Dear Pilots: how common is it for a pilot[s] to snooze up in clouds??

Question

I believe there was an article last wk. via net about a commercial airline pilot who was caught sleeping while "flying"?

hmmmmmmm.

Answer 1

Very common.  

Not illegal.  

Expected.

Good practice if the flying pilot is awake.

Answer 2

It's very common for one to sort of doze off, while the other is watching the store.  I'm not saying it's right or okay to do, but it happens a lot.  Now, one being dead asleep, I haven't seen that too often, but I don't do long oversees flights where that could be more common.

Airline schedules can be very tough.  It's hard to be 100% awake when you only got 5 hours of sleep and have to work a 16 hour day.  Sure, it's up to you to make the call when you're unfit to fly, but don't expect the scheduling department to help you out with getting your son's birthday off after you call in "fatigued".

Answer 3

It is very common, much more than most will admit or acknowlege. Fortunately, pilots tend to be responsible and recognize that sleeping in the cockpit is a little bit risky, but by the same token studies have been done that showed when 1 pilot sleeps and the other doesn't that the crew is considerably more efficient and less likely to make a mistake.

I know from personal experience that it does go on, and for the right reasons. A good example is going from Dallas to Tokyo,  that is 14 hours, and you can get quite tired doing that trip. In a single seat fighter, with multiple refueling on the way.. it is a real bear to sit in that seat for that many hours.

I would much rather have my partner that is flying with me tell me... hey man... I need to take a break for awhile.. are you ok??  and if you are... you say so...  and he unplugs and takes a nap. 30 minutes can do wonders. It is MUCH safer than to try and hide it... which is hard to do when your head keeps dropping down to your chest and snapping up again.

This is NOT to say... that staying out late on a lay over in Vegas means you get to sleep on the way back the next day. WRONG.  But crew scheduling is going to do everything they can... legal or otherwise to move the "beef" (that's you) and if you are "legal to schedule, you are legal to fly"  and what that means is... if you are legally scheduled and you run over on your last leg... that's tough. They still have to give you the min rest time... but lets look there too...    Your rest period varies, and the scenarios are endless.. but for simplicity.. say you are supposed to get 10 hours rest.  That typically begins when you set the parking brake on the airplane.  So.. the time it takes you to get your crew out of the plane, get to the curb, get the hotel van to show up, take you to the hotel, checkin... get up to your room... all counts against your rest. Oh.. you wanted to eat? well.. sleep or eat, it's up to you. Then you get up in the morning.. check out, get a ride to the airport and sign in... within 10 hours.  Oh you wanted to eat breakfast? Get up early.

  Anything gets in the way...  your rooms are not ready, the hotel is full... etc etc... and you can be screwed royally. Normally, if you work for a reasonable outfit, they will work with you if something way out of the ordinary happens.... but if you are international... or you have connections that you have to make...   it may not happen.

Duty times, and rest requirements have been fought over for years, and you really can be legally pushed into a bad postition. Then there are the incidentals... You came in on schedule, and the van was waiting at the curb for you, express check in.. and wham... you were in your room in South Bend Indiana on the night of March 17,  and the St.Patricks day celebrating, the police sirens, the ambulance, the firealarms, fratboys... the empty keg thrown off the roof onto the roof above you at 04:00 and you got ZERO rest....  and you have a full day ahead,  5 legs, in bad weather with an instrument approach on each landing... and there is nothing you can do about it...   *except*  call in "fatigued" that you are unable to perform your duties.  YOU DO have the final say... and you can refuse to fly...and go home... but... don't be surprised if you are scrutinized on your next check ride, or you suddenly start getting jerked around... because the company doesn't want to explain to 354 angry passengers WHY they don't have a crew.

Answer 4

It is more common than they would admit. I read that one B-52 with a crew of 7 penetrated US airspace, and was interecepted by ADC. They were all asleep until the F-16 got the capt's attention. Probably blasted his AB to get his attention.

Answer 5

happens all the time when the pilot is alone, the clouds are monotinus, but you would think a co-pilot would wake them up

Answer 6

imagine yourself flying for 8 hours straight and sometimes doing back to back :D

Answer 7

Flying a light aircraft without an auto-pilot, I would quickly end in a spin if I was falling asleep. This being said, I remember when I took my license that my instructor once felt asleep on a navigation training. It was a tandem aircraft and he was behind me so I couldn't see him .. until ATC asked us to recycle the transponder and as I did it from 7000 (default VFR in Europe) without going to STB, I created h**l because it started the 7700 Mayday squawk code, which woke up my instructor! :-)