Originally Posted by
cwingart
A close friend of mine is an engineer at a major airline & they performed a study in which they took temperature readings at regular intervals over the course of 50+ hours on transcontinental flights. During each flight, they recorded temps of mid 20’s to mid 30’s in multiple locations around the cockpit. In line with posts by the commenters on this thread, the coldest readings were observed after about 2.5 hours of flight at the pilots legs/feet. Makes for an uncomfortable contrast of temps between upper body/lower body.
Just wondering what, if anything, pilots are doing to cope with these temps for hours at a time?
I read something a few years ago. It was a study of people who sat for prolonged periods of time. It was directed at office workers but it applies to us too. The study had some people stand up every 20-30 minutes for 30 seconds to 1 minute. The people who got up and stood, even if for just a short time, had lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol, on average than the people who stayed seated for hours at a time, not to mention the decreased risk of DVT’s and other blood clots.
Whenever I’m flying a 2+ hour flight, I get up every hour while at cruise and stand for a few minutes. Of course, jumpseater can make this impossible occasionally, but when I can, I do.
Next time your feet are getting icy, stand up for a minute or two, or set up a bathroom break, just to get the blood flowing a little better. Your health and medical certificate might thank you one day. Do a few knee bends or stretch your hamstrings a little. I’ve found my FO’s don’t like me doing squat thrusts on the center console but if you keep it within reason, it’s good for you.