Sleeping on long flights - What's the secret?

I have heard of PIC's setting the autopilot and going to sleep on long cross
country flights, but I wouldn't recommend that you do it... : )

"C. Osbourne" wrote in message
news:f_iod.134853$R05.103574@attbi_s53...

Hi,

I'm going on some long flights soon, and would
really like to do some sleeping during the flights.

But somehow, I can't seem to get comfortable enough
to get to sleep. I'm 6'3" 280 lbs, and the tiny
seats are -very- uncomfortable after a few hours.
(can't afford 1st class)

Can anyone suggest a method or even proper drugs
I can use to get to sleep so the flights don't seem
so long?

Thanks for answering here...

"Dean Wilkinson" wrote in message
...
I have heard of PIC's setting the autopilot and going to sleep on long
cross
country flights, but I wouldn't recommend that you do it... : )

That woud take balls.


"C. Osbourne" wrote in message
news:f_iod.134853$R05.103574@attbi_s53...

Hi,

I'm going on some long flights soon, and would
really like to do some sleeping during the flights.

But somehow, I can't seem to get comfortable enough
to get to sleep. I'm 6'3" 280 lbs, and the tiny
seats are -very- uncomfortable after a few hours.
(can't afford 1st class)

Can anyone suggest a method or even proper drugs
I can use to get to sleep so the flights don't seem
so long?

Thanks for answering here...

Before you look too hard for a way to sleep on long flights, check out
www.airhealth.org

I too am tall (6ft 4in) and ten years ago (age 55 then) was stuffed
into a 747 center section steerage seat for a rushed
Chicago-Tokyo-Chicago business trip. A few days after returning,
while bending over, I had a TIA (small stroke) that completely
paralyzed me on the right side for about an hour. A blood clot
apparently crossed over in my heart & went to my brain. I now know I
have a common (35 percent of us do) heart defect called a Patent
Foramen Ovale (PFO) that allows some blood to occasionally skip going
thru the lungs, which would otherwise have filtered the clot out.

It has been a dog fight with the FAA to renew my 3rd class medical
ever since.

Clot formation on long flights is well described on the referenced web
site. Briefly you want to keep hydrated and keep moving around.
Don't sleep for any length or you may generate a clot. If you are
lucky, it will only be like Dan Quayle's of about the same time, and
be caught by your lung, which also requires hospitalization. He was
in first class, yet it still happened to him.

On Mon, 22 Nov 2004 10:14:35 GMT, (C.
Osbourne) wrote:

Can anyone suggest a method or even proper drugs
I can use to get to sleep so the flights don't seem
so long?


Vodka. Beer also might work, but you'll have to get up for the
bathroom too much and may be counter productive.

z

"zatatime" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 22 Nov 2004 10:14:35 GMT, (C.
Osbourne) wrote:

Vodka. Beer also might work, but you'll have to get up for the
bathroom too much and may be counter productive.


Nah, red wine. Chemicals in it promote drowsiness. And of course there's
always Nyquil.

-cwk.

C. Osbourne wrote:

I'm going on some long flights soon, and would
really like to do some sleeping during the flights.

Try climbing to altitude and couple the GPS with the autopilot. If you
have a way of setting the cabin pressure at about 9000, do that. It's
easier to sleep up there.

Then turn down the COM1 volume a bit, and tune COM2 to 121.50 and turn
it up loud. If ATC really needs to get to you, they'll try on 121.50,
and that should wake you up.

If you're flying single pilot-in-command, make sure your passengers
fall asleep before you do, and make sure you're wearing sunglasses that
wrap around so they can't see that your eyes are closed, just in case.

Brien K. Meehan wrote:

If you're flying single pilot-in-command, make sure your passengers
fall asleep before you do,

Ah, *that's* what I've been missing.

- Andrew

"C. Osbourne" wrote:

I'm going on some long flights soon, and would
really like to do some sleeping during the flights.

So, *why* crosspost this to rec.aviation.piloting? We work very hard to stay awake when we're
flying.

George Patterson

"G.R. Patterson III" writes:

"C. Osbourne" wrote:

I'm going on some long flights soon, and would
really like to do some sleeping during the flights.

So, *why* crosspost this to rec.aviation.piloting? We work very hard to stay awake when we're
flying.

He also cross-posted to alt.disasters.aviation. Maybe posting to
r.a.p. *and* a.d.a. makes sense.

"C. Osbourne" wrote in message news:f_iod.134853$

Can anyone suggest a method or even proper drugs
I can use to get to sleep so the flights don't seem
so long?

Benadryl works great.

One time I flew to London on a 747 sandwiched between a French guy and a
fellow from Hong Kong, neither of whom spoke english. For the love of God.

On the way home, in the interest of public safety, I took a remaining
codeine pill left over from oral surgery, stretched out across the row in
the middle of the mostly-empty airplane...and dreamed that I was stuck
between a French guy and a fellow from Hong Kong, that the plane was flying
under power lines, etc...

-c