A near miss, but something to consider as a risk... 1

[3DDave]

Doesn't seem like a cry for help - sounds like a guy with sleep deprivation psychosis, possibly initiated by or just coincidental to the mushrooms; the mushrooms indicate a desperation for treatment of some other problem.

The US stigmatizes and often criminalizes mental health problems.

 

[TugboatEng]

Psychosis from lack of sleep usually comes on after a 40 hour amphetamine bender. I'm curious about when the last time this pilot on his time card. Was he returning from a wild week of partying or had he been working and was getting shuttled home? Two flights ago I sat next to a Southwest pilot on a Southwest flight. He had been attending training and was flying as a passenger.

The military used to pump its pilots full of amphetamines for long flights but then would give them benzodiazepine to put them to sleep. They were called go pills and no-go pills

 

[JohnRBaker]

I had an uncle (by marriage) who was a long distance truck driver, and he talked about the uppers and downers that were used back in the 60's and 70's when he was still out on the road.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

Most don't allow commuters on the jump seat in Europe, and haven't done for years.

The commuting that's done in the US is all a bit alien to me.

Don't expect the FAA to change anything regarding the jumpseat commuting or the flight time limitations.

Fatigue and commuting was a major part of Colgan

https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=73351

but they headed off down a different route of regulation.

Basically the airlines would object due to increased costs and inability to get crew and the pilots would as well as the free jumpseat travel is seen as a perk of the job.

There is also a fairly large feeling from those in the majors that they had to deal with the poor working conditions and fatigue so the new generation has to as well before they can get a job in the majors.

Seeing what some do for a roster it wouldn't surprise me if uppers and downers are being used.

 

[Murph 9000]

Here's a new video covering it on the YouTube blancolirio channel. Juan (the YouTuber) is a 777 pilot for one of the major US airlines.

https://youtu.be/ze_WIE3Yokg?si=oIcpcPD1lqcuChGR

 

[TugboatEng]

Video most likely cleared through major US airline employer's lawyers or encouraged by major US airline's employers. We have left the age of free information so take any such explanations with a huge grain of salt.

 

[human909]

There is also a fairly large feeling from those in the majors that they had to deal with the poor working conditions and fatigue so the new generation has to as well before they can get a job in the majors.

Seeing what some do for a roster it wouldn't surprise me if uppers and downers are being used.

Another data point for the title of the US on the whole has some of the worst working conditions in the OECD. Even in the 'high end professions' you are expected to work and work hard at the expense of your health, the company owns you. (Sorry for the off topic comment. Feel free to shoot down my broad generalisation.)

An airline pilot seems a glorious profession but get down to the guts and it does seem quite exhausting. Each to their own I suppose, I'm happy enough as an engineer. (I should consider myself fortunate.)

 

[JohnRBaker]

Here's another 'near miss'. How was it that no one noticed that these windows were missing/damaged:

Plane Flying to U.S. From London Took Off With Window Panes Missing

https://www.thedailybeast.com/plane-flying-to-us-from-london-took-off-with-window-panes-missing

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[TugboatEng]

It appears that the plastic inner windows were still in place. This might have hidden the problem from the flight crew inside. Good think they had already dislodged on the ground. It wouldn't have been so fortunate if they had popped out at higher altitude.

 

[3DDave]

The seals were damaged and the windows slightly deformed by using high intensity lamps for a photo shoot. Difficult to inspect the invisible and transparent for a first time ever event.

The outer windows would have departed after take-off.

https://assets.publishing.service.g...4be7c9b/S2-2023__Airbus_A321-253NX_G-OATW.pdf

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

I had an outer window go in cruise and we did feel a pop but similar to them we didn't see anything with the pressurisation couldn't see anything in the cabin. Only found it after landing. And we definitely didn't have any high intensity lights onboard.

They do go occasionally. And the inside plastic pane does carry the pressurisation load short term.

 

[Debirlfan]

I just happened to see this and wanted to provide a small clarification. The Fedex crew that was attacked by the hammer wielding jumpseater was a 3 man crew. If there had been only the pilot and copilot, undoubtedly the jumpseater would have succeeded, as even the three of them barely managed to control him. It's one heck of a story, if anyone has never heard it.

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

There was a Swedish Jetstream 31 crew that got attacked by a pax with the fire axe. The JS31 doesn't have a cockpit door, just a curtain.

They managed to fight them off with some injury's.