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“Only a relatively small number of pilots are identified with an alcohol or drug problem,” says Dr. David Prewett, an aeromedical neuropsychologist in Atlanta. In 2018, the FAA issued about 1,200 special medical certificates for recovering pilots—roughly 0.2 percent of all active U.S. pilots.
2. A more conservative approach is to wait 24 hours from the last use of alcohol before flying. This is especially true if intoxication occurred or if you plan to fly IFR. Cold showers, drinking black coffee, or breathing 100% oxygen cannot speed up the elimination of alcohol from the body.
The routine FAA medical examination does not test for alcohol use and it does not include a blood test. The urine test, which is performed by Aviation Medical Examiner's, is a screening test for diabetes and kidney disease and normally does not include a drug test.
While cigarette smoking is not prohibited by the FAA, it has several hazardous side effects and many health conditions caused by smoking are medically disqualifying. A smoker typically carries a carbon monoxide blood level of about five percent.
These medical conditions include a personality disorder manifested by overt acts, a psychosis, alcoholism, drug dependence, epilepsy, an unexplained disturbance of consciousness, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, and diabetes requiring medication for its control.
The Federal Aviation Administration does not permit pilots to fly if their blood alcohol level is 0.04 or higher.
You're best off to sip a little at a time. So bring a couple of water bottles into the cockpit and drink regularly while you're flying, and keep safe!
According to FlightSafety.org, pilots are told to avoid consuming more than 300mg of caffeine per day, which can impair mood and psychomotor performance.
Most airlines have a similar policy when it comes to tattoos. They allow pilot tattoos as long as they are not visible while on duty and do not contain any offensive content. This means that any tattoos on the hands, neck, or face must be covered up while on duty.
The FAA prohibits the ingestion of any alcohol within 8 hours of flying as a pilot crew member, be it general or commercial aviation.
One of the first steps the FAA and the airline will take against a pilot accused of intoxication is to temporarily suspend the pilot's license and flying privileges. While there is no automatic revocation of a pilot's license in these cases, the FAA will suspend a pilot pending the outcome of the investigation.
Now, drinking isn't necessarily a problem in and of itself, but pilots are in a unique situation where they are often isolated, and removed from familiar surroundings. That may lead to an increased urge to drink out of boredom or loneliness.
Due to the risks to flight safety posed by ADHD, regulatory authorities worldwide consider ADHD a disqualifying condition for pilots. Unfortunately, pilots sometimes fail to disclose ADHD to their Aviation Medical Examiner (AME).
A lot of times pilots marry other pilots. The odds of coordinating your schedules may not be great, but many airlines have no policies against spouses working the same flights together.
Piddle packs contain absorbent material that soaks up liquid in the same way a nappy does. The urine becomes a gel-like substance and can be sealed in the piddle pack and hidden somewhere safe for the rest of the flight.
Long and short distance pilots are allowed to use the bathroom when they need to as long as the airplane is under control. Pilots use the same bathroom as the passengers, much to the delight of the younger (and sometimes older) people on board!
If rain is too heavy, the pilot's visibility can be impaired, which can make it unsafe to take off, thereby preventing his or her aircraft from flying. In rare circumstances, heavy rain can also cause a plane's engine's to “flameout,” though pilots can usually re-ignite them.
Past incidents
In 2020, the EU's aviation regulator banned A350 pilots from drinking coffee in the cockpit to reduce the risk of spilling liquid on electronic controls.
Between 2010 and 2018, nearly 117,000 U.S. pilots were tested for alcohol, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Of those, 99 were found above the legal limit. When those violations are discovered, the consequences can be severe.
Don't drink
Alcohol is a depressant that relaxes your nervous system, so it makes sense that we associate having a drink with chilling out, but for some people, it can actually increase anxiety. Plus, the last thing you want if you're already anxious about flying is a Bridesmaids-type situation.
One statistic commonly quoted is based on a 2011 study by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, which found only 20% of flight school students achieve their private pilot certification.
“The ups and downs are constant, and we fly at all different times of the day,” Deitz says. “It's a stress on your body.” Takeoff and landing are the trickiest parts of a given flight, requiring all of a pilot's attention and mental energy. Heart rate increases during those windows, studies show.
Is Being a Pilot Stressful? Now to answer the most important question of this article: “is it stressful to have an avaiation job?” The simple answer is no, the flying profession offers many benefits that other professions would not get you. This eliminates plenty of stressful events from happening in your life.