I was actually going to use that as a response to HAL's quote. I didn't realize you guys could actually take naps in the seat. I suppose it makes sense though, especially the kinds of autopilots you guys are using. Haven't done any evasive maneuvering, however I'd be lying if I said I never mistook a star for a plane...
European airlines under their JARs can take controlled naps. U.S. FARs do not allow it. Does it commonly happen? I plead the fifth.
One of my sim instructors in Corpus was telling me a story of how he was a new 3P walking into the flight station during an overnight flight and found the PPC, 2P and FE all passed out with the autopilot on. It was a pretty funny story, especially the way he told it.
I found that twice, once as a JO and once as a DH. Both times I woke them up using the fire bell. I had no problem with 1 asleep and 2 awake. I found them like that a few times too.
I think I would have gone for the fire warning test switch. I guess the only problem with that would be that the FE would probably wake up with a start and go straight for the e-handle. I think I've had and FE or two fall asleep, but I don't think I ever had a pilot do it. At least not that I noticed.
If someone did that on my flight deck (activate the fire bell) regardless of the circumstances without something actually being on fire I would invite them to disembark the crew once we landed. There are far better ways to wake someone up and far more creative ways to embarass. That is just downright dangerous. Not saying that sleeping at the flight station isn't but the fire warning sysytem isn't a fucking alarm clock.
Well when you are the MC and they are in the wrong, it's hard for them to be indignant or invite anyone to "disembark". In neither incident was anyone pissed off once they got over their intial embarassment. It's not like I pushed the button and ran. I stayed to make sure no one did anything stupid as they woke up (and to video tape it for their hail and fairwells). I've had pilots who woke up the crew with the bailout bell. Same shit, different day. Jollygreen - I guess the power lever trick we used to play on new pilots and FE would really piss you off. If you lift the floor boards up in the right place, you can move the cables/power levers. They sure freak out when those things move by themselves.
I don't doubt that, but as the MC I'd say I could arrange it. That's just my opinion anyways. I'm sure others would laugh it off. The bailout bell eh? That's dumb. Especially since you guys can actually bail outta that thing. As for the power lever thing: I wouldn't give a shit as long as I knew it was happening and I could stop any buffoonery that might ensue.
Just to be clear, the sleeping PPC was not the MC. I was. And because of the crew based qual system, it would take a blood feud before a VP squadron would ever move one or the other off an established crew.
Copy all. I'm sure it worked out just fine and everyone laughed about it but my mind just sees that 3p or FE-T freaking the fuck out and pulling handles or God knows what else. Would we all die? No, but it would certainly make for an interesting debrief.
Another good way to freak out the pilots and FEs is to make them think they left everyone behind. My first squadron had the first two ISAR birds in VP. These planes had no aft radar and the aft radar rack in the galley was empty. Between that and the doppler well/HSC, we managed to hide the entire tube crew. When the FE came back after t/o to do his checks, the tube was empty. He freaked out and so did the rest of the flight station after the off duty pilot went back to check and told the PPC the FE wasn't making it up. I had a long cord headset to monitor the ICS/radios and started telling the pilots over our base frequency we all went to take last minute dumps at the fuel pit head and watch the airplane taxi away. Was he coming back for us? Then the XO jumped on (from the duty office, yes it was a well coordinated prank) and started screaming a the PPC about what an idiot he was. While the XO was screaming, we all snuck back to our seats and I walked up to the flight station and asked why all the commotion? It was great fun.
What makes it even funnier is that not one of them stopped to think the aft observer answered up during engine starts.
Did you guys have the digital autopilot? I've actually seen work more than not, but I agree it's always a pleasant surprise. Some of our birds can even couple to the GPS, I don't know if you had that option though.
One bird. Flew it once at home...Everything else was the ASW-I don't want to work anymore or the PB-20 probably didn't work anyway.
Dude, how do you get anthrod out of Blimps? The MZ-3A is the roomiest thing I've ever flown Sent from my PH44100 using Tapatalk 2
39.5"+ sitting height makes you a land-based sailor... but the P-8 that came to Sherman last month for static display was too cool. $220M of whiz-bang digital badassness*. *As a new Ensign, I have not the foggiest f*** of what any of it does or the mission it goes on.
*Very astute, you're gonna go far! "Digital badassness" ...you've coined a new NavAv term. More applicable to the Rhino, rather than the Poseidon tho' ... BzB
