Can't Sleep

[OPECJet]

I haven't flown a regular night run in a long time, around 2 or 3 years, but the tendency is still there to not go to sleep until at least 4 in the morning. Makes getting up to fly an early trip a really painful thing. When the company went to flying all on demand stuff, those 5 am calls to go fly really sucked since I just gone to bed most of the time.

On the other hand, when I was flying air ambulance, I was the only one awake AND alert on those late night / early morning trips. At least until about an hour before sunrise.

 

[Nolife]

zzzzz.....

After flying all night long, 10pm- 9am, I used to work out. I'd get home feeling good and pumped, then take a nice relaxing shower and stay up as long as I could. Usually about noon or one I passed out and got about 5 or 6 hours sleep. Somedays more some less.

Several times though after a good nights sleep I'd still fight the sleep monster on my last leg. The monotony of the flight would take over and there was nothing I could do. I even hung my head out of the window, like a dog, only to be awaked by a dragonfly at 160 knots. Nice bruise on my forehead for about one week.

Two guys at my former company actually got busted by ATC after going miles of course in the wrong direction and not answering thre radio.

Night cargo is tough... only the insane, very lonely, depressed, and lost souls do it for any length of time

 

[OPECJet]

You got hit in the head with a dragonfly??? I hate to laugh at that, but.....

I used to fly an airplane that had a vent window like the ones on the Slowtations. During the summer if I was in the right seat I would push the seat back as far as I could and put my foot out the window. The air coming off my shoe would hit the guy in the left seat cooling him off, while some of the would shoot up my pants leg cooling off the important equipment there. Some sort of bug hit my shoe while doing this and wound up shooting up my pant leg. No bruise and no stings though...

 

[Magneto]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will definately try some of them. Well, I survived last night and I actually wasn't even that tired. Thank goodness for second winds.

I actually have adapted quite well to the night schedule. I find myself really struggling though on the weekends when I try to go to a half day/night schedule to spend time with the family. Oh well, such is the life of a freight dog.

 

[Wang Chung]

Get this book: "Fatigue in Aviation; A Guide to Staying Awake at the Stick" by Caldwell (publisher is Ashgate).

It's outstanding - it has the latest info and it just came out. It also addresses some myths and B.S. about sleep and fatigue.

I don't miss my freight dog schedules, especially the unscheduled stuff. Not one bit.

Wang "Human Hactors Geek" Chung

P.S.:

are you taking naps at any other time of the day? even a 30 minute or hour nap in a recliner somewhere? if so.....don't do that

Dude, if you are tired because of your schedule, take naps when you can get them. Just give yourself some recovery time after you wake to spool up.

 

[fly2002]

well i've done the night cargo schedule now for nearly a year. I will leave my company for Mesa Airlines. I can't stand the sleeping in shifts anymore. My schedule has me not working on the back side of the clock...it has me working two clocks. I sleep for 4 hours...wake up....work for 3 more...then TRY and sleep an additional four hours. So two complete "shifts" of sleep.

I haven't seen a cloud i've flown through in over a year. My battery is always half-charged. As mentioned above ...some can handle the wierd sleep....some cannot. I have found myself constantly tired..lacking basic motor skills...dangerous behind the wheel....and that's after landing a 23k pound airplane only minutes before.

I don't even fly much...about 1.8 a day...that isn't anything. It is all handflying....but like people on this board say....it's all about the sleep. What is daylight? What are friends? Family?....all of these things you will miss out on paying the "night cargo" dues. I look like i'm on drugs just going to the store to buy a pack of smokes!!! Geez...i'm trying to think back on this mornings flight....I remember the landing...everything else is seriously a blur.

I cannot even imagine some of the guys on here that attempt to have a "normal" schedule weekend. I ALWAYS stay up till at least 4:30am on the weekends. I can't FORCE myself to sleep...ya just gotta let is happen. Do i close the shades in the day? Yeah....I don't put up blankets/ aluminum etc. like my captain does though. I DO go into hibernation mode though. The apartment has to be cold.....lots of covers on the bed. I even used nyquil for a while...just a really small shot when i got home. By the time it was to sleep...it had taken effect. Ok i'll stop ranting. I am glad i did the night cargo thing though. I'm also glad that i flight instructed for a year as well. Next week is my last week and I am thankful. Clouds...sun...warmth..daytime!!!!! I've learned a lot about myself...and what i want to do with my life as far as flying is concerned. No more cargo....no more night shifts.. If FedEx or UPS call in a few years....they can shove it. That type of flying...while terrific (career goals) for some....it's not for me. Ok...sorry for the rant guys/gals...this thread just kinda sucked me in based on my own experience.
East coast guy

 

[DitchDriver]

Staying awake

A fellow freightdog suggested eating sunflower seeds, worked wonders for me... while bag lasted.

 

[Kaman]

Hello,
A lot of good suggestions here. I came from a military background and primarily operating from carriers. Hence, we all lived by the flight schedule and what I found worked the best when we were really pushing it was to try and establish and maintain a routine. I think that having regular hours will lend itself much better than the crazy hours we had in a CVW.
Most importantly, eat regular meals, sleep when you can get a nap, exercise and try and keep flying in a "box" only opened when you report for duty.
On the subject of naps. You will be amazed at what a 20-minute power nap can do for you. Don't let yourself sleep too long though, the military did some studies that suggested no more than a half-hour on the naps, otherwise you'll be lethargic vice refreshed. Obviously, this is going to vary by the individual, but seemed to work pretty good in actual practice. As a final resort, you could check with your AME and see what he suggests.

Regards,

ex-Navy Rotorhead

 

[de727ups]

"If FedEx or UPS call in a few years"

Don't worry...you don't beg, borrow, and steal for a job like that and it isn't going to happen.

Some of our schedules will kill you but if you are senior enough to hold a clean line then it's usually five or six on, and then you have eight or nine off to be normal. No doubt, night freight four or five days on, two or three off, is a killer. The sleeping three or four hours, twice a day, is too.

With some seniority, though, you can fly days and/or get a lot of time off. I only flew 100 hours block last year and got paid for 975......

 

[Wang Chung]

Don't let yourself sleep too long though, the military did some studies that suggested no more than a half-hour on the naps

The latest recommendations I've seen is to not limit napping time - get as much as you can, when you can. Not sure about the 30-minute studies.

Just leave yourself time to fully awaken after the nap.

...but do whatever works best for you.