• Please take a moment and update your account profile. If you have an updated account profile with basic information on why you are on Air Warriors it will help other people respond to your posts. How do you update your profile you ask?

    Go here:

    Edit Account Details and Profile

Can You Drink Water While Flying in a Jet?

ChuckMK23

FERS and TSP contributor!
pilot
Most jets are pressurized and inflight hydration, snacking, juice boxing is acceptable... especially on XC...the AF actually issues repackaged GI monster drinks that look like Capri Suns.... Complete with plastic marine mammal killing straw. Also in AF land, retort pouch Pedialyte and sports drinks designed to be kept cold, stored in in gsuit pocket and in generic USGI packaging.
 
Last edited:

Brett327

Well-Known Member
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Or, you just have to wait until you land and never take off your flight mask while flying?
In practice, you have your mask off, dangling to one side a lot of the time, and it's actually recommended to breathe ambient air occasionally in the F/A-18E/F/G series NATOPS. Most people have a small Camelback integrated into their survival vests, others just bring a hydroflask/whatever your preferred water vessel is. In hot climates, drinking lots of water is absolutely essential.
 

Hopeful Hoya

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
I don't like flying with the water pouches on my vest (we use a slightly different setup than the camelbaks the F-18 guys use). Usually I just fill up a camelbak with water and keep it in my helmet bag with the hose sticking out, drop my mask and drink as required. I also always fly with a powerbar in the "Anti Divert Kit" I keep in my helmet bag, and would usually snack on the longer flights from the boat.

Also, that F-16 cockpit looks like a fun place to spend a 8.0 combat sortie...
 

ea6bflyr

Working Class Bum
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Even dudes wearing spacesuits and space helmets in the U-2 drink water. I’m certain @HuggyU2 has some cool selfies with the aforementioned helmet straw.

edit: found this one on the inter webs….appears to be having a snack.

1655876659360.jpeg
 
Last edited:

nittany03

Recovering NFO. Herder of Programmers.
pilot
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Also, that F-16 cockpit looks like a fun place to spend a 8.0 combat sortie...
I was once bored on cruise (shocker) and did the math on how far an ~8.0 Afghanistan Prowler line would go if it was an equivalent one-way XC from the Gulf of Oman. As the crow flies, no dithering with whose airspace you'd fly through or where the tanker(s) would magically come from.

I think I ended up somewhere around Paris.
 

sevenhelmet

Low calorie attack from the Heartland
pilot
I was once bored on cruise (shocker) and did the math on how far an ~8.0 Afghanistan Prowler line would go if it was an equivalent one-way XC from the Gulf of Oman. As the crow flies, no dithering with whose airspace you'd fly through or where the tanker(s) would magically come from.

I think I ended up somewhere around Paris.

Nice. I once gamed out how far from the Gulf of Oman you could make it in a 5-wet Rhino, manually managing fuel transfer and jettisoning tanks as you emptied them. It was pretty far, but the list of places an American could show up and be welcome was still very limited.

Thanks for the "round the world" cruise, Navy. ;)
 

nittany03

Recovering NFO. Herder of Programmers.
pilot
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Nice. I once gamed out how far from the Gulf of Oman you could make it in a 5-wet Rhino, manually managing fuel transfer and jettisoning tanks as you emptied them. It was pretty far, but the list of places an American could show up and be welcome was still very limited.

Thanks for the "round the world" cruise, Navy. ;)
Yeah, the "as the crow flies" bit ignores this big inconvenient area of the map labeled "Iran," full of people who really need to STFU on Guard.
 

Random8145

Registered User
In practice, you have your mask off, dangling to one side a lot of the time, and it's actually recommended to breathe ambient air occasionally in the F/A-18E/F/G series NATOPS. Most people have a small Camelback integrated into their survival vests, others just bring a hydroflask/whatever your preferred water vessel is. In hot climates, drinking lots of water is absolutely essential.
Aren't the aircraft air conditioned?
 

navyterp67

Well-Known Member
pilot
Aren't the aircraft air conditioned?

They are, but not as well as you would think at low level and on deck. F-35 and Rhino aren’t bad but the Charlie ECS is awful. Waiting to launch in the summer on a carrier deck or in Fallon/Lemoore (or really anywhere) will make you sweat your ass off, and flying at altitude breathing O2 dries you out. Neither of those things are good for G-tolerance. I always bring a yeti water bottle. On long OIR flights, having that bottle full of cold brew coffee was absolutely required.
 

Brett327

Well-Known Member
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Aren't the aircraft air conditioned?
Not before the engines come online. On the flight deck, you may be sitting in there for 15-20 minutes before starts are called away, depending on the circumstances.
 
Top