Flying thirsty and hungry during Ramadan

[maximus610]

Hi all,

I'm a FI and have some students who do fasting during Ramadan month.

Is it better to avoid to send them solo during this month or just cancel practical training and do some ground?

To fly with empty stomach, especially with no water during the day seems to me comrpomising safety.

[gingernut]

I have a Muslim friend who takes his faith very seriously, but will not fast whilst operating, so I'm guessing exceptions can be made.

[reynoldsno1]

Bona fide 'travellers' do not need to fast during Ramadan, but are supposed to 'make up' the days later...

[+TSRA]

Agree with the above - travellers have an exception from the fast should they choose to. The two Muslim pilots I've flown with just added a couple days to the end of Ramadan...but that was during commercial operations. Never had to deal with that instructing where they may have to seek clarification from their Imam whether training would be considered "travelling."

If they feel they must fast I would suggest that, if you do let them fly, make it a morning flight only - that will be closest to their last meal and drink. I would think twice about sending a pilot solo and would only do so on a case-by-case basis.

Ground training seems your best bet, but remember that you'll possibly not have their full attention so don't expect much near the end of the session! :)

I'd be interested to know what other instructors think about this.

[Dan_Brown]

If they are fasting, especially not drinking water, they are in no fit state to operate machinery.

Certain Airlines seem not to enforce the above, therefore I avoid getting on any of their aircraft during Ramadan.

[maximus610]

Certain Airlines seem not to enforce the above, therefore I avoid getting on any of their aircraft during Ramadan.

@Dan Brown, how do you know if the pilots are fasting? Even the Middle East airlines have lots of non-muslim pilots...

[White Knight]

Quote:
Certain Airlines seem not to enforce the above, therefore I avoid getting on any of their aircraft during Ramadan.
@Dan Brown, how do you know if the pilots are fasting? Even the Middle East airlines have lots of non-muslim pilots...

Correct with SOME Middle East airlines max, but not all.... Dan is correct! If you are fasting you should NOT be flying airliners.

I hate Politically Correct BS................................................

BTW max - hasn't fasting been enforced in the Fatherland? If not yet it will be by 2030... After all, your boss Angela has caused all of this nonsense in Europe!

[emeritus]

There should not be a problem during Ramadan if any flying was carried out during the morning.

I spent a number of years flying out of Brunei and it was a known fact that the road accident rate went up during Ramadan, particularly in the latter part of the day.

Emeritus :)

[MaximumPete]

DON'T do it!!

[Odai]

I'm a Muslim myself and I don't see any issue with it as long as he/she eats sensibly while the sun is down (not gorging themselves at sunset and ensuring lots of slow digesting complex carbs and protein for pre-dawn meal) and is otherwise fit/healthy. In my experience the ones who tend to have a problem with it are those who have never tried it themselves.

Would be sensible to fit the flight in as early as possible in the day. Although I think what emeritus is getting at above is actually down to the rush for commuters to get home in time for the meal at sunset rather than the drivers actually being drained. I've certainly seen it in the ME.

It is true that travellers are one group that are exempt from fasting (although they have to make it up after). Opinions differ though on what pilots are to do given the frequency with which they face this dilemma. Having said that, this applies to commercial pilots, flying for a living, who (to an extent) are forced to fly. It could be argued that in the case of private pilots (who can always just postpone their trips or solo training flights until after Ramadan) should just avoid flying if it's considered unsafe to fast and fly. Since getting my PPL, this is what I have done. Simply regaining currency after ~30 days of not flying during Ramadan isn't hard.

[cavortingcheetah]

Used to fly with a guy in South Africa who observed the fasting ritual, no food, no water.
Used to fly four sector ten short haul days with turn arounds in crew rooms in airport hangers, so limited facilities and no air conditioning. It could easily heat up to 40c, more inside the tin boxes.
Good man though he was, he used to be definitely off the game by midday.
Always gave him the early sector/s of course. Never could quite see why that sort of weight had to devolve onto another pilot's shoulders. If you employ someone with known principles that must be observed then. as in this case, it's surely an operational responsibility to place those Muslims who choose to strictly observe Ramadan on either temporary sick leave, night flight duty or on standby; but then standby is a while new topic of abuse by management anyway.

[Wageslave]

If you employ someone with known principles that must be observed then. as in this case, it's surely an operational responsibility to place those Muslims who choose to strictly observe Ramadan on either temporary sick leave, night flight duty or on standby; but then standby is a while new topic of abuse by management anyway.

Oh, how sweet! How thoughtful. How considerate! How politically INSANELY incorrect. How sickeningly, appallingl RACIST!

I suppose you'll let Jews on your roster have Hannukah and Passover rostered off on that basis - no Hindus at work for Diwali of course, and of course all Christians OFF for Christmas? Oh! You don't? Well why the **** NOT???? Do your Roman Catholics get every Saint's days off? All 360 of them? Well, why not? What about the Mormons and Scientologists?

I'm a Pastafarian. My holy time is Jan 1 to Dec 31. I want all the year off to eat noodles. It's my right!!!! Waaaaah! Waaaaaah!

If you sign for a job in the modern world you abide by the Ts and Cs of the job and ensure you're fit to work when you're told to. Or you walk. You can't start calling special privileges because some prat in a dress and a hat wants to remove your daughters clitoris with a rusty razorblade or throw water at a bogus 12th century plaster statue surrounded by warbling choirboys. What planet do you inhabit?

How about joining the modern world and rejecting this pernicious sort of inverted racism? But racism it is.

Bejasus! How do people get so brainwashed?