Commercial pilots eating in flight
Joined: Dec 2014
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From: Africa
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 378
Likes: 26
From: Australia
In Australia most of the rigs give food bags to the crews, what they don't eat we engineers demolish, usually sandwiches, fruit, maybe chocolates - Mars Bars etc (left for the Engineers to stay in their good books), biscuits and a drink .
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 17
Likes: 1
From: 60 north
Belly Tank
Apropos chicken curry go to waste.
My FO was looking forward to his homemade curry , piping hot.
For some strange reason a lot of pilots were I work choose to use the Teck Log as a table, a hard plastic cover job.
That day the crew -coordination was not good . And as the Cabin Crew let go of the dish it started sliding towards the center pedestal.
In slow-motion, the Fo compensated with a hard right bank on the glass dish to avoid total avionic meltdown.
Now it was heading towards his crotch, which he deftly avoided by a hard left bank and nosedown with the Log as the dish promptly left and did a forward half Lomchewack or something like that and impacted the floor inverted.
Clean up operation continued well into the descend.
Nothing to do with helicopters , except maybe for the split second the dish auto-rotated inverted.
This all took place at 37 000 feet some were over France.
Regards
Cpt B
My FO was looking forward to his homemade curry , piping hot.
For some strange reason a lot of pilots were I work choose to use the Teck Log as a table, a hard plastic cover job.
That day the crew -coordination was not good . And as the Cabin Crew let go of the dish it started sliding towards the center pedestal.
In slow-motion, the Fo compensated with a hard right bank on the glass dish to avoid total avionic meltdown.
Now it was heading towards his crotch, which he deftly avoided by a hard left bank and nosedown with the Log as the dish promptly left and did a forward half Lomchewack or something like that and impacted the floor inverted.
Clean up operation continued well into the descend.
Nothing to do with helicopters , except maybe for the split second the dish auto-rotated inverted.
This all took place at 37 000 feet some were over France.
Regards
Cpt B
Joined: Aug 1999
Aviation Qualifications: ATP+Mil
Posts: 4,411
Likes: 83
From: Gold Coast, Australia
In no particular order:
North Sea shuttle, SP in a 212 and lunch was served during a running refuel: airborne to discover a (very) large plate full of rice and curry along with eating tools. Only solution was to drop the window and turf the lot
Rig support off Eire where a chance comment to the cook that the smoked salmon sandwiches yesterday were much appreciated, led to a routine sandwich with more smoked salmon than bread. We'd take the lot back to the hotel and have a proper feed later!
Nigeria where the ice cream from the American rig was to die for, but no room for anything else
Bombay High where the curries were akin to a nuclear sunset: to be consumed at your own risk.
10 hour day flying SP in a Wessex from northern WA to just off Timor-est and back, sandwiches and lots of liquid in 37C
12 hour days on fires throwing water at the ground where any food and water is welcome, often provided by supporting locals who value the work done to protect their homes. That's always humbling.
Lots more spring to mind, but anyone who considers eating in flight to be 'poor airmanship' is living in a dreamworld.
North Sea shuttle, SP in a 212 and lunch was served during a running refuel: airborne to discover a (very) large plate full of rice and curry along with eating tools. Only solution was to drop the window and turf the lot
Rig support off Eire where a chance comment to the cook that the smoked salmon sandwiches yesterday were much appreciated, led to a routine sandwich with more smoked salmon than bread. We'd take the lot back to the hotel and have a proper feed later!
Nigeria where the ice cream from the American rig was to die for, but no room for anything else
Bombay High where the curries were akin to a nuclear sunset: to be consumed at your own risk.
10 hour day flying SP in a Wessex from northern WA to just off Timor-est and back, sandwiches and lots of liquid in 37C
12 hour days on fires throwing water at the ground where any food and water is welcome, often provided by supporting locals who value the work done to protect their homes. That's always humbling.
Lots more spring to mind, but anyone who considers eating in flight to be 'poor airmanship' is living in a dreamworld.
Joined: May 2002
Aviation Qualifications: ATP+Mil
Posts: 18,633
Likes: 1,072
From: Downeast
anyone who considers eating in flight to be 'poor airmanship' is living in a dreamworld.
There is one particular Bristow S-58T crewman, later he went on to SAR duties, that if he knew how many smoked Salmon sandwiches I ordered up (he would only eat boiled ham sarnies and would invariably hand up his Salmon feasts to me, he would beat me to death.
One has to be aware of choking hazards during single pilot ops....or perhaps spoilage concerns if the food items are saved for the. next ground stop if Ambient Temps are high.
But....as that Eacott fellow says....in a most polite way....if you really think eating is bad form....you have lived a very cloistered life.
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 497
Likes: 31
From: A very long way North
Take off at 0700, report at 0600, leave house at 0530, breakfast (if you can face it that time if the morning) about 0515-ish?
land at 1000, rotors running turnround, off 1045–ish, to land again at about 1330/1345-ish.
Without eating anything at all since 0515.
I would consider it “very bad airmanship” to not eat something during that period.
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
From: Canada
That's extremely naive. There are lots and lots of reasons to eat during a flight. I have worked extensively where I haven't shut down the helicopter for 12 hours straight. Should I not eat for 12 hours?
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 309
Likes: 0
From: Canada
Soo, breakfast and lunch while you are flying is mandatory just about.
Pilot1234567 is right.
JD
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 386
Likes: 4
From: steady
Certainly a very illuminating and entertaining thread so far!
However, I have not yet read anything about any (minor) peanuts so far, please correct me if I'm wrong?
Come on guys and gals, a fellows career plans seem to be challenged by mundane bureaucracy here. Lets take it a bit serious if possible. This whole peanut deal seems a bit bizarre to me, to be honest.
However, I have not yet read anything about any (minor
) peanuts so far, please correct me if I'm wrong?Come on guys and gals, a fellows career plans seem to be challenged by mundane bureaucracy here. Lets take it a bit serious if possible. This whole peanut deal seems a bit bizarre to me, to be honest.
Joined: Mar 2005
Aviation Qualifications: Military
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From: Aus
from cold Army C-Rations
Joined: May 2002
Aviation Qualifications: ATP+Mil
Posts: 18,633
Likes: 1,072
From: Downeast
The Combining Transmission had a horizontal ledge that worked a treat for heating C Rations....or just put them into the Exhaust of the engine and motor the starter for a bit. The engine starters were hydraulically driven thus no time limit on motoring.
We carried a five gallon Igloo Water can filled with water and a big block of ice so we had cold sodas and beer to go along with the C Rations.
We carried a five gallon Igloo Water can filled with water and a big block of ice so we had cold sodas and beer to go along with the C Rations.
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
From: Canada
Despite constantly dripping oil, the 212 will work all day, every day without complaint. I check the oils when I'm out taking having a pee, but as long as they are at the appropriate levels at the start of the day there are generally no issues.
Joined: Aug 1999
Aviation Qualifications: ATP+Mil
Posts: 4,411
Likes: 83
From: Gold Coast, Australia
Going even further OT, RN Sea Kings on extended ASW exercises would only shut down briefly every couple of sorties (8 hours running) for an oil sample to be drained for SOAP analysis, again never any need for lubes to be topped up even after the few millilitres were drained for the sample
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You guys saw the thread title, right?
"Commercial pilots eating in Flight".
Not "Utility pilots", not "military pilots".
Those days of 12-hour flying time is long gone even for Offshore-pilots......
Again i bring up the term "sterile cockpit procedure"-if you´re doing short hops, you dont eat-period.
If you´re doing long legs, you usually get a break in between nowadays....
If one of my engineers would call me, saying "we have to ground the helicopter tomorrow, as we need to pull the radios out to remove the spicy chicken soup one of the pilots poured over it", i would kick this pilots ass..
"Commercial pilots eating in Flight".
Not "Utility pilots", not "military pilots".
Those days of 12-hour flying time is long gone even for Offshore-pilots......
Again i bring up the term "sterile cockpit procedure"-if you´re doing short hops, you dont eat-period.
If you´re doing long legs, you usually get a break in between nowadays....
If one of my engineers would call me, saying "we have to ground the helicopter tomorrow, as we need to pull the radios out to remove the spicy chicken soup one of the pilots poured over it", i would kick this pilots ass..