Sleeping on the Flt Deck
 

Out of curiosity what are the airlines policies about sleeping in the cockpit...and what really happens (if the two are different). I'm assuming there are no bunks on most of the planes but is it acceptable for one guy to lean back and snooze for while as you cross the Atlantic/Pacific in the middle of the night?

Big jet pilots are not formally allowed to sleep while in the cockpit seats, but most of us have taken a snooze at one point or another. If everyone is honest :)

ZZZZZZZ. Huh? You wake me for that?

Standing order was. ."if you have to. .wake me before the descent". Sometimes I just let the other guy sleep until he woke up. Only needed him to 'throw the gear' :eek:

If I liked the guy next to me, I would wake him up after we blocked in. Otherwise he was on his own to find his way to the hotel:o

It's okay to sleep as long as you don't wake up and see the other guy sleeping too! ;)

As a junior FO I used to joke that I was there to keep the Captain wake... he was there to keep me out of trouble.

If you are flying with someone cool they will take turns with you. Usually right before dawn I get real tired. All I need is ten minutes with my eyes closed and I am refreshed. I do not even need to sleep, just turn the headset down and close my eyes for a while. If allowed to do this I am much more awake and functional when I need to be, like during an approach.

Fault you for judgement on that! WHO the he11 is going to tip the driver if you leave him at the airport. You lose "captain" points.

If you're good, you can slip a dollar or two out of his wallet as he's sleeping... problem solved! :D

We had a couple of captains known for their deftness in that regard.

Failing that, they would just pack their suitcases full of rolls of toilet paper from the layover hotel