How Do You Keep From Falling Asleep?

[User546]

Every true freight dog has their own method of keeping themselves awake while flying late into those dark, moonless nights.

Let's hear what you got!

 

[Flechas]

Hey AbUser, what kind of flying do you do?

 

[flyinlow67]

Set up your standby radio to an AWOS or ATIS about 90 miles ahead of you. Open up that freq. on your audio panel and as it comes in, you start hearing it and you wake up.
Of course the engine coughing will do the same thing when you run out of gas because you were sleeping and didn't change tanks.

 

[jbDC9]

In my C-310 freight doggy days I used to listen to my Walkman, read a Stephen King novel and eat a sandwich, all at the same time... no autopilot of course. Just nudge the pedals every now and then to keep her straight...

For me, the worst time, absolute toughest leg to keep awake on was the oh-dark thirty launch from STP to DSM and OMA... before sunrise, been on duty since 2300; man, sometimes it was reaaally tough to stay awake. I don't miss that part of the job.

 

[kevdog]

Red Bull gives you wings.

 

[DirtyBeech]

NoDoz

 

[Wasted]

Work up a chub.

 

[Freightdog99]

Put a big fat dip in, a full bottle of Mt. Dew, and an empty one to relive myself in. I have the hardest time staying awake during the middle of the day, when I am flying at night it is much easier to stay awake for some reason.

 

[millhouse21]

My favorite all time movie scene is from Dumb and Dumber when Lloyd is driving and falls asleep. The dream sequence where he wakes up with the truck coming right at him kills me. Not that anything like that ever happened to me flying freight. I'm just saying...

 

[TIGV]

I shoot the breeze with anyone listening on 23.4 or 23.45 all over the Midwest from 9 at night through 7 in the morning......have been known to skillfully balance my head to allow small catnaps that are interrupted by whiplash or the hard smack of my skullbone when it hits the cockpit window once the balance gives way