Falling asleep in combat

jetcal1 · Oct 14, 2020

September 24, 2008 Pilots slept on Go flight to Hilo; airline fires them, FAA suspends them for careless and reckless operation.
The pilots failed to respond to nearly a dozen calls from air traffic controllers over a span of 17 minutes.

Oct. 22, 2009 Two pilots of a Northwest Airlines flight Wednesday were apparently so distracted that they missed their airport and kept flying for 150 miles before landing the plane and its 147 passengers safely.

SaparotRob · Oct 14, 2020

jetcal1 said:
September 24, 2008 Pilots slept on Go flight to Hilo; airline fires them, FAA suspends them for careless and reckless operation.
The pilots failed to respond to nearly a dozen calls from air traffic controllers over a span of 17 minutes.

Oct. 22, 2009 Two pilots of a Northwest Airlines flight Wednesday were apparently so distracted that they missed their airport and kept flying for 150 miles before landing the plane and its 147 passengers safely.

That one I remember. Weren't interceptors being scrambled or about to be?

strider190 · Oct 15, 2020

The Basket said:
So the P-51 could stay airborne for 8 hours maybe.

How did the USAAF combat fatigue?

I watched a video where a Zero pilot would watch fellow pilots crash into the sea due to falling asleep.

I recall

strider190 · Oct 15, 2020

The Basket said:
So the P-51 could stay airborne for 8 hours maybe.

How did the USAAF combat fatigue?

I watched a video where a Zero pilot would watch fellow pilots crash into the sea due to falling asleep.

I remember reading an account by one of our better known aces (don't recall who) telling of falling asleep on a long mission, pacific theater, I think and pulling out of the formation to do a serves of slow rolls which scared him so much he was able to stay awake for the remainder of the flight. Sorry just cant recall who.

IFollowRoads · Oct 15, 2020

I fell asleep flying a UH1-C in Vietnam. I had flown 10 hours that day. The sun was blasting through the "greenhouse", it was very warm, and I was exhausted. We were flying strike missions in support of a Special Forces camp under siege by the NVA on the Cambodian border. We would launch from our FRAP contact a FAC who would assign us an altitude. We would join a stack of gun ships flying in orbit at 500 ft separation. As the FAC used a flight we would be told to descend 500ft. There were often six flights in orbit. I was in orbit, flying at about 3,000. We had been at this every day for over a week. I was flying my fourth mission that day. It all caught up to me and I awoke doing a slow descending right hand turn and three voices on the intercom asking if I was okay. Boy was I awake then.

manta22 · Oct 15, 2020

Anyone who has never been in the military probably will not believe it but tired men can fall asleep marching and mechanically keep on going. It has happened to me.

Capt. Vick · Oct 15, 2020

My dad, US Army, said the same.

pbehn · Oct 15, 2020

Capt. Vick said:
My dad, US Army, said the same.

But I worked in civilian life and saw exactly the same, it isnt just in the military in any nation.

fubar57 · Oct 15, 2020

Halfway into a three hour drive home after working a 13 hour nightshift, I looked in my rear-view mirror and wondered why I hadn't noticed the corner I had just passed. It was then I realized I needed a job closer to home. The company I work for now is looking at putting eye motion sensors in the haul trucks, something a lot of mining companies already have. According to them. once you realized that your eyes had been closed, about eight second have elapsed

Greg Boeser · Oct 15, 2020

Never fell asleep in combat, but after the twins were born I would nod off in the cab of the overhead crane at work. There was a big radiant heater on the wall right where I had to line up to change out 5 ton rolls of steel. Normally not a big deal, unless I was in motion.

nuuumannn · Oct 15, 2020

DerAdlerIstGelandet said:
Heat, fatigue and boredom.

Describes aircraft heavy maintenance! I fell asleep in a C-130 engine dry bay whilst dismantling the tubing to get access to the outer wing tanks. The height of summer in a small space, just sat back and was out for 20 minutes when I heard the sound of boots across the top of the wings!

Greg Boeser said:
but after the twins were born I would nod off in the cab of the overhead crane at work.

I'm not surprised Greg, apart from being a scientific miracle that you were able to give birth to twins, having kids is exhausting... I used to fall a sleep in the lunch room at work after my daughter was born.

Dcazz7606 · Oct 16, 2020

The Basket said:
So the P-51 could stay airborne for 8 hours maybe.

How did the USAAF combat fatigue?

I watched a video where a Zero pilot would watch fellow pilots crash into the sea due to falling asleep.
It must have been a serious problem as I read one of the major developments of the P-51H was a more comfortable seat and cockpit ergonomics for the projected long range missions

windhund116 · Oct 16, 2020

Could the plane's radio pickup shortwave frequencies with military-entertainment or commercial frequencies, like BBC or Radio Tokyo? At least listening to music and news maybe better than the constant drone of the engine and prop.

PhantomDragonx · Oct 16, 2020

No. As a former AH-64D pilot, I flew 8+ hours a day in combat. You rely on sunflower seeds, 5-hour energy, or adrenalin. The last one is in short supply. 90% boredom, 10% heart pumping action.

Admiral Beez · Oct 16, 2020

PhantomDragonx said:
No. As a former AH-64D pilot, I flew 8+ hours a day in combat. You rely on sunflower seeds, 5-hour energy, or adrenalin. The last one is in short supply. 90% boredom, 10% heart pumping action.

I suppose you have the co-pilot/gunner in front of you for company and intervention if you start to wander off?

windhund116 · Oct 16, 2020

Admiral Beez said:
I suppose you have the co-pilot/gunner in front of you for company and intervention if you start to wander off?

Unless you both nod off....

DerAdlerIstGelandet · Oct 17, 2020

windhund116 said:
Unless you both nod off....

There is a lot of talking going on between the crew, at least with the Blackhawk. We constantly had a conversation going to remain alert. At least as best as we could without being distracted from our crew duties

The Basket · Oct 17, 2020

Did Americans use stimulants in ww2?

The reason I say this is based on Japanese pilot saying this about the Zero. Long range has its disadvantage.

He would see a Zero climb then go into a dive then hit the sea. Since they didn't have radios he couldn't call them. It wasn't the first mission but day in day out it just gets ya.

Admiral Beez · Oct 17, 2020

The Basket said:
Did Americans use stimulants in ww2?

The reason I say this is based on Japanese pilot saying this about the Zero. Long range has its disadvantage.

He would see a Zero climb then go into a dive then hit the sea. Since they didn't have radios he couldn't call them. It wasn't the first mission but day in day out it just gets ya.

The Zero needed an autopilot. Does such a device need to be heavy?

The Basket · Oct 17, 2020

The problem with the Zero is that it was a long range fighter.

You add weight and you reduce range and the reason for the Zero goes pop.

So self sealing tanks reduce range. Armour and bulletproof glass reduced range. So a pound here and there reduced range.

Falling asleep in combat

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