Originally Posted by
C17B74
You are correct no doubt, solid advice and needed it during college.
My apologies as you missed my “only one of the aforementioned habits reigns true” comment, I was vague. CPAP is my only indulgence if you will of the criteria of four. Self righteous I am not, but drink less than most any pilot I know except flights on Emirates, Singapore, Lufthansa, etc. (US Carriers just don’t bother). Cigar maybe twice a year, superb food yes but in minor quantities, never a hub turn guy and our outfit is much less efficient than Brown or Purple or any Major so I enjoyed longer sleepovers/layovers hiking around pre-viral of course. Night Hub Turns can’t be good especially with an accelerated schedule back to back monotony. No worries/pressure getting to work or hotel/crash pad to pay for and I don’t live in a domicile. I was a lot of fun during college times I kid you not, quite boring now just walking the countryside. Always enjoy coming to “work” if you can call it that and actual traveling not out-n-backs, ground hog days or merry go round satellite ops if you will. Once again that lifestyle you highlighted is not sustainable and you can actually see it on those who push it. No sense accelerating yourself into a coffin with bad choices or real work
FTv3 is right as it relates to night flying (12am-7am). You are not going to last long in this business if flying nights and committing excesses. You stick to exercise, a healthy routine, and most importantly lots of sleep, you will be fine. The more I think about it, this job (UPS and Fedex) is not for everyone. One thing is absolutely certain, regardless of personal opinions, human bodies are not meant to be working all night and sleeping while the sun is up, our bodies are simply not meant to function that way. In reality, there should be a premium on this type of flying, call it hazard pay if you will. I would love to see the mortality rate of guys upon retirement.