This is the readers digest version of my story.
In 1995 I I took a leave of absence from Continental and went to work for Tower Air as a 747-100/200 FO. Some good pilots that flew there and were really quality pilots - ex CAL (full term strikers and no scabs) Ex EAL (strikers), ex Braniff, Ex Pan Am. A lot of non skd pilots who had flown for many bottom feeders over the years. Some of the non skd pilots were just flat out weirdos and absolutely miserable to fly with.
I went 42 days without a day off. On day 42 coming home from Tel Aviv to JFK and finally supposed to have days off. I couldn稚 sleep at all on my layover. I was totally stressed out being away from home for so many days. Also had been flying with a really bad CA and PFE (both non skd types) for several trips during this 42 day stretch. Flight left Tel Aviv for JFK at midnight arriving in JFK at 4 AM.
My leg, 12 hour flight to JFK. Old school three pilot flight deck so no crew rest like today on 3 & 4 man augmented flights. I could barely talk to both pilots because they were just total weirdos. A few hours out of TLV, I tell the CA I barely slept on layover. I was totally exhausted now, would he mind if I shut my eyes for a while. A common practice back in the day on three pilot un augmented long international flights.
He responded and said no. I said fine, I知 fatigued already and we have 9 hours to go to JFK so why don稚 you just take the leg and fly the remainder of the flight. He responded no, your leg you fly. Not a word other then required communication said for remainder of the flight.
Fast forward to 9 hours later. A thunderstorm took out the ILS at JFK. We are flying a non precision approach. My head is bobbing forward uncontrollably and I can稚 keep awake. Below 5000 feet I literally fall asleep three separate times. Each time they shake me and said wake up and start laughing like there getting a kick out of this. In my stupor, I managed to fly for a while and fall asleep a total of three times.
Somehow I barely keep awake and we land without incident. Now taxing in the FE tells me hey the company is extending you. Your DH段ng to the west coast in a few hours to fly a pacific trip for a week. I thought he was busting my balls and it was a joke, We block in and sure enough before one PAX gets off (500 paxs in cattle car configuration) someone comes up stairs to give me a ticket for my DH.
I walk into the chief pilot office, tell him I知 fatigued and going home. This is my two weeks notice and I値l be back to fly the remainder of my two weeks when I知 fully rested several days later. He says hey I now we are short (only had 2.5 crews per airplane at the time and hiring for 4 crews per airplane). But soon you値l be able to get your 12 days off per month. I say I知 going back to Continental to get my 15 to 18 days off I知 out of here.
True story.