One important issue was how to ensure that the co-pilot didn't also accidentally fall asleep. This has been a real concern for many years in aviation, with some studies reporting that as much as 50% of pilots accidentally fall asleep during flights.
According to a study by the Safety Matters Foundation that included 542 regional, local and international pilots, 66% of those polled admitted falling asleep while at the controls of the aircraft without waking up a fellow crew member.
Stone Slumber Pilot
An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-800 airliner failed to descend to the runway in the country's capital Addis Ababa — because the pilot was reportedly asleep. Fortunately, the aircraft alerted the sleeping pilot with an alarm when the plane overshot its target, apparently waking him up.
The simple answer is yes, pilots do, and are allowed to sleep during flight but there are strict rules controlling this practice. Pilots would only normally sleep on long haul flights, although sleep on short haul flights is permitted to avoid the effects of fatigue.
Two pilots flying a plane from Sudan to Ethiopia fell asleep when the aircraft was 37,000 feet above sea level, and missed their landing. The incident happened on Monday (August 15), and the pilots subsequently succeeded in safely landing the aircraft without reporting any injuries, according to The Aviation Herald.
After the outbreak of WWII, many pilots started bringing freeze-dried coffee packets on long flights. Instant coffee was a new technology for the time, and pilots often swallowed the crystals with gulps of cold water to help keep them awake.
The pilot can sleep for no more than 40 minutes, and must wake up at least half an hour before the descent for landing. They get the first 15 minutes after the nap to fully awaken, during which they can't resume actually flying the plane, unless they need to help deal with an emergency.
Fatigue may be unavoidable due to the nature of the pilots' job.
Managing fatigue is a challenge, particularly when flying overnight (red-eye) flights. Some countries allow pilots to take controlled naps to improve alertness during the landing. So far, the U.S. has not allowed this fatigue mitigation. Pilots keep flight deck lights up, and engage in conversation to help keep alert.
Night flying brings its own set of challenges. Fatigue becomes a potential issue for pilots even when they are relatively used to flying at night. Poor lighting in the aircraft can cause issues for navigation during night flights as well. The night sky makes it hard to read instruments and discern surface features.
More than half of pilots have fallen asleep while in charge of a plane, a survey by a pilots' union suggests. Of the 56% who admitted sleeping, 29% told Balpa that they had woken up to find the other pilot asleep as well.
Easier Navigation
Navigating at night can actually be much easier than during the day. Large conurbations and their associated street lights can be seen from miles away. Making it easy to pinpoint them and fly towards them. Roads are also much easier to pick out against the surrounding terrain.
A long-haul pilot might work four trips in a month with each trip necessitating one night in a hotel. This comes out to only four hotel nights in a month, but also consider that they likely spend part of the second night in a crew rest area onboard the plane during augmented crew operations.
How Much Do Pilots Make an Hour? » According to The May 2021 Occupational Outlook Handbook, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the salary for commercial pilots is $99,640 per year. The median annual wage for airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers is $202,180.
As a fatigue countermeasure, long-haul aircraft are equipped with in-flight rest facilities and long-haul flights are crewed with one or two extra pilots. These two measures are designed to ensure that pilots are provided with an opportunity to nap on-board the aircraft during long-haul flights.
Perhaps one of the greatest benefits is the pilot's schedule. Because a pilot can only fly 1,000 hours per year, you often have as much as two weeks off every month, resulting in greater leisure time than most occupations.
Planes have headlights so that pilots can see what is in front of them. Unfortunately, they are only effective during takeoffs and landings. Even with the slight illumination offered by the headlights, only darkness is visible when looking out the front window of a cockpit.
Sunglasses reduce the effects of harsh sunlight, decrease eye fatigue, and protect ocular tissues from exposure to harmful solar radiation. Additionally, they protect the pilot's eyes from impact with objects (i.e., flying debris from a bird strike, sudden decompression, or aerobatic maneuvers).
More than two pilots
Generally, if the flight is longer than eight hours, a third pilot (second officer) is required onboard. That requirement may vary slightly between operators.
The lifestyle of a pilot can be very demanding. Pilots often have to travel for long periods of time, which can be difficult for families. Additionally, pilots have to deal with shift work, as they may be working at odd hours.
I've known pilots who are scared of flying. In the industry, they are known as seagulls because you have to throw rocks at them to get them to fly and, even then, they squawk the entire time. One mate of mine who wasn't keen on flying said he coped by always taking a taxi to the airport.
An airline pilot can be an extremely stressful job due to the workload, responsibilities and safety of the thousands of passengers they transport around the world. Chronic levels of stress can negatively impact one's health, job performance and cognitive functioning.
Flight times within the duty periods are restricted to a maximum of 8 hours for flight crews consisting of one pilot and 10 hours for flight crews consisting of two pilots. The 8-hour and 10-hour flight time limitations include any additional commercial flying performed by the flight crew during the period.
In the United States, the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) limit pilots to 36 flight hours in a week, 100 hours in 672 hours (28 days), and 1,000 hours in a 365-day calendar period. As a hard answer, the maximum number of hours a pilot can fly in a year is 1,000 hours.
Yes, airplane pilots can wear glasses. (And many do.) If you wear eyeglasses or contact lenses, you can still become a commercial, private, or military pilot. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the military have certain minimum standards for prospective pilots.