Originally Posted by
Likeabat
Back in my 727 night cargo days I knew many flight engineers that would occasionally employ the "head on the table" technique. I believe it was used for a different purpose, but it must have been effective because it seemed to be very popular.
In a similar vein...
I had a nav in C-130s that would brief, "On takeoff, you're going to hear two thumps. The first one is the nose gear in the up-lock, the second one is my head hitting the desk. If you hear one thump, you have a gear problem."