BarryUAS

This question may seem like a foolish one, but since im not a regional pilot I have been curious about this. I compete in bodybuilding competitions on the side so thats why im going to ask.

So my question is, how can commercial pilots, stay in shape, get proper sleep and eat a good diet while constantly being away.

1st Are they aloud to bring food with them on the plane ? Could they get their first officer or vice versa to watch the controls for like 10 mins while they chow down on some food, or down a protein shake ?

2nd Do most of the hotels you stay in, have a decent weight room gym ?

3rd I keep reading in the news about commercial pilots operating off minimal sleep, In the Army they make 8 hours crew rest mandatory....so I hope thats just media hype.

4th Im used to being away for training, field ops, even deployments, and ive managed to maintain great health and physique.....how much during an average month are you gone from you're home, your kitchen lol ?

Thanks for reading this, i know these questions may seem strange but to me ive always wanted to know.

I am a glider pilot for hobby. I fly UAV's for the Army, which is boring as all hell.

kingairfun

I'm no where near body building status. But have maintained very healthy eating habits and physique for over 10 years of airline/fractional flying..... I started the regionals at 22 and around 210lbs. and left at 28 and about 205 lbs. Trick is to avoid the airport restaurants.. Unfortunately not many guys do.....

Kettlebell

Great tips and insight to life on the line! I was wondering the same thing as I'm about to start initial soon.

BarryUAS

Thank you KingAir for the great detailed response. Its just something ive always wondered about.

From what you've told me, the biggest challenge is the ****ty gyms inside the hotels. Its ashame hotels skimp out on the gyms, when i travel for buisness in the past that was what i looked for. Can't wait to hear others thoughts on the subject as well.



I love flying gliders for fun and all, so Im not that serious into looking at commercial jobs. The thing is, I should have a decent contractor job coming out of the army (getting out early im only 29).

So basically I have this GI bill or Post 911 GI bill that will expire in 10 years if i don't use it. Im already a ACE certified personal trainer (one of them quick courses) So while im working my contractor job, I figure id use my GI bill towards something fun, like flight school. I figure if worst comes to worst and i lose my contractor job, i can always fall back on a low paying flight job haha very optimistic, but I hear the airline industry is projected to start booming in the next 5 years especially in Asia. Either way I plan on racking up a few bodybuilding amature titles and if my luck swings that way i figured id want to atleast feel like I could do both.
Already got the PPL and Glider, and I fly UAV's for Army (uavs are boring), so I do enjoy the thrill of flight.

rickair7777

If you're into body building, you're going to have to bid for overnights with real gyms available. A very few hotels have them, a few others will give you a day pass to a local gym, and many will drive you to one. I used to fly with a guy who bid for exactly that...when I saw him on my sched I knew it was going to be weights all week.

I've maintained a high fitness level with a combination of cardio, weights, and calisthenics. Since I do a lot of everything, I can usually find something to do on the road. The serious weights usually wait until I'm home though

PCLCREW

I thought the Army was 12 hours min whenever you land? Maybe thats the Navy.
Its not media hype its true... not to long ago I did a 14 hour day got cancld.. had to wait 3 hours for the company to release us.. then got 10 hours in base (which means about 4 hours of sleep with crew bus driving etc etc) and was expected to be back at the airport the next morning at 830a for another 14 hour day.
In the regionals they push the limits everytime they can, because regional airlines are a POS.
I really hope you are not considering this as a career... PLEASE stay in the Army.

BoilerUP

You can perform Crossfit in your room or even the crappiest of hotel exercise rooms to great success, which should allow you to maintain until you get to a good gym. I'd recommend carrying "inflatable" weights that you fill with water and a jump rope.

When I was at AWAC, I actually lost 10 lbs over my 2 years there as a combination of LOTS of black coffee suppressing my appetite, LOTS of water other times, smart snacking, laying off soda, and ramped-up cardio took off the weight. I too packed a cooler that would last at least 2 days in a 4 day trip, often filled with 4 PBJ sandwiches, beef jerky, microwavable soups, Powerbars, almonds, etc. MUCH better option than grabbing a pizza or burger in an airport. And if you do need something in an airport, there are substantially better options available if you think slightly outside the box than a greasy burger or candy.

The hardest part of working out on the road with a regional airline schedule is having enough energy to force yourself to exercise...those schedules, especially in the summer and double-especially during times of irregular ops, are completely exhausting.

snippercr

I am not a regional pilot (still CFI) but I used to go to a gym often. Then I got sick of the clientele at the gym I went to. I took my gym membership bucks and bought a pull up bar, a few adjustable dumbells and borrowed a friends copy of P90X. Best shape I've ever been in my life, all from home. There are options to use resistance bands which I think would be great for traveling.

It's very popular at the school I teach at and even though you will see ads for P90X on infomercials, I think it is the most effective fitness program I have ever done. It kicks your ass to the floor and then keeps kicking but when you look in the mirror after a few weeks, it's worth it.

MoonShot

1st Are they aloud to bring food with them on the plane ? Could they get their first officer or vice versa to watch the controls for like 10 mins while they chow down on some food, or down a protein shake ?

No problem in cruise. There ends up being a limit to the amount of food you can bring with you from home (bulk with suitcase, flight kit, etc...). A lot of it depends on if you commute or not and how long you plan to be gone for. For example, it would be much easier for a guy that lives in base doing a 2-3 day trip to pack more quality food with them than a guy that commutes and plans to be gone 6 days or so.

2nd Do most of the hotels you stay in, have a decent weight room gym ?

I've found that the gyms in the hotels that we stay at with the majors are much more complete than where we stayed as a regional pilot. I would say that you could get a body builder quality workout in 40% or more of our hotels. Most cities would offer a good quality gym within a few miles if you wanted to pay a daily fee.

3rd I keep reading in the news about commercial pilots operating off minimal sleep, In the Army they make 8 hours crew rest mandatory....so I hope thats just media hype.

While you might get 9-10 hour overnights, they are going to seem much shorter and I have found that if I have much less than a 12 hour overnight, I certainly don't feel like working out (although I'm not body builder, I take pretty good care of myself). Like others have said, I get my heavy lifting/workouts done at home. Changing time zones and schedules will leave you running low, especially if you commute.

4th Im used to being away for training, field ops, even deployments, and ive managed to maintain great health and physique.....how much during an average month are you gone from you're home, your kitchen lol ?

Depends a lot on the month. As a commuter, I'm home about 17 days a month (but I try and not work very hard).

Good luck.

lolwut

Remember that rest figures quoted are not how much sleep you get, its how much time you get away from the airplane. 9 hours of rest is going to net you about 6 hours of sleep if you make it your absolute and only priority to get to bed and get as much sleep as possible.

As a regional airline pilot, especially a junior one, you are going to be really tired, really often.