

Our mob allows "controlled rest". I just hate it when I dribble.

Whilst on the general topic, what are some of the more unusual activities to be done whilst on a long sector?

One bloke I fly with does all sorts of arm exercises for his rock climbing. He even uses those springy grip things, but I reckon that's for another purpose.

[Davaar]

Ford Fairlane asks about unusual activities on longhaul. Thirty years ago I occupied the right hand seat in an Aero Grand Commander being delivered from the US to England via Canada, Labrador, Greenland, Iceland and Scotland. The captain had wide experience in aviation, partly as a professional delivery pilot.

In this he used to deliver aircraft trans-Pacific. I believe some were single engine. Tarawa he mentioned as one of his mid-oceanic staging posts. I cannot remember what navigation equipment he carried for those trips, but the aircraft were pretty much stripped of all non-necessities and the fuselage fitted with extra fuel tanks.

He had to select different fuel tanks in-flight. He must have had an auto-pilot, I suppose, but anyway he told me he would settle the aircraft on its course, speed, and altitude, make himself as comfortable as he could, and go to sleep.

When the selected tank ran dry the engine would quit, and the change in note would wake him. He would then select the next tank in sequence and carry on.

I believed him at the time and still do. Am I just gullible? If that is what he did do, does it qualify as the extreme unusual single-seat single-engine airborne activity?

[Oleo]

Wow! Now that's a cool customer.

Then there was the Aussie chopper pilot I knew, who feel asleep ferrying his chopper across country one night. He woke up in a cloud of dust with the chopper very close to the ground and saved his @rse by a hairs breadth.

He got to the other end of the trip and wondered why everyone was running around waving their arms wildly, while rolling out some 44 gallon drums.

He had ripped his landing gear off. The 44 gallon drums were to prop up chopper on.

[mriya225]

D'oh!

http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/eek.gif Now that's a cool customer!

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Un diva très doué.

[Bigmouth]

I´ve never seen an F/O nod off, but I´ve caught several captains doing it.

[gravity victim]

Anyone remember that beautifully written bit in Gann's 'Fate is the Hunter' where he was engaged in wartime ferrying of C47's on the N Atlantic route to Scotland? The Captain would periodically go aft to shoot star sights, and work them out on a big table fixed on top of a ferry fuel tank in the cabin... it went something like:

" Having worked out the position, what could be more natural to stretch out on the table, the better to mull over one's calculations... lulled by the soporific drone of the engines, a deep and refreshing slumber would then ensue,undisturbed by the increasingly loud and angry shouts for relief by the hapless co-pilot..."

A great book. :)

[Mycroft]

Charles Lindberg fell asleep during his trans-Atlantic trip, and was awakened by the sun flashing in his eyes due to him flying in a circle

[Davaar]

Yes, Gravity Victim. On that trip into Greenland we were making our way with twists and turns up a fjord and I spotted a wrecked freight ship to starboard. It prompted a memory. I had that deja vu "I've been here before" feeling. Then I recalled E K Gann's description of the landfall and approach up the fjord to what is now Narssarssuaq. We were following his route, and it was exactly as he described it.

[Grandad Flyer]

I never fall asleep when flying. Occasionally I might examine the inside of my eyelids or I might lay back and examine the overhead panel for a while. But sleep, no, that isn't allowed...... :) :)

[Lu Zuckerman]

Once again I give my age away. I can never sleep on an airplane no matter how comfortable the accomodations. This is why.

Way back when aircraft were propelled through the air by big round multi cylinder engines I had been working the flight engineers panel on a PBY. We were on a search for a tug that exploded and sank. I had been on the panel for over fourteen hours with out relief. When we landed to take on fuel the pilot told the chief mechanic to relieve me for the trip back to our base.

The PBY which is capable of flying for six months if you can cram enough fuel aboard was equipped with four bunks. I flaked out on one of them and immediately fell asleep.

About half way back to base the aircraft started to ice up. The pilot turned on the wing warmers (Exhaust gas fed) and the prop anti ice pump. During the pump operation one of the fittings on the tubing sprung a leak and the alcohol caught fire. Two members of the crew were fighting the fire which was dangerously close to the APU fuel tank and I was totally unaware of this activity. The pilot had sounded the bailout alarm twice and I didn't hear it. If it went off for the third time it was everybody out.

With the anti ice pump secured, ice srtarted to build up on the props which caused them to go out of balance. This in turn caused the ice to shed hitting the fuselage. I was unaware of the noise and, the vibration. A large chunk of ice hit the navigators star site window and broke it allowing freezing air to enter the aircraft and, I didn't feel the cold. The wings and tail were really iced up because of the ineffectiveness of the wing and tail warmers. When we landed
I was awakened and told to get out and open the hanger doors. Normally, with the doors open we would use a tug and bring the plane in backwards. This time the pilots elected to taxi into the hanger.

When I turned on the lights on the hardstand I was amazed. The entire aircraft was encrusted in ice and our antennae were broken off and were hanging over the tail.

The pilot later told me that if our air station were fifty miles further we would have crashed.

Another reason for not falling asleep on an aircraft is that I have been working as an RMS engineer on aircraft since 1968 and I know what can go wrong. This is especially true when I fly on Airbus aircraft.

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The Cat

[JJflyer]

While flying the LFT seat I told the F/O to take the airplane and radios while I was "Occupied". I would put my sunglasses on and turn my head to the left so that it appeared as If I was concentrating in watching something magnificent on the ground or distance. This was on those 12 duty hour days with 8h of flying and 3-4 legs...Reason for the sneakyness was that we did not have partition between cockpit and cabin. PAX often get strange ideas about sleeping pilots.
Most disturbing experience was on a 9h night flight after a looooooong day of waiting and waiting fo a VIP. I woke up somewhere between Manaus ( Brazil ) and Asuncion ( Paraguay) Capt sound a sleep. I guess I had been sleeping for about 30-45 minutes.

JJ

[mriya225]

A bit off topic, but a good follow on to JJ Flyer's confession...

By far the best reponse to having been caught sleeping on the job: he raised his head quickly and cooly said "Amen." :)

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Un diva très doué.

[con-pilot]

As the senior Captain wrote to the line's Chief Pilot, "I am damn sick and tired of every time I wake up the other two guys are reading."

[clownfish]

I knew of an instance where the Captain fell asleep. Well the F/O turned down his radios and about an hour later had the pleasure (very short lived) of waking the skipper demanding he taxy the plane off the runway to the gate.

[gareth]

Sometimes its hard to stay alert when you have been awake for 24 hours or so at the end of long night flight. Perhaps night flights should be limited to max of 2-3 hour sectors. Any comments?

[DeltaTango]

One of my instructors used to fall asleep all the time during approaches and/or cruise....at start I gotmad since I was paying the guy loads of money but after a while the absurdity of it would just crack me up :) :)

[cat3]

Many moons ago was relieved from my slumbers by rear crew member, mil 4 jet, who asked me if it might be a nice idea to wake one of the two pilots up before we got completely f@@king lost. Had to agree it was a good plan.

[Paterbrat]

In a past life was completing the third or fourth crossing in a week on a 72 with long range tanks. Out over Canada on a dark night heading for Bangor, Chief Pilot a real miserable sod supercritical w@@@er in the left seat.To my dismay I awoke and found I was head down staring intently at my zip. I raised said head very slowly and completed a scan with a very suruptitious eyes right expecting a major bollocking. The King was drooling which I found fascinating. Relieved that the F/E had looked after us was horrified to find said gentleman head down on his table dead to the world. I hate to think how long we had been whizzing along oblivious to all. I have subsequently found that informing the other crewmember that I am taking five keeps him alert and greatly relieves me. A very short nap can work wonders. I have heard too many admissions from people who didn't mean to. I would rather have a planned and intentional one if it becomes a serious issue than risk an unplanned slip into slumber, because I've had it happen at a time I would have sworn I wouldn't have dared to.