Originally Posted by
BoynamedSue
just for fun next time you are flying a night turn or night flight- and have the opportunity to fly with one of the over 60 folks (or even one that is really hoping for a rule change) talk to him or her.
it's kinda funny. it's like talking to your grandpa after the hours of say 6:00 pm- the body starts shutting down.
flew with a guy, a well seasoned guy, the other night and was talking with him then silence- right in the middle of his sentence-looked over and ta-daa- out like a light.
i think he was trying to mumble something about the rule being about safety and unfair. message received.
So you are saying that you have never nodded off during a night flight? Really? Years ago I was flying with one of our MD-11 captains, who at the time was a f/o in the Boeing. We were doing MHT.IND.MHT, week-on/week-off double deadheads. The only approach up there at the time was the ILS, landing to the North. His leg, 6 miles or so out on the localizer, and I watch him doing the old chin bob. You guessed it... he had fallen asleep, on his leg, 5 miles from landing. I should have let him sleep, the landing would have been better than most of his other ones.
This can happen to any of us at any time. Because you're not "old" yet, don't even for a moment, think it can't happen to you. As for me, you can't talk to me at 6PM on layovers, because I'm still out playing racquetball and won't be back to the hotel until about an hour prior to show.