Why do pilots take medicine: Pilots have very busy flying schedules. Therefore, it is necessary for every pilot to have at least 10 hours of rest between two shifts. During this period the pilot should take eight hours of sleep. Pilots should also get 30 continuous hours of rest every week. We are telling you all this because a few days ago both the pilots were found sleeping in an Indonesian flight. Although airlines and military organizations around the world are struggling with this problem, they have a surprising solution, and that is medicine for insomnia.
According to a report by BBC English, during the Second World War, pilots had a heavy workload and at that time, they were given a drug called methamphetamine so that they could overcome sleep and perform their duties efficiently. Later this drug became so popular that late night missions were promoted throughout Europe. Similarly, dextroamphetamine came into use during the Gulf War in 1990-91. It was used by most of the fighter pilots during the bombing of Iraqi forces in Kuwait.
Become addicted to amphetamine
Methamphetamine pills are still popular among US military airmen. Pilots use it to ward off sleepiness and fatigue, which can overwhelm pilots during long missions and compromise their safety. But there is a problem in its use. Taking amphetamine continuously can cause extreme addiction. Even in the 1940s they were widely misused. Therefore, in recent years military organizations have been looking for other options.
US Air Force also uses
In the world of fighter pilots, there are two types of drugs: go-pills and no-go pills. The first are stimulants, and increase the activity of the central nervous system. The second contains depressants, which slow down the transmission of messages between the brain and the body. In situations where alertness and sleep timing are critical, the US Air Force sometimes uses these drugs to support the body. So, this is where the name of Modafinil also comes into play.
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Modafinil is used
Modafinil is already widely available and approved for use in Singapore, India, France, the Netherlands and the United States Air Force. Meanwhile, an investigation by the Guardian newspaper in the UK revealed that a large cache of the drug was purchased by the UK Ministry of Defense before the start of the war in Afghanistan in 2001. In 2002, another order was placed before this. During the invasion of Iraq, although a defense research agency conducted experiments with the bullets, they were reportedly not used on combat personnel.
Boring flights are a big challenge
As they take off in the sky, fighter pilots often have only a few seconds to observe their surroundings and decide how to react to threats, so fatigue can easily become fatal. But strangely, intense flights involving serious combat or maneuvers are not the only flights where pilots struggle with sleep deprivation – in fact, these are the biggest challenges for boring flights.
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Dutch pilots take adrenaline
“When you are doing a combat mission, it can take a total of seven-eight hours,” says a military expert from the Netherlands. For such situations the Netherlands produces adrenaline, which increases alertness and reduces feelings of fatigue. On the other hand, less attractive missions can lead to boredom, which leads to burnout. The military expert says, “A few years ago, when our test pilots completed a new mission, they complained that the then-current anti-fatigue remedy, caffeine, was not enough. “They wanted something else to help them stay awake during the flight.”
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When commercial airline pilots fell asleep
In January 2023, two pilots boarded an Airbus A320 with 153 passengers and crew. One asked his co-pilot to take control of the plane while he took a nap, and the other agreed. But it did not go as planned. In March 2024, a report by Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) revealed that a flight from Southeast Sulawesi to Jakarta was effectively pilot-less for 28 minutes, after both pilots fell asleep simultaneously. A national investigation was conducted into this incident, which highlighted the issue of pilot fatigue on commercial flights.
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Tag: drug problem, flight pilot, Health, pilot
first published : March 20, 2024, 3:07 pm IST