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Body preps for long flight

S

Sid Lambert

Well Known Member
We are planning a camping trip to Idaho from Georgia in July. I'm fairly comfortable prepping the aircraft and my camping gear. What I'm not so sure about is prepping my body for 8+ hours in the airplane on day 1.

What do you guys that ferry aircraft all over do? Here's what I have so far...

Lose some weight
Cut caffeine a few days before
No alcohol a few days before
Take a water and an empty Gatorade bottle
Hat, sunglasses and long sleeve shirt.
 
You're set!

Fly 3 hours, get out and stretch, refuel, regain altitude.

I love flying CC. He farther the better.
 
Leg length...

I try to make my leg length duration shorter each leg. Generally I plan for 3 hours but have stretched out to 4.5 on occasion. For a 8 hour day two legs are plausible but I would not plan it that way... I suggest three legs with the first at 3.5, followed by a 3 with a short 1.5 to finish. It should work out for a relatively easy day... with the short finish you can even eat and drink after the second leg.
 
An autopilot helps.

I fly high to stay above turbulence (when possible) but without supplemental O2 that may not be viable for you.

Start early (sunrise or soon thereafter).

My longest flight day was over 11flight hours. Three or four stops. Going west. Wing leveler autopilot.

Get a canopy shade. Check your local auto parts store for the ones that fold and attach with suction cups.

Idaho on day 1 is not so critical that you kill yourself.
 
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Talk to your local glider pilots... 5 hrs non-stop is typical out West - my longest is 8.5 hours. Since you have to refuel it should not be a big deal

A pack of these and you'll be OK...:)

http://www.sportys.com/PilotShop/product/13089

13089.jpg


Pilot fatigue is probably the most important thing to look out for.
 
Sid, I flew my RV-4 from north FL (28J Palatka) to the border of MT and ID the end of last June. We made it to Fort Collins the first day, it was a long one. We made four stops. We made one of the stops an hour for lunch and rest.

My suggestions are to stop every 2 - 2.5 hours, stretch, walk around a bit. Carry a bottle of Gatorade or two and stay hydrated. It was brutally hot in the middle of the country, 105? on the ground. It was very hot in the cockpit and I sweated a lot, to the point that my potassium got low and I had some finger cramps. That is why I recommend Gatorade instead of water. Lesson 1 learned.

We are going out again this year, the third week of June, to Johnson Creek, then on from there to points unknown at this time. Lesson 2 was that a ball cap doesn't protect the back of my neck from the sun. For the trip this year I bought a QT Halo in-the-ear headset. I can now wear my wide brim safari had to help keep sun off my head, neck, and shoulders.

I didn't change any drinking or eating habits before I left, and I don't believe that was an issue.

PM me if you have specific questions.
 
Prep

I've flown my RV-8 from North East Georgia to San Francisco and back twice. Didn't do much to prep the bod ahead of time. Just don't OD on caffine before departure. Get plenty of rest before leaving and only fly 2.3 to 2.5 hour legs before stopping for fuel and to stretch your legs.

Stay hydrated, bring a couple of snacks, take the "Travel Johns" as pointed out by Gil, beg, borrow or steal Clarity aloft or QT Halo headsets, and wear a "boonie" hat.

Take and use O2 if you can, you will arrive much more refreshed even if you do fly below 10K ft.
 
Do NOT fly 5.5 hours with Flight Following. Your best Bose headset will become a clamping nightmare, you WILL use the bottle and ATC may question you on deviation during the use :D Unless you have AP or a company.
 
I try to take an aspirin a day, but frankly don't get it done very often.... I try really hard to take an aspirin to help prevent DVT on long flight days...

I also have handholds on the roll bar in the Rocket and i do chin ups and isometric leg exercises every hour......

Tailwinds,
Doug Rozendaal
F-1 EVO
 
Eat very little the day before (especially no bread) so you don't have to take a "10-200" (old CB radio jargon) pit-stop somewhere at some FBO in the boondocks with a nasty public restroom :eek:

Sorry... but somebody had to mention this.
 
mannanj said:
.....
Stay hydrated, bring a couple of snacks, take the "Travel Johns" as pointed out by Gil, beg, borrow or steal Clarity aloft or QT Halo headsets, and wear a "boonie" hat.
......
Click to expand...

Yes... the idea of the Travel Johns is not really to use them (but, if you have too...) but to make you not worry about drinking plenty of liquids and staying hydrated...:)
 
B25Flyer said:
I try to take an aspirin a day, but frankly don't get it done very often.... I try really hard to take an aspirin to help prevent DVT on long flight days...

I also have handholds on the roll bar in the Rocket and i do chin ups and isometric leg exercises every hour......

Tailwinds,
Doug Rozendaal
F-1 EVO
Click to expand...

Yes, an aspirin a day may help with DVT prevention. An added benefit few are aware of is it will mitigate the risk of a peel in the event of a sunburn. The mechanism of this is unclear. It may be due to inhibition of Cyclooxygenase or increasing blood flow through micro-capillaries of the skin. In any case, the effect is noticeable and on a long cross country under a bubble canopy we get more sun than many are accustomed to.
 
Wear a condom cath

It may sound icky, but for long cross countries I've been known to wear a condom catheter. I don't need it in an airplane with only 3.5 hour legs, but in the past flying 5-6 hour legs it was great. We wear these all the time in technical/cave diving. Is basically a condom with glue in it and you hook it up to a barbed hose fitting. Run it to a bottle or a bag or whatever. Following dive trips I've been know to leave it on a just run it out the car window for the drive home :eek:

Rochester wide band are the best, at home medical has the best prices, and be prepared to realize you aren't as big as you think you are :)

Oh, and shave before putting it on, take it off in a hot shower. Don't ask me how I know.

Ps pack a roll of tp in a ziplock bag
 
O2 does wonders for keeping you from getting tired on long flights even if you are at lower altitudes not requiring it.
 
A bag of salted peanuts 30 minutes before the flight--locks in the moisture!

Cheers,

db
 
walkman said:
It may sound icky, but for long cross countries I've been known to wear a condom catheter. I don't need it in an airplane with only 3.5 hour legs, but in the past flying 5-6 hour legs it was great. We wear these all the time in technical/cave diving. Is basically a condom with glue in it and you hook it up to a barbed hose fitting. Run it to a bottle or a bag or whatever. Following dive trips I've been know to leave it on a just run it out the car window for the drive home :eek:

Rochester wide band are the best, at home medical has the best prices, and be prepared to realize you aren't as big as you think you are :)

Oh, and shave before putting it on, take it off in a hot shower. Don't ask me how I know.

Ps pack a roll of tp in a ziplock bag
Click to expand...

Anybody ever install a pilot relief tube a la the WWII fighters and such? :)
 
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Nothing at all

The body is ready to go. I do use the restroom before flight but that's it, otherwise I never give it a thought. Having a fast plane helps. Take something to snack on. My longest enroute times have been around 13 hours.

Bob Axsom
 
Just do it!

Take whatever makes you comfortable. I did a bit over 17 hours in one day. Brought along some caffeine pills but didn't need them. A few small snacks helped. I wore a white long-sleeve shirt which helped reflect the sun's heat. Took four breaks for fuel. I was at low altitude all the time, so didn't have any issues there except the heat. A hamburger and beer at the end of the flight was much appreciated!
 
Dehydration

Don't skimp on the fluids. You can dehydrate easily as you go higher due to the lower humidity and the problem with dehydration is it insidiously affects cognitive activity. There have been accidents here attributed to both poor decision making and mistakes in calculations caused by not replacing lost fluids.

Jim
 
Bob,

DVT = deep vein thrombosis, same stuff you might get riding on commercial airlines etc. if you sit in the same position long enough
 
Wow, Smokey has me beat :p

I did 13 hours in one day. Dayton Ohio to Fullerton California. It was a fun trip, but I wouldn't do it in December again. The weather was perfect, but the shorter day meant departing before sun up and landing after sun down.

My trip was I73-KTBN-KWWR-KSJN-KFUL. The legs weren't too long, but having the AP and some empty gatorade bottles was definitely helpful :)
 
If you need to get there without delay, the advice given above will suffice. If you are on vacation or just traveling, why not enjoy the adventure. My wife and I depart Reno NV every July for our trip "back East". Last July we visited folks in Ft Worth TX, Tulsa OK, Tunica MS, Biloxi MS, Morgantown WV, Richmond VA, Nashville TN, Oshkosh WI, and back to Reno. 24 days, 42 flying hours, more than 5000 miles, and over $1700 in fuel. The above is to establish background crosscountry travel creditability. Now the advice: We always leave early in the morning and do 2 hops, of 2-2.5 hours each and done for the day, before the afternoon heat and turbulance. We either float around in the motel pool, go to a movie or explore the area on stops without family or friends. My wife is always ready to travel with a schedule like this. If you have been married very long, keeping the co-pilot happy on crosscounty trips, is the secret to getting her to do it again next year. Btw, we are both 65. Dan
 
Lionclaw said:
Wow, Smokey has me beat :p

I did 13 hours in one day. Dayton Ohio to Fullerton California. It was a fun trip, but I wouldn't do it in December again. The weather was perfect, but the shorter day meant departing before sun up and landing after sun down.

My trip was I73-KTBN-KWWR-KSJN-KFUL. The legs weren't too long, but having the AP and some empty gatorade bottles was definitely helpful :)
Click to expand...

I did 14 hours, from MYLS Stella Maris, Bahamas to KLUK Cincinnati Lunken one day in an AA5-A. Anyone who has flow one of those with the original (not '79) seat design knows they were designed by the hunchback of notre dam lol


Wasn't non stop :)

My rear end was also flat for days. Make Thanksgiving dinner tho.

Did KLUK to Spearfish, SD in one day too, I think only one fuel stop, can't remember. bucking a headwind the hole way. Don't think I went over 300 AGL the entire flight.
 
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